Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering (Also called “Magic" or "MTG") is a collectible card game created by Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic is the first example of the modern collectible card game genre and is still going strong today, with an estimated six million players in over seventy countries. Magic can be played by two or more players each using a deck of cards or a deck of virtual cards through the Internet-based Magic: The Gathering Online or third-party programs.

Each game represents a battle using magical spells, items, and creatures depicted on individual Magic cards to defeat their opponents. Although the original concept of the game drew heavily from the examples gained from traditional fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, the game play of Magic bears little semblance to “pencil-and-paper games”, while having considerably more cards and more complex rules than most other card games. An organized tournament system and a community of professional Magic players have developed, as well as a secondary market for Magic cards. Certain Magic cards can be valuable due to their scarcity and utility in game play.

Originally game was simply called "Magic" through most of play testing, but when it came time for the game to be officially named, a lawyer informed them that Magic was too unspecific to be copyrighted. "Mana Clash" was chosen to be the name used in the first version of the game. Everybody involved with the game still called it Magic, however. After further discussions with the lawyer, it was decided to rename the game to Magic: The Gathering, and thus making the name able to be trademarked.