In today’s continuation of the A-Z Challenge, I give you:

M is for Magic!

Gaming has been a part of my world since I was a child–back in the day with the King’s Quest series on old 5 1/4″ floppy discs–but it wasn’t until I married my husband that I became a series gamer.

He introduced me to the land of Final Fantasy, Zelda, and Pokemon. This later evolved into a love of board games (aka tabletop games), and eventually Magic: The Gathering.

Gaming together isn’t just fun, it’s amaze-balls. While we probably spend way too much on games, we get to share an awesome hobby that keeps things interesting.

I remember watching my husband and many of our high school friends play Magic back in high school. These were the days of the Unlimited set back in 1994. My friend Jessica called them “picture cards,” and rather than playing, we’d look through everyone’s cards for the artwork.

Funny fake card we made when DiNozzo interrupted regularly scheduled gaming.

I didn’t think I’d ever be interested in playing Magic, and I certainly didn’t think it was a game I’d be able to learn. Due to some crappy teachers (mainly coaches) in high school, I’d been convinced that math and science were topics I’d never master. (In fact, one Coach Brown who taught Algebra I told me to sit in the back of the room because I “was a girl.” He followed that sentence up with, “Girls don’t need math. They need to look pretty.” This was in 1993 folks, not 1953.)

Watching my friends play, the game felt overly complicated. It involved keeping track of numbers and learning strategies (like a chess player), so I wrote it off. Pokemon was my gateway game. Once I’d played that for a good decade, my husband bought an intro deck, determined to teach me Magic.

That was one year ago.

One year later and I’m hopelessly hooked on Magic. I’ve created two Commander/EDH decks and over two dozen draft and standard decks. I’ve participated in four pre-release tournaments and spent about half my time at recent cons playing Magic with others.

Every weekend, my husband and I go to our local gaming store. Even though we usually intend to try a new tabletop game, we eventually end up adding in some Magic to the outing.

It’s true: The couple that games together, stays together.

This post is part of the A-Z Challenge. Every day (except Sundays) in the month of May, I’ll be posting about people, places, books, games, and other things that influence me as a writer or add a certain magic to my life. Join me in April as we explore a Hodge-Podge of Influences & Wayward Treks through the Fantastical.

Read more A-Z Challenge Posts here.