If anyone has been down to the commons, either during study hall or lunch, they will have seen students playing with small rectangle pieces of paper or plastic. Whether they are trying to play a two in shampoo, or a kuriboh and yugioh, students of South High are embracing the latest phase of playing card games. The phase started shortly after winter break and quickly caught on to a wide range of people, playing a wide range of card games.

“There are just so many different games you can play,” said Freshman Emily Resch. Students play games involving luck such as poker or blackjack, as well as games involving skill such as Magic the Gathering or Yu-Gi-OH!. These games are just the tip of the iceberg of the types of games students are playing or could play with simple cards. However, in some cases, the simple cards aren’t simple at all and can cost a pretty penny for whoever decides to buy them. These types of card games are the ones that are evolved from television shows, such as Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh!, or were designed as a strictly competitive card game such as Magic the Gathering. In most cases, the people who play these types of game spend a lot of time designing and crafting the perfect combination of cards in order to prevail amongst their friends. This requires players to buy newer and better cards to stay on top or to get an advantage. The price of these cards range dramatically depending on rarity and type, so a player could spend anywhere from a dime to the equivalent of a down payment on a new car. These cards are the rarest of them all and are priced accordingly. While South students may not buy these expensive cards, they do spend quite a bit of money on cards. While some students spend up to $100 on card, one student reportedly has spent over $1,000 total on cards. While some spend money on cards, others play cards to win money from friends.

“We have poker nights every once in awhile and it can get competitive, but it’s a fun way to spend time with friends,” said Senior Evan Opgenorth.  Whether it is for money or not, playing cards can get competitive and if you play with friends the competition can be even greater. There’s just something about competing with friends that brings out the best or in some cases worst in all of us. This may lead to cheating or someone changing the rules of the game so they have an advantage. Senior Alex Gosz justifies this by uttering one simple sentence.

“My cards, my rules,” said Gosz. No matter the game or rules, playing cards to many South High students is a fun and easy way to pass the time. This would make sense since students often play in the commons during study hall or lunch, when they have free time. It seems better to play a game with friends, instead of being glued to one’s mobile device and being anti-social. As a school, we do not know how long this phase of card playing will last, so  grab a deck of cards, gather your friends, and play a simple game that can be a lot of fun. Junior Mackenzie Marver, summed this up well, with her opinion on why cards are appealing,

“Personally, I think cards are a fun way to pass the long study hall mods. It’s a unique way to bond with my peers and even join games and meet people I wouldn’t normally talk to. When you walk into the commons, you see more socialization and less use of cellphones which is cool to see in the way our society is!”