Friendship through a Card Game
Recently, my friends introduced me to "Dueling Network." Basically, it's a site that allows you to play YuGiOh against anyone in the world online :D
It's so much fun ^^ You can create any deck you want using their online database, with the ability to save multiple decks in your profile, so you can use any one you want in any duel 8D
Of course, I only have one so far, and it's a spellcaster deck. But it's great to have any card I want at my disposal. Actually, the deck works very well, which shows the network's next pointer: You can test real decks in a duel! If you've ever wondered, "Hmm, I think this deck/strategy is really good, but would it ever work in a real duel?"...then this is the place for you. Further more, it can help build confidence for those of you who are more timid about actual duels. I know it certainly helped me.
Anyways, it's also so much fun to just be able to be with your friends, even if you're apart. One of our friend's is all the way over on the east coast, while we're on the west. But we can laugh together and bond through a card game that we all love and enjoy. I think that's even better than a simple chat through facebook or IMing. I also can't always see my friends, since we're in different cities. Driving is only 30 minutes, but for college students, that distance is a big chunk of gas that can't always be used. So we can't play the game or hang out in-person as we normally would.
In an interview with Shounen Jump, Kazuki Takahashi himself (the creator of YGO and Duel Monsters) said that the message he wanted to promote was "friendship through a card game." And I think that's a fantastic thing to write. It certainly does work.
So, I really love Dueling Network ^^ please join if you're interested and try it out!
~千由希