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The Power of Maro on Other Games
by Bill Stark | posted at 2010-02-10 01:30:00
tagged: MTG, Magic, Mark Rosewater, Magic the Gathering, Maro, DailyMTG, Making Magic, 40k, Johnny, Timmy, Spike
Mark "Maro" Rosewater has his detractors. There are those that don't like his card designs, who don't care for his self-promotion, his column on DailyMTG.com, or his occasional reuse of previously told stories. But say what you will about him, his effect on the world of Magic is profound. One of the longest serving staff members at Wizards of the Coast, Mark has had his hand in the design and implementation of numerous Magic sets. As the mind behind "Making Magic" on the Wizards Magic daily website, he has also provided a window into the behind-the-scenes workings of Wizards R&D. Occasionally, he's even dabbled a bit in Magic Design theory for public consumption. One such piece, his most famous, is apparently beginning to have a profound effect on gaming communities outside the world of Magic.
The article, entitled "Timmy, Johnny, and Spike," created a psychographic that identified three categories of Magic players. Timmys like big monsters and best represent the traditional casual player many think of when they think of Magic. Johnnys love intricate card combinations and Magic as a puzzle. Spikes love anything and everything competitive about the game. The labels didn't place one player type over the other in value, and have gone on to become mainstays in the Magic lexicon.
Tentakel, a blog dedicated to discussing Warhammer 40k, recently cited that article to lay out its own psychographic of 40k players. The author had high praise for Mark's work, saying "...it's ["Timmy, Johnny, and Spike"] one of the most important reads of your hobby life." The 40k chart defines three classes of players in Beatles terms, declaring John to be the player who enjoys painting miniatures, Paul to be the player who loves competing, and Ringo to be the type who likes coming up with his own back stories for the characters in his game. It's a fascinating example of Rosewater's impact across game genres, whatever detractors he may have in the Magic world.
Read the full article from Tentakel here.
Read Mark's original article "Timmy, Johnny, and Spike" here.
You can also follow Mark on Twitter at Twitter.com/maro254.
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Bill Stark is the founder and editor-in-chief of TheStarkingtonPost.com. He began playing Magic in 1995 after being introduced to the game by his brother. Since then he has competed at all levels of play including the JSS, Grand Prix, Nationals, and Pro Tour. In addition to his career as a pro, Bill began writing about the game early on for TheDojo.com, the first website dedicated to Magic. Since then he has written and edited for nearly every major Magic website on the web. In 2007 he began work as an official coverage reporter for Wizards of the Coast, flying to Grand Prixs, Nationals, and World Championships to record the events happening at each. He was also hired for six months as an R&D intern at Wizards where he worked on the redesign for DailyMTG.com as well as helping to develop multiple Magic sets. After leaving Wizards, he started TheStarkingtonPost.com to utilize his many contacts in the industry to provide a better information solution for fans of TCGs, gaming, and Magic: The Gathering.