News Article

While the rest of the world will be spending Oct. 31 trick or treating and celebrating Halloween, College of the North Atlantic (CNA) student Dylan Thorne will be battling mages, orcs, dragons, elves and other strange mythical creatures in the mystical world of Magic: The Gathering.
 
In a game of Magic, you and your opponent are Planeswalkers, powerful mages each armed with a deck of Magic cards representing lands, creatures and spells. Each player summons creatures and casts spells, trying to knock the other down from 20 to 0 life and win the game.
 
Dylan traveled five hours from Grand Falls-Windsor to Mount Pearl last July compete in the Pre-Pro Tour Qualifier card game tournament at Midgard Gaming. He ended up being victorious winning the tournament as well as an invitation to compete against people from all around the world in the Regional Pro Tour Qualifier in Verdun, Montreal.
 
“When I was finally done with the whole tournament (in July) I was really exhausted because I had been playing for almost eight or 10 hours and I was nervous the whole time of playing, afraid I was going to mess up or something,” Dylan recalled.
 
“The feeling of winning (hadn’t) really hit me yet. I was a little excited but really tired at the same time. When I got home that’s when it hit me, that I actually won, and I get a chance to play in a Pro Tour Qualifier in Montreal! This was the first big tournament that I won. I won a lot of casual tournaments, but nothing this big before which still amazes me.”
 
The tournament being held this weekend is a Regional Pro Tour Qualifier, which gives participants the opportunity to qualify for the Pro Tour of 2016. Dylan says he’s looking forward to this trip outside his home province.
 
“This is going to be the second time I’ve been out of Newfoundland which is going to be exciting, but I’m also scared because I’m taking a plane for the very first time, and I’m terrified by heights and such. So, this trip is going to be a new experience for me, that’s for sure,” he said earlier this week in Stephenville.
 
“(I’m excited about) the fact that I get to go to Montreal and compete in the Pro Tour Qualifier, seeing some pro players that I watched compete at pro tours before, getting to see Magic: The Gathering players from all around playing, and meeting some new people while I’m there.”
 
The top four finishers from the Regional Pro Tour Qualifier will receive airfare and invitations to the first Pro Tour of 2016, while fifth through eighth place finishers will receive invitations to the next round of Regional Pro Tour Qualifiers.
 
“If I do happen to win this tournament, it’s getting my name out there more, which is fantastic for me as a video game designer.”
 
Although this may just be a card game to some, for Dylan this personal hobby is also a networking opportunity for his upcoming career as a video game designer.
 
“A lot of things can be related to a career in video game design with this opportunity. Learning about marketing and promotion of a game brand and seeing how it all gets set up is a good learning experience for me, knowing how to do that for future events,” Dylan said.
 
“Another career related thing is personal branding, which is big to me personally because I’m getting my name out there. This is something I can add to my portfolio when I apply for jobs. Sometimes game companies look for high level players for testing out games, and QA (quality assurance) teams. Also networking is a huge thing to for me, and that is something else I could put on my portfolio, that I know how to network and get some insight from international/national players.”
 
For more information about the tournament visit http://magic.wizards.com/en/protour/rptq1st16, and to learn more about the Video Game Art & Design program visit www.cna.nl.ca.
 
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Media Contact:
 
Glenda McCarthy
Public Relations Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
709.643.6408
glenda.mccarthy@cna.nl.ca