Wizards has been full steam ahead on the Hype Train for five straight months. We’ve had a set every thirty days since Shadows dropped in May (Eternal Masters, Eldritch Moon, Conspiracy 2, andKaladesh). Plus next month we have the Commander sets. That is a lot of new shiny things all in a row.
Back when I got into Magic, spoiler season was my favorite time. Waking up and going online to see all the new spoilers was the best part of my day. But that feeling is starting to lose its luster. With spoiler season all the time many of us are becoming exhausted (and also broke).
Personally, as someone with a public relations background, I’m more than just a little confused by Wizards’ decision to keep this going for so long. They seem oblivious to the idea that they are exhausting their audience. To keep this simple (unlike my first draft of this article which was full of communications theories and history that I realized is only interesting to me) it’s kind of like the current 24-hour news cycle. They slowly numbed people by using hype (stuff like overexaggeration) to the point where they have to make everything a big deal to get people to pay attention and they have to keep it going all the time. Every hurricane has to be bigger than the last, every detail has to be reported, etc. I’m sure you know how unhealthy that is. You’re probably guilty of tuning it out too. If Wizards keeps this pace going forward, that is what is going to happen to Magic as well.
Magic players are a pretty loyal bunch. We love the game and will do basically anything to play, but we do have a limit. It’s a real thing that needs to be considered. I am super happy with the product that Wizards has put out this summer. There isn’t a single set that’s come out that I’ve looked at and gone, “meh.” However, I didn’t have anytime to enjoy a set before the next one came out, nor did I have time to save up to buy more between each release.
Wizards would have far more success if they gave players longer down time between sets. Without giving us time to breath in between, they are leaving us in a constant state of hype so nothing is exciting anymore. I haven’t even been checking the spoilers for Kaladesh (even though I love artifacts and am excited about it) because I’m just so overwhelmed.
As I said before, Hype is something studied in public relations and it’s also something that isn’t looked upon positively. Not only because it’s considered manipulative and iffy ethically, but also because it numbs the audience. P.T. Barnum (yes of the circus) is really the one credited with making hype a big PR tactic. Does Wizards really think it’s in their best interest to use the “Look at the World’s Strongest Man” sales pitch to attract more sales?
Wizards, I’m without a doubt one of your biggest fans, and I think you can do better. Maybe you need some better advice from a PR/Marketing firm or maybe you just need to find a way to bottle up the genius that comes out of R&D so you can spread it out over the year. No matter what, slow it down! Let us catch up to you! We all love what you’re doing but want to take the time to appreciate the art instead of rushing through every set at breakneck (and break wallet) speed.
Speaking of which… They know what they have done.
Kate hails from Worcester MA and also does a bit of Card Altering. Check her Stuff out on Facebook! She mainly plays legacy and modern though will occasionally find herself playing EDH.