When did you start collecting cards?

I started at age 4, when I got my first Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. I played with them a lot, but didn’t compete or learn the game well. I stopped playing for a while, but I got back into it when I was 9-years old. I built a deck of old cards and bought some new ones and started competing.

What do you do with the cards?

I have a 40 card deck that I use in competitions, and a lot of “money cards” that are of value that I bought on eBay. I have a binder of cards I don’t use in competition but want to keep in case they are worth more money.

What kind of tournaments do you participate in?

Yu-Gi-Oh! holds regional and national events every few weeks, as well as a World Championship in Tokyo every year. I’m going to be in a regional competition this weekend (Dec. 1), and I’m planning on winning it. Last time I got second place out of 300 people, and I think I can win it all this time.

Are there benefits to playing card games like Yu-Gi-Oh!?

People think card games like this are childish, but I disagree. You can make a lot of money from these games. I make money from selling cards. You can win big prizes like Xboxes, iPads and games. I’ve made a lot of friends at tournaments. It also puts the stock market in my head, because I’ve learned how to trade cards strategically as their value increases.

What are competitions like?

There are generally 40 to 50 people there, and two people sit at a table to play each other. There are four rounds of competition, each time with a different partner. You lay out your cards and play three games. Whoever wins two out of the three games is the winner of the round, and reports to the front. The pairs are rearranged so people of the same ranking play each other for the next round.

How did you originally get into the competitions?

I wanted to get into some sort of tournament (originally I was looking for a World of Warcraft tournament), and I found that Yu-Gi-Oh! held tournaments every week. I collected cards and built a deck, and headed to Dreamer’s card shop for my first competition.

How long do you think you will keep playing Yu-Gi-Oh! for?

I really don’t know. I love the game, and it’s one of my favorite things to do. I don’t want to keep playing forever, but I also don’t want to stop. It’s a great hobby to hold on to, and I think there’s no reason to quit. Even if I do quit, my dream is to own a card shop and be a vendor when I  get older.