Pokemon — the small, adorable creatures with special fighting abilities — have been around for more than two decades, and they are as popular as ever, mainly due to families sharing the legacy.
More than 7,500 people from 49 nations are expected to attend the annual Pokemon World Championships in Washington this weekend.
On Friday, as the event started, most of the attendees appeared to be in their 20s or older.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“I’m 24, but I know I look young,” joked Amanda Gunkle, who was decked head-to-toe in the gear of Pikachu, the iconic yellow Pokemon.
She came in from Pittsburg with her twin brother to watch the tournament.
“I’ve been a fan [of Pokemon] since my early childhood,” she said.
It is clear why Pokemon appeal to younger children.
However, for many of the older fans, Pokemon simultaneously represent nostalgia and novelty.
The Pokemon franchise launched in Japan in 1996, but did not take off in the US until the early 2000s.
The brand, which is estimated to be the highest-grossing media franchise ever, produces video games released in pairs every one to two years, alongside a new batch of Pokemon species.
It also makes trading cards that players use to battle each other, an animated television series and several movies.
“We’re definitely seeing some intergenerational fans,” said Elvin Gee, a spokesman for the Pokemon Co, who was a big fan of Pokemon himself growing up.
“It’s amazing to see parents pass on their cards or pass on their video games to their children,” he said.
The franchise’s popularity is also due to the success of smartphone app Pokemon Go, a game that lets players walking the real world hunt virtual Pokemon, as well as the film Detective Pikachu, which opened in May and has made more than US$430 million worldwide.
“There’s something for everyone,” Gee said.
New Jersey native John Kim drove down with his family so his two older sons, ages 11 and eight, could compete in the tournament.
“I really like it for [my sons], because ... they have to learn to lose gracefully, to win gracefully. They learn rules, they learn to accept outcomes,” the 40-year-old said.
For the Kim family, Pokemon’s legacy moved in the opposite direction: John became interested when his sons started playing.
Now, the whole family plays together, even the youngest boy, who at four years old plays alongside his brothers — albeit with a simpler deck.
“They have to sit with an opponent” and engage with others, Kim said.
That engagement is a staple of the Pokemon community, with many players developing close friendships, despite only seeing each other at the world championships once a year.
The championships prize money — which runs up to US$25,000 for the card game tournament — is mainly offered in the form of scholarships or travel certificates, particularly for players under 18.
The goal is to encourage education and strong principles among the participants, many of whom are minors, the organizers said.
“It’s about sportsmanship, it’s about great characters, it’s about a great game,” Gee said.
Like the Kims, Yannick Daunais’ interest in Pokemon was sparked when his daughters started playing. The 38-year-old from Joliette, Quebec drove to Washington so that his 11-year-old son could compete in the championships.
“We’re like a huge family,” said his daughter Mya, 14.
She and her sister Lidya, 12, were dressed as Pikachu and Eevee, another Pokemon.
“Exactly,” her father agreed. “We’re part of a huge Pokemon family.”
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese