Trading Card Games and Intelligence?

[SMILEYSIXX]

Recently, I discovered some of my friends had found some relics of the past, cards from a card game that will remain unnamed. I went out to find mine and we started messing around just to goof off, but then remembered just how fun it really was. We nostalgia'd pretty hard

Long story short, a debate arose when someone we have a relatively unsavory past with uncovered our dirty little secret. We got the typical run-of-the-mill mocking, until one of the guys spoke up about the intellectual benefits (Intense Strategy, learning to make quick decisions, dealing with logic, learning to plan moves ahead, dealing with pitfalls in plans, working with numbers, etc.).

So I pose the question, TB, do you believe in the intellectual benefits to such hobbies? Not making it a daily habit (or addiction if you prefer), just as a weekly couple of hours to relax and hang out with friends.

 

[Ziltoid]

Magic the gathering was challenging, but at some point it was just a waste of money.

 

[SMILEYSIXX]

Ah magic, that was fun.

I've made a promise to myself this time around, I'm not putting more money into it. I sunk too much into it in my childhood to put more into it now. I cry a little when I think of the basses I could've bought with the money I have in trading card games.

 

[OleJohnnyMac]

Intense Strategy, learning to make quick decisions, dealing with logic, learning to plan moves ahead, dealing with pitfalls in plans, working with numbers

I think I agree, although I suspect a weekly poker game, chess meet, or any game with strategic and economic elements would confer similar intellectual benefits. The imaginative component would definitely be less strong in the games I just listed, though. Evolutionary biologists, economists, etc. have been expressing some really cool ideas in the language of game theory in the last 20 or 30 years. A lot of what humans do can be profitably (or at least interestingly) couched in game terms. Could probably do a sociological/game-theoretical analysis of TB and learn something useful.

I gave up RPG's, MTG, etc. when I got to high school and discovered bass guitar, girls, and weed. Now that I'm a married square with a full time job and a bunch of kids, I sometimes think it'd be fun to start playing again. Not so easy to meet a dork demographic in the frozen wasteland I call home, though.

 

[Bongolation]

I have no idea what the OP's talking about.

 

[Selta]

M:TG was fun for me through high school, then I stopped once it became a money pit. I miss it, but I also don't have anyone to really play with around here.

 

[fdeck]

Do it if you enjoy it, and don't be self conscious about it. The greatest intellectual benefit is probably just getting out of your regular element and hanging out with friends.

 

[Skitch it!]

Definitely agree, definitely. It was a conversation I was having with a friend recently about what has happened since the advent of T.V culture, where as once you used to stimulate your senses, now people expect all of it provided through a lesser medium.

Every smarter cat I know, uses crosswords, games, other puzzles in free time, I used to wonder why this was, until I got it.

Card games, big yes, from a stimulation aspect, a social aspect, and teaching you that your not a good gambler when you keep losing your money

 

[warwick.hoy]

RRR,...Me no understand cardboard square sport, for nerds, me no likey, must kill with fire.

 

[Skitch it!]

RRR,...Me no understand cardboard square sport, for nerds, me no likey, must kill with fire.

I know what your saying, it's popular here, even in pubs (until the arguments) and it's always been that way as far as I can remember. I do rate it though for an increased pathway that may have a trickledown effect to absorbing new information, even in bass practise/whatever.

Someone I spoke to years back said 'intelligence is the process of quick uptake and quick utilisation of that information', I agree with this, and card games are based on constantly changing odd's that you have to keep adjusting for.

I consider memory a little different, but both have parallels that must work together?

But that's only what I think about it, after weighing it up.

 

[SMILEYSIXX]

I gave it up before high school. Bass, girls, school was all too much. I'm keeping it on the backburner (since I was introduced to TCG's to the time I quit it was an expensive habit and I'm not letting it happen again), but it's one hell of a good time to just hang out and screw around. I forgot how fun they could be.

 

[DwaynieAD]

I keep 2 M:TG decks in a drawer in my kitchen, i get them out about once a year when someone feels like playing

 

[drteeth]

I used to play a lot, and the expensive version (T1). Sold it all a couple of years ago and bought bass gear with the money

 

[jp58]

I can see how they would help, especially if you played the games in your 8-10 or 8-12 age range.

 

[WalterBush]

I gave up MTG because I kept losing, not because I grew up (which, as my wife points out, I may not have). I held on to all my old card games, DnD books, etc over the years for reasons I still don't know.

But, we're a geek family, my wife played Magic and other games for ages before we met. I bought my 8-year-old son a pack of Yu-Gi-Oh cards last year and we sit down and play now and then. While the card game itself didn't really grab him like we thought it would, he's now board-game crazy and prefers card and board games to video games, which I'm happy with.

I never could figure out if gaming developed intelligence, or if more intelligent people were drawn to gaming, but there's definitely a connection there somehow. I've known too many smart people that played something or other, or used to in high school, etc.

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Could be a competative outlet for those that aren't into conventional sports?

I dunno tho, I'll do a bit of anything

 

[Skitch it!]

It's never had the geek connection here where I am, some of the toughest 'look at me sideways for too long and I'm going make you explain yourself' type cats have always played it, it's a natural competitive thought process thing. I will say though, there's usually a bet in it to make it a bit more interesting.

I have a friend who is a private maths tutor, his wife told me that when they retire to bed, he doesn't read a book for a bit, he works on ridiculous mathematical problems, he's one of the coolest guy's I and the social circle know, he don't say much, but he don't have to

 

[Phalex]

 

[Skitch it!]

^ C'mon, there's worse things you can do, like Trainspotting for instance, what a knock-out hobby that must be, but if you dig it, you dig it

 

[fenderhutz]

I see more intelligent types hovering towards these type of fantasy social games.

I used to play and have a higher IQ than normal when I was tested. I never saw an oaf playing these games, it was always above average intelligence "nerds" as people would call them. We wouldn't talk about the daily nothings in life, but still had an intelligent conversation and had a good time.

My social skills are somewhat "different". I don't get involved with daily conversations about nothingness and find it quite boring. I find sports culture and it's obsession annoying. I find that people that are strongly opinionated while completely ignorant about a subject annoying. Needless to say I have a very small yet dedicated group of friends and usually I am very quiet in social situations.

Yes. I would rather sit in a coffee shop playing RISK or a card game than go to a bar and watch a bunch of sports junkies scream at a TV, then turn immediately to ESPN to watch someone yell the analysis of the over analysis of the analysis they just analyzed.

Happily different, no apologies here