I’m Sean Catanese, an International Magic Judge (Level 4) and former Regional Coordinator (RC) to California, Arizona, Nevada, and at one time Utah. I’ve been a certified Magic Judge for five years now, and a L4 for just a few months. Before becoming RC I was one of the original hosts for JudgeCast, a podcast devoted to Magic Judging. I have a professional background in safety and an educational background in conflict resolution. Both of these will probably be relevant in what I post here.
In my continuing work as a L4 Magic Judge, I’ll hope to continually improve the skills and knowledge that make the Judge Program an awesome community. You can occasionally find me on the #mtgjudge IRC channel as seacat.
At the core of this effort is the idea that my lessons learned will have applications that transcend the individual event (and at times judging itself), and that you and I can both improve our craft and ourselves through learning from them.
Things you should find here:
- Discussion and writing on my areas of interest and focus as a Magic Judge, especially as it relates to resolving conflict, promoting healthy gaming communities, and dealing with “serious issues”.
- Reports from events I’ve judged or managed, with lessons learned and ideas for the future.
- Commentary and analysis of policies, philosophy, rules, and news (when it’s relevant).
- More! (We’ll just have to see the shape of things to come.)
Many thanks to Lems for getting me started here (again). I hope you find this endeavor enlightening, entertaining, and/or – failing that – at least worth your time.
Cheers,
Sean Catanese