My third pick has to be... {KNOCK, KNOCK}.
Sorry, let me get that, I'll be right back...
Oh. Oh my. It appears there has been a mistake. I don't get a chance to send in a ballot this year, there's been a horrible misunderstanding on my part. Aside from the fact that voting has closed, there's another little detail. Only a few people in the Magic community are allowed to vote. In fact, I probably won't ever be eligible to vote on this topic. If writers for major support websites that have five years or more in service don't get a vote and people like Nathan Holt aren't asked to be a part of the selection committee, the chances of me participating are about 1,000,000 to 1. (I stopped at a million because I didn't want to bore you with zeros - nothing is more boring than zeros).
So why write an article about my picks? Or what they would be? Better yet, why should I spend one second of my time as a player reading the seemingly endless array of articles by those on the committee defending their votes? Seems like utter non-sense to me.
Let's back up for a second. Surely there is some logic behind the current system. I'm too new to know all of the reasoning behind the vaunted HoF selection process. I'm obviously too wet-behind-the-ears to appreciate the nuance of selecting a candidate to vote for from the tremendous field of eligible and esteemed Magic personae. **POP** I've just removed the tongue from my cheek. I'll be good from here on in, because I think there is still a worthwhile discussion to be had here about the current process and how it may (emphasis on MAY) be changed for the better.
Ground Rules
I'm going to debate two sides to this argument. You'll see them both. I'll only use what I've learned in the past few weeks along with my own opinions. I am going to try to convince you, using both voices, that the opinion being expressed at the time is the only opinion worth considering. To make it sporting, I'll take the voice of someone who wishes to maintain the current system. Then, after you've read both arguments I want you to think about them. If one of them hits you particularly hard, I encourage you to comment about it. Use any method available to you - but know that Twitter seems to be the place that professional Magic players hang out and ultimately they are the ones that may have the most to say about changing the system.
Your ONE job is to look at both sides as objectively as possible. You don't have to comment. But I want you to try to look at both arguments with a blank slate. In the end, you may be surprised by which side makes you feel more interested.
Support the Current System - Down with Change!
*Ahem*
Is this thing on?
Ah, it is. Well then allow us to proceed.
There is one thing you need to know before we begin. In fact, this one thing outweighs nearly all other considerations and arguments to be presented. It is so important, I could simply close when I'm done saying it. Ready? It's not the Magic Hall of Fame. It's not the Magic the Gathering People's Choice Hall of Fame. The official name of this is the Pro Tour Hall of Fame. Let's let that sink in, shall we? The Pro Tour Hall of Fame. Pro Tourrrrr. It's not the Tom, Dick and Harry Hall of Fame. This is for the elite players of the game. Those who have repeatedly proven themselves as spell slingers of the highest ability. Why on earth should we need to expand the voting to include everyone?
I can stop here, and my argument for not changing the current voting system would be safe from the drivel that is to follow. Pro players around the world would give me a nod, or a golf clap and feel that the system would stand up to any further inspection. They're right. But let's look at this from another point of view.
Pro players and other members of the selection committee (including those who have had something to do with the Pro Tour in one capacity or another over a period of time) all have one advantage over the rest of us. Actually I think it's two distinct advantages, but we'll treat it as one for the sake of brevity. They know the candidates. Brian Kibler, one of the many members of this year's selection committee actually knows and has played against a number of the eligible candidates. Sheldon Menery has spoken to candidates either in a coverage capacity or as a Judge. Mark Rosewater...well, we get the idea. These people know more about the candidates for this year than we do. The know whether or not this person shares their knowledge. They know what kind of player this person was in the 90's. They know whether or not this person has spent their time and efforts supporting the game and to what extent. In short, Pro Players and those that interact with them know Pro Players best.
Truth is, this system has worked rather well. Players are judged in areas that matter beyond their lifetime Pro Points. Integrity, Sportsmanship and Contributions to the Game are all considered and weighed. There is no need nor desire by anyone to change this existing system.
You're still not convinced? Then let's try this argument. Any other system would be needlessly complex. How on earth can we open up voting to everyone who plays Magic? What bloody safeguards would be needed to make certain some knucklehead IT guy doesn't send in 300 votes for someone who's integrity is questionable at best and who never spent day one advancing the game? It'd be chaos, and I for one would not support it. A limited voting pool is obviously the only clear choice.
And now, we'll give my opposition a chance to speak...
Burn this Sacred Cow - Let's Change the HoF System!
Now that evil Magic Dad has spoken, it's my turn. I'm going to ask one question first. Why, for the love of all things holy, do so many pros write articles justifying their vote or talking about the process when only approximately 250 people can vote? That's less than 1% of Magic players out there. Heck, it's probably 1% of 1%. It's like dangling a 14-ounce steak before a mob of toothless carnivores. They know they want it. They can practically taste it. But they have no means of actually eating said steak. Their only means of interacting with such a juicy morsel is visually and on the whole, completely unsatisfactory.
Let me say it again. The current process is unsatisfactory to the thousands upon thousands of gamers who watch the process in intimate detail but have no ability to interact with it. It may not be in danger of failing yet. But it surely isn't very satisfactory in it's current form to many players.
