Many Magic: The Gathering Players Ask, Peter Adkison Answers! Founder of Wizards Of The Coast

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Peter offered to give away 10 Gen Con badges to viewers of Tolarian Community College! WOW. You can enter for free here: (link: tinyurl.com/y5put2zs) tinyurl.com/y5put2zs

[@mekk-knightsarecool222]

Peter is a legend ❤️

[@slayerofmankind]

Hey I would love a pass but I'm in Boston and don't even have close enough money to go there and pay for hotel and transportation I rather u give it out to a charity so if anything could you send me a signed card by both of you gentlemen that's all please and thank you Shane Caudill

[@PlatinumScales]

Hey Prof! Have you ever tried doing something D&D related on your channel ? You could get together with the people at the Comand zone and run a session.

[@FiretruykLOL]

second that, would love to see you run some DnD with one of the large gaming streamers !

[@thekkidd3d]

The only way to top this would be if you get Garfield to sit there like this. That was awesome. Thanks Brian, thank you Mr Adkison!

[@Hinaguy749]

THIS!

[@xJarlaxle]

That would be amazing!

[@christopheroneill77]

also yes!

[@moonom1]

37:29 "i was not a d&d player. I need friends for that. I always wanted to" man i felt that 😂

[@MazeWithoutTea]

Try out either adventure league or online clients like roll20. It helped me finding a playgroup finally after easily over 20 years wanting to play D&D with people while nobody in my personal life was interested in "this goofy game where you wear elf ears and wizard heads, while pretending to be in middle earth".

[@moonom1]

@@MazeWithoutTea thank you!! My buddy and i have been looking yo get into online d&d, this was really helpful! I'm glad to hear you were able to find one

[@xCheeseHead95x]

Lol this was low-key so sad😭

[@ryank002]

😅😅😅.

[@RedZoneMTG]

Honestly Peter seemed like a really chill guy. Thanks for this interview prof, it was very interesting!

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

He was an amazing sweetheart, and very chill.

[@chippsanders9614]

I work for him! Chillest dude you'll ever meet. Sweetheart of a man.

[@christopherlundgren1700]

It's very interesting to hear him say he doesn't remember any discussion regarding occult imagery/themes during the days of Satanic Panic, because it seemed clear to everyone at the time that they were intentionally avoiding those themes during a certain span of time. Following Ice Age, released in 1995, demons were not used as a creature type in the game until returning in Onslaught in 2002. My understanding of the Unglued card Infernal Spawn of Evil is that the joke was about how the card is clearly designed as a demon, but gets changed to be a "beast" for this exact reason.

[@JasperJanssen]

Christopher Lundgren remember the pentagrams removed from certain cards between revised and 4th? scryfall.com/search?as=grid&order=released&q=%21%E2%80%9CUnholy+Strength%E2%80%9D&unique=prints

[@Hhhhhh-sz9ud]

I'm guessing it was from parental pressure if anything

[@christopherlundgren1700]

The North remembers.

[@Momofatts1]

I remember people saying that they removed those things from the game when they started selling packs in Walmart. They didn't like the "evil" stuff in the game back then.

[@phillipmeade7640]

mark Rosewater specifically mentions that on his podcast. He has mentioned it at least five times on his show.

[@samk8005]

Bold choice going socks-only in an interview of this caliber :) Love it!

[@Torunder]

Right? at first, I thought it was edited to look like that because "nobody would interview in socks"

[@leonidasspartan9842]

Honest man. Money is actually a pretty good reason. I'm glad he didn't make up some BS.

[@leonidasspartan9842]

@@andrewsparkes8829 He clearly states that selling WOTC was for financial reasons. There's nothing wrong with that but that is exactly what the man said.

[@NLDesigns]

Dear Mr. Adkinson, it is super super delightful to see the sincerity you have towards the players and making local game stores a priority from the get go. You are a true Planeswalker and hero for creating the greatest game of my life and many others. God bless you brother

[@AlphaInvestments69]

O man Peter called me out at 16:44 i like my parents basement

[@joelanderson4899]

ruby from beta investments

[@jordanaraujo2579]

Lol he sure did.

