Alison Leverett is the mother of 2 well-known Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Duelists: Zachary Leverett and Benjamin Leverett. Benjamin Leverett participated in the World Championship in Tokyo, Japan last year, and Benjamin Leverett has recently been very successful in Dragon Duel tournaments. Alison has brought Zachary and Benjamin to at least 20 YCS events in total. I sat down with Alison Leverett to see what motivates her to bring her kids to these events, and how she feels about the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME. Alison had a lot of positive things to say.

Here’s why Alison encourages her kids to play the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG:

“I do it because I think it’s an awesome game. I like the strategy, the math, and the sportsmanship. It has also given us incentive to travel around the United States. We even went to Barcelona, and Ben won a prize card [Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry] there.”

Alison also said that she’s seeing parts of the world she otherwise never would’ve seen. “We all went to Japan,” she told me. “If not for Yu-Gi-Oh!, we never would’ve gone.” Plus, she’s happy about what her kids have learned traveling. “They’ve even learned how to travel, like booking hotel rooms.”

Alison likes the impact that the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG has had on her kids’ lives as well.

“I like what it has done for my kids socially. They’ve made a lot of friends from around the United States who they Skype with. I like that it gives my kids a feeling of a group they belong to. Through Yu-Gi-Oh!, they meet people that they have a lot in common with. Plus, it keeps them busy during the week – even when they’re not at a tournament – because they’re always test playing or Deck building.”

Alison told me her kids have learned a lot from Yu-Gi-Oh!, too. “They learned a lot of life lessons, like ‘watch your stuff.’ They’ve learned different strengths that they both have. For example, Ben is an awesome Deck builder. Yu-Gi-Oh! has given them a lot of confidence by showing them that they’re both good at something.”

Alison also believes that the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card game has had a positive impact on other people’s lives. “To me, it’s neat to watch a lot of teenage boys who – if they weren’t doing this – who knows what they would be doing.”

Even though Alison’s kids know a lot about the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, Alison doesn’t know how to play. I asked Alison if it’s difficult to attend so many tournaments while not knowing the game that is prevalent there.

Alison told me it’s not difficult at all. “I’ve also met a lot of the kids and a lot of the parents. I bring stuff to keep busy, but a lot of the times I don’t end up doing it because I talk to the other parents and players instead. I’ve made friends at these tournament, just as my kids have.”