One of my favorite hobbies is collecting, trading, and competing with trading cards--those cards from the 90's that still are printed today. In high school, it was tough playing these games. You were lucky enough to get four kids who played the game or that of similarity. And I went to tournaments nearly every weekend during high school. And I got laughed at by my parents who figured that trading cards wouldn't make me friends at college. They realized quickly they were wrong.

It all starts with a pack of trading cards--those packs you open up from your local dollar store, Target or hobby shop. When you open a pack of cards, you get you $0.10 commons and your $1 rares. Even if you're lucky, you may get a foil card or even a jackpot card. One of those cards is this card right here: Tapu Lele GX is considered a staple in the game and played in a multitude of decks (TL;DR for non-players: it's just overused).

Would you guess this card goes for: A) $5, B) $15, C) $30 or D) $50?

If you guessed $50, you're correct. It's what we in the trading card community consider a staple or a must-have in the deck. And being who I am, I know that it is not wise to spend a Ulysses on an individual card. But that still didn't stop me from looking for one. And this is where I establish the point of this article: you make a lot of friends playing these games. ESPECIALLY in college.

Marist Game Society has really been an opening to the inner nerdom of campus students. When I first heard about this club, I was thinking that it was going to be ten students. And then I walked in and saw fifty.

And a few of those were playing card games such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, and others. I found my match immediately within the organization.

And it wasn't until this weekend where I found the real reason for playing these games: to make lasting friends. Yes, I have played tournaments in the past for various games, but never was really welcomed at a first acceptance. When I stepped into this tiny store a half hour from campus, I didn't know what to expect. I had players who played the game for years and me who played for a mere one week.

Yet I was welcomed with open arms. I watched meticulous plays from more experienced players. I also got tips from players how to play my deck. But there was one thing that made me realize the power of this game. A friend of mine, who retaught me the game, let me borrow that $50 card mentioned previously. A card that nobody would give up was given to me to use.

In sum, friends are important in life. Yet when you open a pack of trading cards in a community that is growing every year, you never know the friends you make.