This year, some may have received dozens of cards under the tree for Christmas. Collectible card games, or TCG (Trading Card Games), are experiencing a resurgence in popularity among young and old.
In the specialized boutiques of Tours, we see this trend. “We have been in a growing phase for TCGs for a little over a year, or even more depending on the licenses”indicates for example Benoît Houivert, the manager of Sortilèges, at 75, rue du Commerce.
“Moments when we create social bonds”
Among these universes, the most popular are those of Magic, the pioneering game in the 1990s, Lorcana, with Disney characters, Yu-Gi-Oh, or even Pokémon. According to Benoît Houivert, the clientele differs depending on the licenses. “For Pokémon, we mainly have collectors, while for games like Magic, Altered or Star Wars, they are more players. »
“In recent years, we have observed a resurgence in popularity, with the arrival of new TCGs”confirms Guillaume Callot, manager of Autour des jeux, 10, rue Louis-Victor-de-Broglie, in Tours-nord. He explains this phenomenon by the fact that “graphics have improved, making cards look better, and new printing technologies have arrived”.
In-store events
Although the clientele remains predominantly male, he notes that certain games, like Lorcana, attract more and more women to the store, but also during physical events.
In his Sortilèges store, Benoît Houivet observes the “rising phase” of collectible cards.
© (Photo NR, Bastien David)
Because the stores provide players with tables to open their packs of cards or directly to play. “We have one of the largest stores in France, with a large play area”explains for example Guillaume Callot.
In its establishment, events and tournaments are organized from Wednesday to Saturday, and almost half of the Sundays of the year. “These are moments when we create social bonds around a passion, like a club. You can meet people you would never have met otherwise. Some of the people who come here are quite withdrawn, but they manage to open up to others thanks to these games. » And this, regardless of the level, since, among the community of loyal players, we find both enthusiasts who participate in international competitions and more casual players, who come to have fun.
Speculative objects
But with demand exploding and more and more licenses trying to establish themselves in the market, it is sometimes difficult to obtain supplies. “For some time, some suppliers have been working with pre-ordersdetails Benoît Houivet. I position myself three, four, even five months in advance on releases, without knowing if they will be successful with players. »
But outside of gaming and collecting, these cards are also speculative objects, particularly on the Internet, with a significant purchase-resale market. So events are one of the added values of physical stores. But it’s not the only one: “The sellers know their products, they are often players themselvescontinues the manager of Sortilèges. For example, I play Altered, Magic, Pokémon or even Star Wars. And we see that in general, we sell better the licenses we know. »
