In the average day, Melgin's Keep gets 10-20 hits. And 8-10 emails/feedback forms. Of
these, 4 will be Magic rules questions, 2 will be decks of various types, and the rest will be
feedback. And of the feedback we receive, virtually every single person has asked us the same question:
Why do you call Gaming a way of life, and give it a capital G...?
The answer is simple, yet it isn't. Gaming is a way of life. The Typical Gamer is not a casual, weekends-only player, he's a hardcore addict, who plays hour after hour, and spends more money on a game than on his girlfriend, if he even has one. The majority of you fit this mold. No, don't be ashamed or offended! It's no worse than being a die-hard Mets fan, or attending every Maple Leafs game, or never missing Days of Our Lives. It's just not what everyone else is doing.
The staff here all love games. We all prefer different ones, but we still have the common thread. We can talk for hours to each other about all sorts of things, having never played the same games. This is because, more so than with any other hobby, Gamers share more common interests. Ask yourself this: How many times have you read The Hobbit? Seen Star Wars? Watched Star Trek reruns? You'll find that at least one of these, and probably all, is an answer in the high thousands. We're a tight-knit community.
But that doesn't really answer the question. Gaming is not just a hobby like stamp collecting. In order to be a truly great Magic player, for example, you need to spend hours and hundreds of dollars on expanding your collection and playtesting your decks. The same goes for any CCG. D & D afficionados will spend hours researching historical characters and events, seeking inspiration for their dwarven fighter or a great idea for the next campaign. No, we're not saying everyone does this, but for those who do, welcome to your world.
So there you go. Now you know. We are not a pretty site. We don't try to dazzle you with wonderful artwork. We're here to make sure you have all the Gaming knowledge we know you need. The Dungeons & Dragons section will soon be updated with articles that are more history-related, giving you ideas for great character backgrounds.. The Magic, Pokémon, and Star Wars sections will have deck ideas, not just lists, explaining why some cards are better choices than others. and hints on how to see what your deck needs. And, of course, we'll continue to bring you insightful articles on how the Gaming world is changing. We hope this is what you wanted.
As always, if this isn't what you want, we are always open to constructive criticism. Use our feedback form, tell us what's wrong and what's right,
and we'll do our best to fix it. This is a site for you, not for us, so if you want it, we'll try to give it to you.
Until next time,
Chris "Dual" Lansdell,
Matt "Lotus" Blossom,
Jeremy "Merlin" Shane
Melgin's Keep Staff.
