Review my startup idea: disrupting the Trading Card Game industry

2 points by levicampbell 12 years ago | 1 comment

I'm a big fan of trading card games like Magic: The Gathering, and Cardfight! Vanguard, from the story being told by the cards, to the possibilities available with each draw of a card. However, I live in a city that doesn't have a game shop where I can find people to play with, and I can't drive.

There are three main questions I want my product to answer. 1. How do I make it easier for publishers to create awesome games for both iOS and Android? If I want TCG publishers to make versions of their game, I feel it's my job to make the API smart so the developers can worry more about the look and feel and not the details. I want the API to "know" the rules for each supported TCG, along with card effects and rulings, keeping track of life points, and stuff like that.

2. How do I make it easy to find people to play with, both online and in real life? At the heart of the product is a social network, where players can add cards to their collection, build decks, get deck advice, talk about individual cards, set up games, and more.

3. How do I make it easy for people to add cards to their online collection? How do I spot counterfeit cards? My first thought was to use a customer's phone, and using an OCR provider, but I'm not sure how to spot counterfeits, I'll keep working on it.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave a reply or send me an e-mail. Thank you for your time and consideration.

csense 12 years ago |

I think that your three points are three different startups. I've paraphrased them and provided a few thoughts:

(1) Provide a technology framework for potential TCG designers. They bring the art and game design, you bring the rules engine, UI and networking.

Cons: Limited market size (many fewer TCG designers than TCG players out there), software may be complex (scripting designer-defined card rules, real-time multiplayer, securing the server and other clients from malicious card scripts that steal credentials or abusively consume resources), responding to DMCA notices (because people will inevitably use your platform to make unauthorized versions of games they don't own the rights to)

(2) Provide a matchmaking service to allow card game enthusiasts to find each other and socialize.

Cons: Network effects may be required for success, questionable value-add over existing TCG-specific communities and sections of other communities like Facebook groups or sub-reddits

(3) Provide inventory services or online mirroring of card collections.

Cons: Game publishers may view this as copyright infringement, individually scanning cards in large collections is tedious for users, some games have existing services in this space (have you tried Magic: The Gathering Online?)