[@eancycler1112]

Holy shit Professor how do you get these guys-you AND vintage magic?

[@payday510]

By asking them probably, he's not Brad Pitt. He's just a guy, who more than likely enjoys talking about a very interesting time in his life.

[@franktucciarone1510]

What an awesome interview! Thank you Professor :D

[@christopheroneill77]

yes!

[@kagen29]

Really appreciate the way you pivoted away from the community feelings on the recent changes to the competitive sector and focused the conversation on productive topics. Enjoy the way you conduct the interview!

[@MaximumCarter]

What a great interview. Always more enjoyable when people are genuine and he definitely seems like an honest, genuine individual. Great questions and good answers.

[@txag007]

People need to view cards on the reserve list like car models. Chevy has been producing the Corvette for DECADES. The 2019 version of the Corvette has ZERO impact on the value of an original 1953 corvette. An Alpha Lotus will always be an Alpha Lotus whether or not it is reprinted now.

[@Ubermunki3]

People wanna use the cards regardless of expansion. An affordable print is all that matters

[@txag007]

@@Ubermunki3 I agree. The people who complain about reprints are those who own the RL cards. Being able to play the same BL cards back in standard or even a different format at an affordable price is what is needed. The RL needs to be dissolved.

[@j3fk4]

Power 9 and dual lands must be banned first before the reserved list is removed. Dont wanna see triple lands, quadraple lands, blacker lotus, etc in the future...

[@streetdog75]

Living in Seattle, Peter is a regular attendee at many local game conventions. Always a super chill guy and an asset to any table!

[@MrUshiikun]

This is great! Thank you Mr. Adkison for telling the stories about how it all began. "There was a lot of good that came out of Fallen Empires." A nice reminder that there is often more to be learned in failures than there is in successes.

[@Momofatts1]

I've been playing magic since 1995 and seen several interviews and this has to be the best. Thank you Professor and Mr. Adkison!!!

[@hammanhouse]

This was really refreshing to watch. Professionally I work with and in businesses and I always love to hear from previous CEOs and Founders on their takes on their company (provided they exist still). Thanks prof for getting something like this out there!

[@omgoblins]

Excellent, excellent content that I couldn't imagine happening anywhere else! Very proud of the work you do and I'm so happy to be able to enjoy it. I just watched the entire thing start to finish, with a lunch break in the middle, and I love how much I learned and also just laughed and enjoyed the video.

[@ratatataraxia]

I got into magic because of some cards I found on the ground. I thought the art was so cool I had to know more about it, it’s what helped me make my first few friends at my new school.

[@VirgilAllenMoore]

That was awesome that you got this interview. Well done, sir!

[@Jedius98]

I love that the Prof is rocking the patterned socks and has scorned the shoes. Love how he owns who he is and embraces it!

[@RicardoBarretoBass]

i love this type of content. I didnt felt how long it was. You should do some more of this

[@johnathanhoopes4842]

Prof: I wanted to play D&D but I didn't have any friends. Me: Same. :(

[@CPGRAPPLE]

Jonathon .. you can join our group

[@daltoncannon1947]

same brother

[@johnathanhoopes4842]

@@CPGRAPPLE I'd appreciate it, but where are y'all at?

[@CPGRAPPLE]

@@johnathanhoopes4842 You can play with anyone in any place now. Check out the website Roll 20. All you need is a computer with a webcam! My play group is all over the US!

[@JonLeitheusser]

Peter's such a good guy. I've known him for years and he's always a pleasure to talk to. I'm so glad you had him on!

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

He was such a fun guy to hang out with and he's a total sweetheart. It was such a great experience.

[@Adamchevy]

I think it would be great to have a full reprint of the reserved list. It may harm collectibility in the short term, but in the long term the original cards will always be the original cards.

