I agree with your broader argument and find it—as always—excellent and helpful. But I’m not sure I’d pick Pokémon cards as the perfect example of the value of physicality.
Yes, trading physical cards with real people is certainly better than purely digital, solitary entertainment. But at the end of the day, I’d rather my son didn’t get too deeply into this kind of heavily commercialized franchise, where cheaply produced and overpriced cards become more fascinating than other physical things—whether woodcraft, natural objects, good toys, interesting books, musical instruments, Lego creations, stamps, or anything else that seems more meaningful in itself.
I can’t stand the endless franchise merchandise: Frozen duvets, Paw Patrol fruit snacks, Minecraft shirts, Pokémon cards, Ninjago magazines, and so on. Huge companies use the enormous cultural pull of these franchises to capture children’s curiosity and turn it into repeated consumption and profit.
So while I completely agree with the case for physical things, I’m not sure physicality alone is enough. To me, there's an important distinction between physical things that connect us with God's beauty, creativity, craftsmanship, nature, history, or other people, and physical products whose appeal has largely been manufactured by an enormous commercial franchise. To me, much of the latter feels strangely hollow and artificial rather than wholesome.
Your mileage may vary. I will admit I don’t quite feel this way, but I see why someone might. I don’t think the argument in the article depends on a particularly high view of trading cards (nor was I trying to make a positive case for why people should get into them).
I agree with your broader argument and find it—as always—excellent and helpful. But I’m not sure I’d pick Pokémon cards as the perfect example of the value of physicality.
Yes, trading physical cards with real people is certainly better than purely digital, solitary entertainment. But at the end of the day, I’d rather my son didn’t get too deeply into this kind of heavily commercialized franchise, where cheaply produced and overpriced cards become more fascinating than other physical things—whether woodcraft, natural objects, good toys, interesting books, musical instruments, Lego creations, stamps, or anything else that seems more meaningful in itself.
I can’t stand the endless franchise merchandise: Frozen duvets, Paw Patrol fruit snacks, Minecraft shirts, Pokémon cards, Ninjago magazines, and so on. Huge companies use the enormous cultural pull of these franchises to capture children’s curiosity and turn it into repeated consumption and profit.
So while I completely agree with the case for physical things, I’m not sure physicality alone is enough. To me, there's an important distinction between physical things that connect us with God's beauty, creativity, craftsmanship, nature, history, or other people, and physical products whose appeal has largely been manufactured by an enormous commercial franchise. To me, much of the latter feels strangely hollow and artificial rather than wholesome.
Your mileage may vary. I will admit I don’t quite feel this way, but I see why someone might. I don’t think the argument in the article depends on a particularly high view of trading cards (nor was I trying to make a positive case for why people should get into them).