My thoughts on…the Pokemon card craze
March 3rd 2006 -
I know, my posts are usually on current events and this is anything but current. But seeing the latest Pokemon game, Pokemon Trozei, which looks like the bastard child of Pokemon and a half-Tetris, half-Bejeweled puzzle game, made me reflect on the days when I would actually care about the release of a new Pokemon game, the days I was a Pokeholic.
Pokemon was all the rage back then. It was making waves in the U.S and was making its way to Jamaica. Back then, Pokemon cards were very valuable, the rarer, the better. In the pic above, you’ll see the granddaddy of them all – Charizard. In Pokemon’s heyday, this baby would set you back US$60. Shocked? I saw a kid buy one for JS$5,000, approximately US$77! I wonder what those Charizard cards are being used for now? Probably as beer coasters for frat boys, former Pokeholics, now turned alcoholics.
For me, it all began in 3rd form. I heard a ruckus coming from one of the classrooms, so I decided to investigate. There I saw a crowd surrounding two boys, playing a game of some sort. They seemed to be battling, using cards that had wonderful illustrations of strange creatures on them. And they were having the time of their lives. It all came down to a battle between Vaporeon and Ratticate. Vaporeon won. By the end of the game, I was mesmerized. I tried to find out all I could about this fascinating new game. And a few days later, I had my first two Pokemon cards, Caterpie and Kabuto. I was thrilled. As time passed, my mild fascination became an obsession. I was consumed by the need to “catch ‘em all.” Now, thinking about it, it’s funny to see the similarities between my Pokemon addiction and a crack addiction. I’d forego lunch and save the money. Then I’d go to my “dealer”, who would supply my “fix” for the day. Then I’d walk off, hungry but happy, staring intently at my new acquisition for a few minutes before slipping it discreetly into my pocket. When my “dealer” had no cards, I was furious with him for not supplying me. Eventually I got more “dealers”, and when lunch money was no longer enough, I would use some of the little money I had at home.
I joined fellow Pokeholics, and we became a bit of a club. Or more like a cult? Hmm… *looks up “cult” in the dictionary* “Cult (noun) 1. religious system, sect, etc., esp. ritualistic. 2 a. devotion to a person or thing.” Wow, I guess we were a cult! The association does make sense, because we were often persecuted for our faith by the older kids for indulging in such a juvenile game. Some of us even had our cards stolen, because Pokemon was big business, and even if you didn’t like the game, you could sell to those who did. But by the grace of Pikachu, we persevered. Meanwhile, my collection gradually grew from two weak Pokemon to a geometry tin’s worth of strong cards, about 50-60. I was on top of the world! Finally, I could play with the big boys! I carried my cards to school a handful of times to battle with my friends, but one day, I ran out of luck. My cards were stolen from my bag when I left class to use the bathroom. I was devastated. All that hard work, all that sacrifice, all for nought! I tried to restart my collection with a Seadra, but I was emotionally drained. I quit collecting.
I still watched my friends play, a bit sad that I couldn’t participate but still basking in the joy of Pokemon. But something was happening. Pokemon was losing its appeal. Maybe it was because we were maturing. Maybe it was because it really was a fad. Or maybe we simply got tired of it. Whatever the reason, the Pokecraze was dying. We tried our hardest to keep it alive, but even we knew that the end was near, because our gathering got smaller and smaller, until they ended outright. The Pokemon card craze was over.
Nowadays Yugioh runs things. I like it better than Pokemon because it’s more mature and is more strategic. But not nearly on the same level as I did Pokemon. Nowdays, the only acceptable Pokemon games to play are videogames. Last week I saw a few Pokemon cards, the first time in years. But this time, instead of freaking out about their rarity or power, I felt - nothing. If there’s one thing Pokemon has taught me, it’s “all things in moderation.” No more addictions for me! Now excuse me. I need to spend several hours doing blog-related things.
Kaschief Says:
March 3rd, 2006 at 11:41 pm
Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh both suck. In my opinion, that is.
Oh, by the way, the site for the airbrushed photos is http://www.fluideffect.com. You must enter the preceeding “WWW” or the site will re-direct to another bogus site.
Rappy Says:
March 4th, 2006 at 1:01 am
I used to have a big folder of those cards…had a special one to that was worth something but I had to go and lose it…:|
L.C. Says:
March 4th, 2006 at 11:48 am
Thanks for stopping by and leaving the nice comment on my site about my mom. That was very sweet.
And your post brought back memories. My son used to love Pokemon and especially the cards. We had them everywhere. Then he sold all of them at a garage sale to another little boy.
Well, have a fabulous day : )
De Immigrant Says:
March 5th, 2006 at 1:17 am
Sounds like my school days of saving lunch money to buy records!
I was definetly addicted to that. Some of them only got played once!
V~AlleyCat! Says:
March 5th, 2006 at 1:26 pm
Catch you Later.
Renée Says:
March 6th, 2006 at 9:22 am
Off topic:
I’d like to know your thoughts on the Oscar win for Best Song last night.
Are we allowed to make requests?
Raven Says:
March 6th, 2006 at 12:11 pm
I played Yugi-Oh with my nephew once, but I didn’t really understand it.
Pokemon Boy Says:
September 14th, 2008 at 3:06 am
My son still loves pokemon but as a video game on his nintendo ds. He still plays his yugioh cards against friends as well (just played today)
Pokemon Boys last blog post..Florensia Free 3D Fantasy MMORPG