[@GM-rs2fv]

What a chill dude. Great interview Prof

[@alfyb4512]

I’m 45, and this was about my teenage hood. Thank you so much professor for this trip down memory lane, it was fascinating to peek behind the sens. And thanks a bunch to Peter as well!

[@Hitzel]

The positive vibes just pour out of this man.

[@UrbaniHabbo]

Amazing stuff man ! 1hour passed by so quickly, you really are putting up the work to let us viewers expose our questions ! Thank you !

[@sagatarah]

lovely interview! I'm pleased to ear so many fascinating stories from the man itself, congrats Professor!

[@seanbaumann8825]

I totally nerded out over this episode! I love Magic and I love GenCon! This video was a major win.

[@SkaldRPG]

This was awesome! In magic, like in all of gaming, the race is on to start getting and documenting the stories of the people who were there 10 - 20 - 30 years ago! Great job!

[@NCISfreak123]

Fantastic interview! Great work as always Prof, so glad I got to hear from Peter (who I've never even seen before!)

[@luliby2309]

He seems like a very chill and cool guy. Very interesting to hear about all these early day things and he seems like he has his head in a good place.

[@starnik]

Incredible interview! It was really interesting to hear him talk about how they consciously made the game more complex and skill-rewarding as Magic pivoted towards competitive play, and how successful that strategy was.

[@cpitts385]

Even 20 years later this guy still has passion and enthusiasm for his company. Thank you Professor for another entertaining and informative video! It’s great to take a peak into the other side of the game.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

He's a fantastic guy.

[@NihlusArtanis]

One of the best interviews you've ever done. So much nostalgia. Brought me back to buying ears like urza and ice age out of a vending machine at my video rental store. Cant believe how old this amazing game is and how much I still enjoy playing.

[@retromtg1834]

One of the coolest dudes around, seriously great info out there about this guy.

[@Link_5963]

Very cool! It was interesting to here Peter's insight and opinions on Wizard's choices, as well as how they created what they are today. Thanks, Professor!

[@drkatz6663]

Honestly, this guy seems so much more genuine and real than Gavin or all the other WOTC people you have interviewed. Very grounded individual!

[@LedPESRule]

Fantastic interview! There is a little audio issue though, there's some sort of constant background static sound. Hopefully you'll get to the bottom of that for the next one :)

[@EyebeamsMusic]

Yeah it seems to be on Peter's mic specifically. There are audio effects/plugins that can be used to reduce this

[@galadrigal86]

It sounds to me like background noise reduction. Notice how it increases when the guest speaks. What we got was probably a best case scenario, it potentially could sound worse without the adjustment. Great interview!

[@Arghore]

Tnx for the interview, was very interesting to hear a bit about the history and behind the scenes of making magic a reality, and how things came to be :)

[@z.scott.porter]

What an awesome interview. Thanks for making this happen.

[@cptcosmo]

TWO THUMBS UP - from a vintage 1993 M:TG player. Just got back into the hobby after 20yrs. AFR lured me being an old AD&Der from 1979... Tiamat deck here I come...

[@patrickgavinodonnell]

This video is a gift! Thank you thank you thank you! If and when you can, please interview as many Magic peeps that you can! This is you at your finest!

[@zen-2152]

This is such a cool interview! I’m really glad you were able to do it.

[@keithkeller4546]

Such a great interview. Thank you, Prof, for this high quality, engaging content.

[@Generic42]

I appreciate that your deck boxes are in WURBG order, prof. Great interview!!

[@LyricBent]

"They don't know, they don't even have my number anymore" XD It's really refreshing to hear an authority on Magic speak his mind with no restrictions, as a person with opinions amd values rather than as a member of a corporation. I understand why current members of Wizards have to be circumspect but sometimes it feels impersonal. This was a treat.

[@The_Supervillain]

What a fantastic interview, really well conducted and interesting.

[@kaiandreasen766]

Hearing the human side of stories like the early days of Wizards makes it easier to understand big/controversial decisions. It's good to hear.

