Re: 15+ Rant by Justin Langston

Rand0m, Ness, and all other players out there,

I understand that from a loyalty standpoint, Wizards has made very horrible and wrong decisions towards all of the people who play Pokemon, especially the 15+ age group. However, when your number one priority in a company is to gain money steadily and increase your yearly revenue, the feelings of those people who speak out against you become secondary. But are Wizards making the best money making decisions? Let's take a look:

1. The customer is always right-- Any way you look at it, your customer is your most important person from a business standpoint. If you can not please your buyer, you cannot expect to gain money. The smartest way to please the buyer is to find out what the majority of your customers want. Why do many companies take surveys or polls and spend a tremendous amount of time/money/energy researching what the customer wants if they don't know that it will be beneficial to them? In this case, Wizards has NOT listened to its buyer and has turned the proverbial "deaf ear." This has caused them to lose more money than any other thing.
2. The quality of your product-- If you desire to make money, the quality of your product is a must. Who wants to purchase something that will not work for them? In this case, I'm talking about a younger crowd of people who purchase "Theme Decks." Many of these people are 6,7,8 year old children that have little or no experience with Pokemon. The parent buys them a deck, thinking that this will be a fun experience for the child. The child then proceeds to go to a league and lose horribly to a better player and possibly get insulted. What will the child do now, you ask? Seeing as this is "no fun," they will probably quit altogether and pursue another hobby. These one-time buyers will not benefit Wizards for long.
3. Aggravation- No one likes to feel angry or upset over something right? When Wizards makes a person upset with a ruling or decision, that person is more likely to throw up their hands and quit than to keep on taking it. This point goes back to the first one, but it is a point none the less.
4. Transition- Does Wizards seriously think they can gain money by having Pokemon players make a transition to Magic? Most likely not. Older players are generally loyal to one game and that's it. If you don't believe me, here is a good example: Beer. Go ask someone who has drunk Budweiser for many years if they would switch to Sam Adams for no reason. You will generally find that the person will not. Let's pretend that Wizards is able to get people to switch to Magic. Some will not be able to for economic, religious, or other reasons. So in short, they will lose MOST of their Pokemon players and gain SOME Magic players.

There you have it. Wizards ARE NOT gaining money. If anything, they are losing money! Either their CEO IS a 12-year-old blind kid that lives in a box or they have no clue. I prefer to think the latter, although none can be to sure…

If you read this, and have not learned anything else, know this: NUMBERS ARE IMPORTANT!!! Just as money is an important factor in all this, so is your voice! Help us speak out against this so we do not lose the game we love. If we all do not speak up, I fear we will have to SHUT UP…..