Nearly every afternoon in the old student union Yu-Gi-Oh! players face off in another duel.

“I attack your monster!”, “I activate my trap card!” they say, common phrases exchanged throughout the game.

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a card came that has captured the attention of students at CSU East Bay and people across the world.

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a game that consists of two players who duel one another using a variety of different cards that represent monsters, spells, and traps. The key is to create combos in order to defeat your opponent and drop their life points to zero.

It started off in a Japanese magazine in 1996 telling the tale of a young timid boy named Yugi Mutou who loved to play an assortment of games but was often bullied for it.

His journey takes him through different battles and triumphs called shadow games. The meaning behind these games was to reveal the true nature of someone’s heart.

Yu-Gi-Oh! holds tournaments to bring players together and battle with their best deck to win exclusive prizes.

San Jose is holding the next regional tournament this coming April; organizers are expecting between 500 and 700 players to attend. Regional qualifiers are high-level tournaments in which duelists compete to earn invites to the world championship qualifier. The championship is being held in Japan.

One of the biggest misconceptions about Yu-Gi-Oh! is the belief that it is a children’s game.

“It may look like a children’s game but it made me a better person, a smarter thinker, and a better strategist,” said Evan Wong, a CSUEB student.

The Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! is very graphic and associated more with adults. When the game came to the U.S. the cartoon was censored to be associated with kids. 4kids Entertainment, an American licensing company, filtered out all the death and violence to make it appear friendlier to children, which has partly contributed to the misconception.

Players say Yu-Gi-Oh! is a very advanced game that takes strategy and true skill to master, as  game experience helps along the way.

“It is the best game and the worst game,” said Jose Reyes, a junior at CSUEB, who has been playing since the fourth grade and applied to be a judge in the upcoming regionals

The belief that it takes no skill to play exists, but creating and perfecting a deck takes time and skill. Cards go through keen analysis in preparation for a duel and what strategies could be used to counter them.

“Timing is the biggest issue, cards don’t always specify so you learn through experience,” said Reyes.

The forbidden limited list can further throw players off their course for the perfect deck as every six months selective cards get banned and cannot be used in tournaments.

The announcement in September is highly anticipated because of rumors that a very popular card, called the Sangan, will be banned. While banned cards cannot be used in tournaments they can still be played in casual games.

One local spot that holds weekend tournaments and sells cards to Bay Area players is C and J Collectables in Newark, who have built a reputation for having fair prices and large tournaments.

Tony Khailollahi, a weekly player at C and J Collectables who has been playing for three years, has found what makes the game most fun to him in that time.

“Building your own deck, because it is your own, so when you take it to a tournament and win, it feels good,” said Khailollahi.

Yu-Gi-Oh! has proven that it is not a child’s game. Rather, it requires strong skills and the ability to understand complex strategies to excel.

“It is fun, challenging and different,”said Jobre Williams, a freshman at CSUEB.

Sportsmanship is integral to the game as players often end a match by saying “G, G,” which means good game.