Gaming culture helps extinguish my anxiety!

   

(Top) An assortment of mages gather together at Old School Gaming in Toledo, Ohio, March 9. The hopes were high to have fun and win prizes at Friday Night Magic. (Center) Rob Coffman duels a fellow planeswalker in the game of Magic: The Gathering. He came in second in the tournament of Friday Night Magic. (Bottom) Two players of Magic: The Gathering square off against one another. Prizes were at stake in the tournament of Friday Night Magic. (PHO245/Paul Murray)

    Feature photography is harder than I expected. I had previously done landscape photography. I was never very thrilled about photos that involve people. I think the world is a beautiful place, but I tend to dislike most people in general. The thought of approaching a random stranger with a camera is probably one of my biggest fears. I have never been good at talking to strangers normally, and I am definitely introverted in social situations.

   This project amplified my social fears. It actually got me wondering if I have a social anxiety disorder. I would say it is quite possible at this point. My anxiety jumped off the charts just thinking about attempting something like this. I think that I definitely want to steer clear of people photography.

   With this in mind, I had an assignment where I had to go out and shoot people, so I chose an environment where I felt relatively comfortable: an environment where I was surrounded by fellow nerds. I went to document the tournament of Friday Night Magic.

   Magic: The Gathering is the most popular trading card game in the world, with a base of millions of players.

   The level of competition ranges anywhere from the professional level, where a player can win prizes up to $40,000, all the way down to Friday Night Magic, a casual tournament where players can have fun with their friends. This experience proved that the gaming culture is interesting at any level.