[@jondorsey1715]

Never played nor had interest in magic. However I love games, and super respect anyone having a passion for whatever they're into. Excellent interview. Love seeing behind scenes of the business aspect

[@andrewlaverghetta715]

I finally got around to watching this, and it’s great! Thanks so much for what you do!

[@ericcornish1983]

This interview was amazing thank you for this video it was a nostalgic throwback talking about magics early days, and not only did you do that I also found out that Mr. Adkinson has episodes that talk to people he worked with in the industry will definitely be checking these out! I noticed in this interview that it sounds like you treaded some very controversial waters talking about the reserve list, but I'm glad you asked that ever infinitely asked question by alot of magic the gathering player's, I really do feel they should reprint some of the cards from the reserve list. I mean Mr. Adkinson said it himself that Mark Rosewater wasn't a fan of it and wanted it gone and even he himself didn't like the idea of it. I certainly hope that one day Wizards of the coast will say, yeah you know what it's been 30 plus year's maybe now is the time to reprint these cards because of the promise that was made along time ago, I also would like to point out that Peter said strongly that during his tenure as CEO of the company that they believed heavily in the relationship between themselves and the local game store and the many retailer's that sold magic in its early days, he also mentioned that it's not a good thing for a player to be sitting at home with a stack of cards that aren't able to be played, this ties back to what I mentioned about about the reserve list above, I strongly agree that they should reprint the reserve list so that people who own these cards can go and play with them in tournaments or in a special event being held. All in all I think this is by far the best video on your channel Professor, please do more like this.. I hope one day you can get Richard Garfield himself on the show and pick his brain about the early days of magics inception and his creative process as well as what inspired him to create the game in the first place!

[@christopherg6144]

The important part is not only the design it’s also the business model and the fact that it’s a shareholder company that has to produce higher profits each quarter instead of being happy they produce a quality product that keeps them in business.

[@frankjrmolley895]

TCC is the bomb. Their public relations team/efforts must be super talented. Whatever it is TCC's got it!

[@ArsenicDrone]

What a humble and friendly janitor.

[@ChrisJGunter]

So distracted by the Professor's socks. Good choice! =)

[@MannyHaarp]

This was really good! Richard Garfield next prof?

[@OrdMandrell1]

Love that you did the interview in your socks.

[@brandonfiest6368]

I love owning shares of Hasbro :) Everybody who loves magic should get some so that the people who love magic own a piece of Hasbro and can vote!

[@drmagic316]

Absolutely brilliant interview by both. Thank you both so much. And especially thank you for all you have both done for the game we all love.

[@FathomMage]

Love your normal content but I really enjoy videos like this one!

[@oneiricpantograph]

I appreciate Peter's insights on the sale of the company. I think sometimes those real facts of people's day to day get mythologized and/or sanitized and just acknowledge that people want to be able to -live-.

[@gulius112]

Great interview! Love having guests like this one the show.

[@About7Pirates]

Thank you for starting with the tough question we are all thinking. I realize it was somewhat awkward for Mr. Adkison to jump right in with such a charged question. However, I feel it definitely led credibility to you as an unbiased source.

[@majestyzx9081]

53:06 that reaction gets me every time.

[@Malicos]

Brilliant interview TCC. Such good content.

[@whatsupdoc6358]

I really like seeing things like this about the origins of magic

[@galenrichter41]

of course the local game stores are important. you need people to play with in order to be incentivised to keep buying the product. if you dont have a local game store, you probably just buy like duel decks once to play with a friend, play those occasionally, and never buy another product. if all the game stores disappeared today, i honestly don't think the game would last longer than like 2 years :/

[@MrThewooter]

Our club didn't have a store for almost ten years and we muddled through. We recently got one though, and dispite it not being the most welcoming place, it's still cool.

[@jessejdanieljd]

@Tolarian Community College Will you be doing a meet up of some sort at Gencon or on panels ? / Will there be any specific events IE draft or EDH with the proff ?

[@InDzienInTampa]

This was absolutely illuminating. Loved hearing the origins of WotC

[@zd-1249]

Hahaha. Prof casually roasting himself that he had no friends to play D&D with. You got plenty of friends now Prof! Delightful conversation. Would love to hear more about the good old days of MtG. Get Richard Garfield on here!

[@NicodemousBain]

Sweet vid, that was an awesome interview.

[@emhl]

Prof., I started during Fallen Empires too, and beginning to discover the game, I was FASCINATED by FE's cards, the themes, etc. After buying a couple of The Dark boosters, FE's ones were a breath of fresh air! But I never bought much, I bought more of revised and was smart enough of collecting 2 of each dual (damn me that I didn't collect 4 of each!)... Anyway, AMAZING interview. Next goal: get "OUR CREATOR" Garfield himself to talk. ;()

[@Ironmaul]

Would love to see more videos like this!

[@GamingBear_Q_E_D]

Really great interview, thank you Prof :) :)

[@42VictorPessoa]

This is the kind of content I pay internet for

[@MissRandom710]

Thank you so much Prof! This vid is amazing!!

[@MaxYoung-Maxinfet]

This was an amazing interview and I really respect Peter Adkison's candidness on what he feel comfortable answering and not answering based on his current knowledge of WoTC. I would love to hear his opinion on the reserve list but I respect not being able to comment on it given his level of knowledge.

[@benhat7801]

That was fantastic, I can see how this man was instrumental in laying a strong foundation for the success of magic in the early years that WotC are still benefitting from today... even though it seems they are doing their worst to pull it all apart nowadays :(

[@JMcMatty]

Thank you Peter and thank you Professor

[@czcbearsrule1]

Interesting how during the discussion regarding the local game store Peter Adkison's reasons for Wizards originally getting involved were all things because "there was no internet back then." Although he said local game stores are still needed, that is not obvious. Indeed, MaRo has said numerous times 90% of magic played is casual kitchen table games, meaning away from the local game store.

[@mmonkeyman1403]

I'm in the belief that 90%+ of games of mtg do take place outside of game stores. Game stores are great, but they wouldnt br necessary if WotC had some way of allowing community events to happen much more regularly outside of a game store.

[@jeremygibbs7342]

Wonderful interview!

[@emdub9679]

Such a lovely interview, Peter is such a gent. Also, WotC and MTG are still around, if they couldn't figure out a way to profit of the stocks or find a buyer the game could have died in the 90's. So, thank you Peter

[@cowboytsundere3013]

Interviewing without shoes, such a power move.

[@junglealex]

A year late to this party, but would have loved to have known whether Mr. Adkison still plays MTG or not-unless I'm missing an obvious... He did mention that he's unfamiliar with all the new sets since a yesteryear ago, so I guess that alludes to him not playing? Side note: this is a brilliant interview.

[@bogan5571]

That experience you had with fallen made me cry... I’m so sorry...

[@joshg218]

By far my favorite video of yours. Thanks. 👍👍

[@AthosJosue]

What a charming guy, great interview.

[@Aexium]

Man.... The question I was most eager for him to answer was about the reserved list and he dodged it completely...

[@TimStamper89]

Wizards watching this like "Hes got more subscribers and now hes got OUR DAD"

[@BretasDoc]

16:44 Take that, Creepy Beta investments Timmy's emporium!!!

[@danp9977]

lmaooooo how could you do this to ruby

[@williescott5439]

Very cool interview! Neat to see this perspective.

[@Secondary_Identifier]

13:43 "Where is.... Shivan Dragon?" Here in 2021, where for the first time in Magic's history Shivan Dragon is no longer in standard, that hit harder than I thought it would.

[@cazualgamerjp]

outstanding interview, good job :)

[@griffca4814]

Craziest thing is my grandad was one of the many people he asked for money to start wizards of the coast but my grandad thought it wouldn't go anywhere. Oh well.

[@whitearmortk900]

Great interview prof!

[@dimitripolzin6096]

Funny, at about 38:07 Peter says "[...] Wizard was started for RPG [...]" but actually RPG fell asleep for a few years when MtG became so successful in the mid 90th.