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We all know that Pokémon is a global phenomenon. Millions of people have been enchanted by the world it creates and the various spin-off games, TV shows, and other media. There is no need for Pokémon to break through in any way, as it is already one of the best-known brands on the planet.
But Pokémon’s relation and crossover with the gaming universe regularly raises the question of there being an official and recognized esport connected to the brand. Esports have completely changed the gaming industry, with titles specifically designed and developed to become the next big thing in competitive gaming.
Gamers now want to become esports professionals, competing before thousands at huge events and being the focus of an industry that now features on the Bovada betting site alongside Super Bowls and World Cup finals. As SportsBettingSites.com notes in its coverage of esports betting, competitive gaming has become a serious part of the wider sports betting conversation. Esports is big business, so it is understandable that many wonder why Pokémon hasn’t seemed to want to grab a slice of it in the past.
There have been some encouraging signs in the last few months, with new titles and competitive scenes growing. But can we really include Pokémon TCG when we talk about esports? And does it really matter if we don’t?
Esport Requirements
Any kind of gaming is inherently competitive, whether it is trading card games or multiplayer online battle arenas. But to be considered an official and widely-recognized esport, a title needs to meet some very important requirements. There is no guarantee that a game will still be popular enough to survive in the multibillion-dollar esports industry, but at least it will be considered by competitive gamers.
To become an esport, a game must involve some kind of individual or teamplay competition. This competition needs to be structured and skill-based. The best esports are titles that are easy enough to pick up the rules immediately, but still take time to master. There is no point in having a game that is either difficult to understand or so easy to play that it creates no hierarchy.
A community needs to be grown to create content and generally keep an esport relevant, encouraging investment from third parties to be able to put on big events and tournaments that continue the creation of a global scene. Updates and support are also very important.
It could easily be argued that some Pokémon titles and games fit many of these criteria, but there also needs to be a desire on the gamers themselves for that to happen – and this is something that has not always been the case with some Pokémon communities.
Competition Without Competitive Circuit
When it comes to Pokémon TCG, there is obviously a healthy level of competition that runs through everything. The very nature of trading card games is that players compete with each other to be successful. But, as we have already seen from the esports requirements, that is not enough to become part of that world.
There are plenty of tournaments dedicated to Pokémon TCG, but these tend to be on a more local level, community-run, and with no real desire to act as an official world championship-style event. As hugely successful as it is, most Pokémon TCG players seem quite happy with the level of competition and attention it receives, without the need to join the ranks of League of Legends or Dota 2 at an esports or competitive gaming level.
Official Announcement for PTCG
Perhaps the most important sign that there is no real desire to turn Pokémon TCG into an official esport came from Chris Brown, the Director of Global Esports and Events at the Pokémon Company. He maintained that TCG has not been designed and positioned as a competitive gaming title.
Brown celebrated the fact that Pokémon TCG is played at a more casual level. Even though it has been an incredibly successful and lucrative title for the Pokémon brand, the need to compete with more established esports on a global stage does not seem to be part of the overall plan. Although we can never confidently predict what will happen in the future, that announcement succinctly cleared up any confusion and set TCG squarely as a competitive game that has no need to encourage an official circuit.
Wide World of Pokémon
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, the Pokémon universe is a diverse and wide-ranging one, with elements that cover just about every aspect of entertainment culture in some way or another. If Pokémon fans really want to create an esports scene, there is easily the bandwidth to do that.
In fact, the latest title on the market, Pokémon Champions, seems a much better fit for esports. A strategy game with multiplayer use, this title is probably the closest Pokémon has come to providing esports fans with something that they would recognize as part of their community. There are still some Pokémon traits that sometimes make it difficult for newcomers to instantly feel involved, but there is no doubt that Champions is the nearest we have come to an esport than ever before.
With other titles specifically aimed at the esports market, any questions about Pokémon TCG will probably disappear. Most of the players of the game have never seemed too bothered about its status anyway, so maybe we should all just forget about whether it could be an esport or not, and just enjoy the game for what it is.
