People who participate in Friday Night Magic (FNM) "earn Planeswalker Points, which can help them gain free entry to the next two levels: Pro Tour Qualifiers (PTQ) and Grand Prix (GP)".

It thrives on the people who gather at lunch tables, in apartments, or in one of the six thousand stores worldwide that Wizards has licensed to put on weekly tournaments dubbed Friday Night Magic".

[citation needed] Prior to December 2014, Friday Night Magic tournaments were limited to four sanctioned formats: constructed, booster draft, sealed deck, or Two-Headed Giant.

[19] J. Patrick Williams, in an essay in the book Gaming as Culture, highlighted how weekly events such as Friday Night Magic facilitate and "routinized consumption" in players; for example, in Magic sealed draft tournaments, the booster packs are bought from retailer holding the event.

[20] Williams wrote that, "Wizards of the Coast charges a fee for participation [...] For recreational and competitive players alike, the chance to win limited edition prizes is worth the price to register.

[20]: 84–85 Many stores attribute the "enduring popularity"[21] of the game[22] and large player turnouts to Friday Night Magic.

[...] Run during the week, FNM normalizes Magic as a sensible hobby choice compatible with a hectic nine-to-five working life.

[28] Miller wrote, "this wasn’t the sort of detached I-used-to-play-this-growing-up Magic that NYU students play in Manhattan clubs.

Gameplay etiquette was at a maximum, hygiene was at a minimum, women were scarce, and many guys were wearing what appeared to be pajamas [...].

[...] Without extensive knowledge of the cards, the gameplay, the 'meta game,' the people, or really anything relevant to the situation at hand, all I could do was sit there and ask dumb questions".

My own son, who is in the perfect demographic for Magic (14 year old white boy) was completely intimidated at a local gathering and refused to play.

"[29] Charlie Hall, for Polygon in 2018, wrote that while he was nervous before trying Friday Night Magic he "didn’t have anything to be afraid of".

Before the event began, the shop owner played a few practice hands and gave Hall "tips on how to win with the deck" he had created.