Cecelia FranciscoTrading cards have always seemed to have a geeky pastime to them. Remember ripping open that pack of baseball cards and being greeted by that cardboard tasting bubblegum, which for some reason no matter how bad it tasted, every time you would still jam that gum in your mouth?
Even though most of the time you never understood why you would buy baseball cards but it always seemed like a good idea and you just wanted them. Why not? Everyone else on your street was collecting “Upper Deck,” “Fleer” or “Garbage Pail Kids” cards. Trading cards nowadays are more along the lines of “my Pikachu can defeat your Jigglypuff!”
Trading cards are now a thing of the past. Today, trading card games are in style.
Children these days are playing the latest games such as “Yu-Gi-Oh” and “Duel Masters.” The ever-growing trend of Japanese anime is making its way into the area of card games, television shows, movies and video games. With most trends I figured that it would dwindle off and something new would come about and be popular. I’m starting to think now that it’s here to stay. Now don’t get me wrong, there is some anime that I do enjoy and I have been caught playing “Yu-Gi-Oh” and “Pokemon” but I have a younger brother so it was a matter of time before I was sucked in.
This is why I think that trading cards have changed. Yes, it’s still all about collecting that rare card that you have to get your hands on but now there’s strategy behind it. I remember when I was a child it didn’t matter what game I was playing I didn’t care about what strategy was going to help me win the game. Maybe that’s why I was always losing the games that I was playing.
Children these days are sitting in there living rooms with their card game mats flattened out on dinning room tables and strategically trying to wipeout their opponents life points.
There’s a good side of the twist in trading cards, which is actually making children use logic and strategies, but I see some cons in this situation. It’s making children stay inside, (thank you VERB commercials) and maybe even stunting their imagination. I know that society has changed and blah, blah, blah but even when I walk into a toy store anymore every toy in there talks to you. Whether it’s a book, stuffed animal or action figure. The only thing that talked to me as a child were my parents yelling at me for imitating annoying sounds when I was playing with my toys. Even today’s children shows have changed. Grant it, we had “Gumby” to watch but that show “The Wiggles” makes me a little more scared for those children out there.
So even though that was sort of off topic it just shows how things have changed from when we were children and how such a popular thing, like trading cards, have evolved into something different as well.
The next time you’re playing Pokemon with your younger brother and sister just remember that stale bubblegum that used to await you when you ripped open those baseball cards.
Hey, I wonder whatever happened to pogs?
Posted to the web by Cecelia Francisco
