Analog Game Studies

The relationship between digital and non-digital gameplay experiences is still quite an undeveloped topic in Game Studies literature. This paper aims to expand the body of knowledge on the topic by trying to understand whether the player’s experience changes when the same game is played via software or its tabletop version. The research is based on thirteen semi-structured interviews with players who tried both the digital and physical version of the card game Magic: The Gathering (also known as MTG). The results suggest that the tabletop version of the game seems to be more immersive, while the online version is more comfortable and more accessible, especially for new players. However, when playing the online version of MTG, players seem to exhibit lower levels of empathy towards their peers.