Just about fifteen years ago trading card games hit the world and ever since it has remained on top with many of the younger generation people in this world. Since their invention, trading card games have swept across the world, creating fans at every turn. The diversity of the games is the biggest draw, bringing in throngs of people to their ranks every year. Clubs and tournaments have sprung up and draw thousands through the doors with the promise of a long and grueling match.



The forerunner of this phenomenon is the ever popular Magic the Gathering. Based largely on the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game, Magic was a sure fire hit for the young people of the world. Combing all they loved about D and D, but in a much easier to use and play format, Magic worked its magic with the masses and became an overnight success. People flocked to the stores to pick up the cards as they were brought out. Gaggles of teens grouped together to play the game and stores that dealt with nothing more than Magic cards started to open to hungry consumers. The cards themselves are sold like baseball cards, in small packs or huge sets. Everyone is interested in building their deck to the maximum power.

Trading card games are still very popular to this day. Magic still remains a force in the market and enjoys the run of the land. They come out with a new set of cards each year that continue to go up in price over time. Huge collections have been amassed, some of which have values that exceed any other card game currently known.

The basic premise of a trading card game is simple. The cards are made up of character cards, objects and powers. Each person selects the deck they will play with and the cards are shuffled at random before play begins. The rest of the game is played similar to may other card games, where cards are laid out and the winner is stronger. The rounds continue until one or the other has been defeated. The strategy is based solely on the cards that each player has in a deck. For the most part the players depend on the strength of individual cards in the deck to become the winner, but in the end there is a lot of luck that comes into play. Because the cards are drawn at random no player knows what will come next to keep it all very fair.

Since the beginning which is commonly attributed to Magic, more and more companies have joined the ranks. The ever popular Pokemon was instantly famous with the even younger groups. Less violent than Magic, Pokemon seemed to appeal to the more family friendly crowd. Some of the cards became very rare in the early goings but can now be had for a few dollars or less. This is the case with a lot of the different trading card games as well. Many of them started out with a lot of popularity and because of some clever manufacturing, a lot of rare cards. This causes the price for the whole game to go up and therefore allows the game to enjoy a thriving secondary market as a whole.