If you know your Pikachu from your Ponyta, or your Charizard from your Caterpie, you’ll probably be celebrating the Pokémon Trading Card Game’s (TCG) 30th anniversary this week.
On 16 September 1996, the TCG was launched in Japan, just months after the critically acclaimed first instalment of the video game series.
30 years later, the TCG has expanded to include over 100 sets and over 10,000 unique cards to collect, some of which are valued at thousands of pounds.
Now, the TCG features heavily in the world of Esports, with tournaments bringing together players from across the world, while adults and children alike still continue to collect and trade cards casually.
Danielle McFawns, a Birmingham City University PhD student who is researching human-nonhuman relationships in the Pokémon video games, explains why the popularity of the TCG continues to soar. | |||
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The Pokémon TCG was launched 30 years ago and remains popular with adults and children alike. Credit: BCU | ||
“Part of that longevity comes from the fact that people have engaged with the franchise in many different ways over the years, which has now expanded to include over 1000 Pokémon,” Danielle said.
“Some people’s initial encounter with Pokémon has been through the video game series, first released in Japan in 1996, whilst others have experienced Pokémon via the anime, the manga, or the Pokémon Go app.
“These different forms constantly overlap and reinforce one another, with the Pokémon TCG bringing together several of the franchise’s central pleasures: collecting, play, exchange and attachment to individual favourite Pokémon.
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