Over the past few years, I'm led to understand that the Pro Player system has greatly evolved. It has done so apparently to create a marketable entity. Wizards treats the system as a means to drive business in a positive fashion (as they should). Magic players the world over have started to identify more with particular Pro players. I'd like to think that I personally identify with players like LSV and Kibler. Their individual play styles speak to me, as I'm sure Eric Froehlich and Brad Nelson speaks to other players. This is a byproduct of the current Pro Tour. Elevating particular players to a status where we appreciate who they are and then we as players move to emulate them. They, whether they want to be are not, are being elevated to the level of rock stars.
That helps Wizards. Because to emulate our favorite Pros, we have to purchase product. We have to invest time in Grand Prix events. We want to win everything from FNM to *GASP* a seat on the Pro Tour of our very own. We end up spending more, which in turn helps to sustain the Pro Tour system up to and including the Hall of Fame.
But when it comes to the HoF, our participation stops. We feel the bitter disappointment that we can't participate further in the journey of our favorites. We no longer have a stake in the game. We watch as discussions rage and Twitter erupts for over two weeks on the topic, but have no real say in the matter.
We could get better at the game. We could spend weeks and years of our lives in pursuit of something that may or, more likely, may not happen. Or, Wizards could find a way to allow us to participate in the final step of a Pro Player's career.
This year, we may see a slate of HoF candidates enshrined that are all Americans (for a host of reasons up to and including it may be that they are the best options of the available candidates). Would a popular vote of some kind change this dynamic? And would that be the worst thing that could come of this change?
I propose that it's not hard to come up with a situation that engages Magic players the world over in one final step of the journey. And it could be eminently fair to everyone. It would take two steps. First, give the current selection committee a weighted percentage of the overall vote - their experience does matter. Perhaps 80% would be fair to everyone. Then, allow for 20% of the weighted vote to come from you, the gamer. To make this as fair as possible only allow us to vote for 3 candidates total (not the 5 allowed the selection committee) AND only allow voting through our Planeswalker account. Votes could be tracked and limited this way to no more than one per person. Any shenanigans that are detected could be invalidated - or if necessary invalidate all of the popular vote. By tying it to a Planeswalker account, players the world over would have a chance to participate and perhaps make the voting more equitable on a global scale. To be absolutely fair, Wizards could even set it up so the first year they introduce it our vote doesn't count. We'd essentially beta test for a completely new method of voting for the HoF.
Wizards wants to use the Pro Tour to promote Magic. I suggest that this system of weighted participation, does just that and more. It provides a voice, limited but a voice nonetheless, in the final disposition of the ballots. It gives the casual player or the weekend grinder a vote in one of the most exciting debates annually in Magic (or rather, what should be the most exciting debate).
Sending in the Ballot
I submit, my reader whoever you are and where ever you are, that there is something to be considered here. The Pro Tour Hall of Fame is not the Grammy's or the Academy Awards. This is a game that is supported by the community at large in such a way that music and movies are not. We're not just end users. We are commentators and game designers. We are teachers and active participants. We are fans and gamers.
We are legion.
(Oops, disregard previous - I'm getting zealous again).
We love this game for a host of reasons. I think that my love of the game is no less than a Pro Player's. In fact, my enjoyment may at times be greater. I'm still discovering new things. I'm still finding out about cool rules interactions and game types to play. And I'm always finding a new friend. I don't have to deal with the grind weekend to weekend.
Perhaps that is reason enough to maintain the status quo though. I can see it, these people on the selection committee have rightfully earned their place (I speak of them as a body, I don't have any idea if there are some silly politics there regarding selection). They are the people we look up to and they should have some perks as such. And what would 3 weighted selections given to the average gamer do to actually change the outcome?
Perhaps though, those 3 votes per player that count only towards 20% of the total vote prove the Pros are right on the money. There may be middle ground here that satisfies everyone.
Before I Go
I have two final thoughts. The first is that this post was born as another concept. I'm still exploring the first idea. I'm not sure how best to express it and I've spent time talking to various people in the community about it. I'm tremendously excited by the concept and I know it will see the light of day soon. As I was struggling with my first draft of it though, an off-hand concept regarding how we may seek to improve the HoF system was born. I sincerely recognize that the current method is one that is tested and works well. I simply can't leave some things alone. I only hope that the discussion that may follow is immune from some of the typical vitriol that is seen these days on the Internet. Which brings me to my second comment.
In the past few days, there was a shake-up on Twitter. I won't go into it is deeply personal for a number of the people involved. Those that follow Magic players and personalities I'm sure you at least picked up on it. I want to offer one statement regarding this incident and life in general. Please leave the people involved alone, unless you have something to say of a supportive nature. The veil of anonymity provided by Twitter doesn't give people the right to be cruel. I doubt one person who had a negative thing to say would have done so to the any of the principals in a personal, one-on-one. Your parents (or those that raised you) taught you better manners than that. I know that if you're reading this you aren't likely part of the problem - many of the comments likely came from male gamers under the age of 20 that had nothing better to do with their time and no amount of common sense.
It sounds a little preachy, but that is what it is. Leave them alone. Be kind if you can't. Keep your nasty, snarky comments to yourself. And if you can't do any of that, remember. Karma, my friends, is a bitch.
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Reblogs & Retweets & Mentions of all kinds are appreciated - as an independent writer I'm only read when others like what they see and share with their friends. In this case, you may not like what you see though - but please share it with your friends anyway.
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