Wizards of the Coast: Designer Search

Wizards of the Coast, the company behind the premier trading card game Magic: The Gathering®, launches The Great Designer Search

Online “Elimination-style” competition launched to potentially fill a paid design internship as the next great R&D designer for Magic: The Gathering®.

November 10, 2006 (Renton, WA) –  Wizards of the Coast, the company responsible for the premiere trading card game Magic: The Gathering®, recently answered an important question for millions of its fans:  "How can I get an R&D internship at Wizards?"  Over the past couple of months, Wizards has been hosting an online search called ‘The Great Designer Search’, with the hopes of discovering the next great R&D designer to staff a paid Magic design internship position at their headquarters in Renton, WA starting in 2007. As part of the initial stages of the search, candidates had to meet the following basic requirements:

·         Candidates must be eighteen (18) years of age as of August 25, 2006

·         Candidates much must be legally eligible for long-term work in the United States for any employer and to live in the United States

·         Candidates must be fluent in English

·         Candidates, if qualified for the final round, must agree to complete and return an application, questionnaire, Consent and Release Agreement and any other documents designated by Wizards in a timely manner

·         Candidates, if selected as the winner, must agree to (i) timely and fully complete and return all documents designated by Wizards and (ii) move and live near Wizards’ Renton, Washington headquarters, at their own expense, for six (6) months. Currently, Wizards anticipates this will begin in January 2007.

·         Candidates must have fully read and agreed to The Great Designer Search Official Rules located at www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/designersearch/rules

The search, as designed by lead Magic R&D designer Mark Rosewater, initially included over 1,000 candidates who were tasked with assignments that tested their knowledge and skills relative to the game.  On October 23^rd, Wizards made the announcement of the final fifteen (15) candidates during the live web cast of the finals at Pro Tour Kobe (Japan).  While their backgrounds and geographic locations may vary, their one shared quality is their passion for Magic: The gathering® and the potential of filling this much-coveted design internship.  They finalists included:

·         Kenneth Nagle – A software engineer from Huntsville, Alabama

·         Chris Luhrs – A computer science graduate student in Palo Alto - California

·         Alexis Janson – An IT manager from Palmdale, California

·         Conrad Corbett – A full-time NC State student in Raleigh, North Carolina

·         Andy Probasco – A self-professed ‘card player, socialite, and amateur independent filmmaker’ from Tiverton, Rhode Island

·         Graeme Hopkins – A software designer/developer from Chicago, Illinois

·         Scott van Essen – An aerospace engineer in Pasadena, California

·         Noah Weil – A contract writer for magicthegathering.com from Seattle, Washington

·         Aaron Weiner – A University of Chicago math and English literature student in Chicago, Illinois

·         Andrew Emmott – A used book salesman from Tucson, Arizona

·         Christopher Jablonksi – A support technician in Orland Park, Illinois

·         Mark Globus – A software designer from Dublin, Ohio

·         Landon Winkler – A computer scientist from Peoria, Illinois

·         Ryan Sutherland – An art direction and marketing student at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas

·         Greg Krajenta – An investment firm employee in Chicago, Illinois

Since the finalists have been announced, the candidates now participate in something of an online "reality show" where Wizards provides design challenges once per week.  At the end of each challenge, one or more participants are eliminated from contention.  The final three candidates will advance to the interview stage with potentially one of the three winning a paid design internship starting in January, 2007.