Duelist 316
The Game
This is an important subject to many, and one that I feel very strongly about.
I, like many in this community, frequent forums other than this one. On one such forum, which will remain unnamed for political reasons, recently featured a topic on this very subject; the location of Nationals this year. Before I go into my opinion, let me give you some background.
Both Nationals 2004 and 2005 were held at the Origins International Gaming Expo in Columbus, OH on or near the 4th of July weekend. Both tournaments were run by Professional Event Services (PES), which is responsible for running PCQs and Regionals in the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Now the prevailing rumor on the street is that Nationals will not be held at Origins this year. For reasons that have not been fully made public, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has pulled out of the convention completely, and Upper Deck Entertainment (UDE) may or may not have withdrawn their spot. The official Origins forum says UDE is still in talks with the convention, but nothing has been made final. Vendors had to be finalized by January of this year, and UDE is still not on the list of sponsored companies.
The other strong rumor is that PES is still running the event. Obviously, they have not given a date or location, as UDE hasn't given a date or location, which leads to the root of the problem for many.
Most people aren't rich. They can't fly halfway across the country on a whim, and they can't take their vacations whenever. My family and I are such people. We have to plan vacations months in advance, save money for plane tickets, and make hotel reservations. These things are a no-brainer, and are the reason the location for Nationals should have been made public a long time ago.
Instead, UDE has chosen to handle the situation with an amazing degree of unprofessionalism. They have not given anyone outside of PES (as far as we know) the word on anything involving this tournament. Up until today, the players were free to voice their displeasure on the issue, but now we, for some reason, cannot do that. The topic I mentioned earlier, which I was very vocal upon, was deleted without explanation. No bannings, no warnings, no word from moderators.
I find this hard to believe even as I write about it, as Kevin Tewart and Dan Scheidegger, the senior and jr. game designers for the TCG respectively, frequently bust rumors on the forum. However, they have made it a point to avoid this topic, all the while posting riddles about the upcomming SOI prerelease card.
All while this is happening, things are rapidly moving out of control. A new rumor has emerged, listing the location of Nationals to be San Francisco, CA. This was supposedly "confirmed" by several UDE reps, and one of the TOs out of California has posted the rumor on his company's official webpage. It is not a good situation when the TOs do not know the location of one of the biggest tournaments of the year less than 4 months ahead of time.
The TOs are just like everyone else; they need to find a building in which to host the tournament, and make travel plans for all their employees and volunteers. Even if PES is the confirmed TO for Nationals, it has not told its judges yet. They need to make plans just like the players do, but for whatever reason UDE is withholding this vital information.
So as rumors continue to spread, UDE has taken the low road and declined to fill anybody in. Its no question they're in it for the money, but they won't make any if no one can attend due to incredibly poor communication. The entire situation frustrates and puzzles me to no end.
Nationals is not as far away as you might think. All I want is to see some professionalism from the members of Upper Deck Entertainment, and to get some damn answers so I can spend money on their product. If they continue in this way, the game of Yu-Gi-Oh! will not last long, and none of the parties involved would like to see that happen.
If infact UDE contacted the said forum and told them not to allow discussion on this topic, let me know. Mods, if you deem this topic too controversial to discuss, let me know. Remember, this is mostly my opinion, and I want to hear your thoughts as well. Whatever you do, stay vocal on this issue, and maybe someone will finally do the right thing and give the official word.
Thank you.
I, like many in this community, frequent forums other than this one. On one such forum, which will remain unnamed for political reasons, recently featured a topic on this very subject; the location of Nationals this year. Before I go into my opinion, let me give you some background.
Both Nationals 2004 and 2005 were held at the Origins International Gaming Expo in Columbus, OH on or near the 4th of July weekend. Both tournaments were run by Professional Event Services (PES), which is responsible for running PCQs and Regionals in the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Now the prevailing rumor on the street is that Nationals will not be held at Origins this year. For reasons that have not been fully made public, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has pulled out of the convention completely, and Upper Deck Entertainment (UDE) may or may not have withdrawn their spot. The official Origins forum says UDE is still in talks with the convention, but nothing has been made final. Vendors had to be finalized by January of this year, and UDE is still not on the list of sponsored companies.
The other strong rumor is that PES is still running the event. Obviously, they have not given a date or location, as UDE hasn't given a date or location, which leads to the root of the problem for many.
Most people aren't rich. They can't fly halfway across the country on a whim, and they can't take their vacations whenever. My family and I are such people. We have to plan vacations months in advance, save money for plane tickets, and make hotel reservations. These things are a no-brainer, and are the reason the location for Nationals should have been made public a long time ago.
Instead, UDE has chosen to handle the situation with an amazing degree of unprofessionalism. They have not given anyone outside of PES (as far as we know) the word on anything involving this tournament. Up until today, the players were free to voice their displeasure on the issue, but now we, for some reason, cannot do that. The topic I mentioned earlier, which I was very vocal upon, was deleted without explanation. No bannings, no warnings, no word from moderators.
I find this hard to believe even as I write about it, as Kevin Tewart and Dan Scheidegger, the senior and jr. game designers for the TCG respectively, frequently bust rumors on the forum. However, they have made it a point to avoid this topic, all the while posting riddles about the upcomming SOI prerelease card.
All while this is happening, things are rapidly moving out of control. A new rumor has emerged, listing the location of Nationals to be San Francisco, CA. This was supposedly "confirmed" by several UDE reps, and one of the TOs out of California has posted the rumor on his company's official webpage. It is not a good situation when the TOs do not know the location of one of the biggest tournaments of the year less than 4 months ahead of time.
The TOs are just like everyone else; they need to find a building in which to host the tournament, and make travel plans for all their employees and volunteers. Even if PES is the confirmed TO for Nationals, it has not told its judges yet. They need to make plans just like the players do, but for whatever reason UDE is withholding this vital information.
So as rumors continue to spread, UDE has taken the low road and declined to fill anybody in. Its no question they're in it for the money, but they won't make any if no one can attend due to incredibly poor communication. The entire situation frustrates and puzzles me to no end.
Nationals is not as far away as you might think. All I want is to see some professionalism from the members of Upper Deck Entertainment, and to get some damn answers so I can spend money on their product. If they continue in this way, the game of Yu-Gi-Oh! will not last long, and none of the parties involved would like to see that happen.
If infact UDE contacted the said forum and told them not to allow discussion on this topic, let me know. Mods, if you deem this topic too controversial to discuss, let me know. Remember, this is mostly my opinion, and I want to hear your thoughts as well. Whatever you do, stay vocal on this issue, and maybe someone will finally do the right thing and give the official word.
Thank you.