Quote:
Originally Posted by GlennN
Thanks guys! Yeah, I get the appeal of collecting cards (reliving our youth without the stick of absolutely terrible pink gum), and how those cards give us some insight into the history of the game. But playing out the games is just not my thing. I appreciate you guys sharing what makes it fun for you!
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Since I also initially purchased OOTP because I prefer to play GM, it never occurred to me that I was missing out on anything. I had purchased OOTP '19 during one of the year end discounts, and I felt like the universe available to direct a franchise through decades was enough appeal to justify the purchase.
After extensive play, I logged into PT for the first time just before the pandemic, as the servers were just about to stop simming '19. I opened the initial packs and played through a rookie level season and realized that I was essentially building a team by doing what I loved to do as a kid: open packs of cards. I think you'll find that most of the people that are an active part of the community (particularly those that are FTP) are squarely part of that generation that collected sometime between the early 80s and the '94 strike, and there's a comfortable memory associated with chasing cards through a baseball-related hobby. Nothing about collecting necessarily said anything about one's overall understanding of the game, but it was a tool to grow that knowledge.
I still approach PT as more of a GM than a manager; I enjoy building a team that can compete, and I don't do a lot of micro-managing throughout the week, aside from benching underperforming players and trying something else. The developers did me a favor this past season by diminishing the value of earning PP through wins/losses in the leagues, meaning that you're just as likely to open packs regardless of which league you're playing in. It's de-incentivized tanking and made the strive for a higher league less significant. I would say that my eventual jump to perfect league eleven-months-in was more a result of the process of collecting than because I managed my team any particular way. I just continued doing everything I could (quick tournaments, missions, etc.) to continue my flow of free packs.
That said, I think card collecting is still it's main draw, and for those who plan to buy their way to the top league, there's a mechanism for that as well. I think those that get frustrated tend to be those who want both as a chief motivator, and end up feeling empty in one or the other.