<Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> magic.wizards.com </Td> </Tr> <P> Magic: The Gathering (MTG; also known as Magic) is a trading card game created by Richard Garfield . </P> <P> First published in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast, Magic was the first trading card game produced and it continues to thrive, with approximately twenty million players as of 2015 . Magic can be played by two or more players in various formats, the most common of which uses a deck of at least 60 cards, containing no more than four of a single card, with some exceptions . Magic is played in person with printed cards, or using a deck of virtual cards through the Internet - based Magic: The Gathering Online, or on a smartphone or tablet, or through other programs . </P> <P> Each game represents a battle between wizards known as "planeswalkers", who employ spells, artifacts, and creatures depicted on individual Magic cards to defeat their opponents . Although the original concept of the game drew heavily from the motifs of traditional fantasy role - playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, the gameplay of Magic bears little similarity to pencil - and - paper adventure games, while having substantially more cards and more complex rules than many other card games . </P>

When did magic the gathering first come out