My own little contribution to the WOTC' "Prop Anti-15" decisionFebruary 27, 2001 Dear Wizards of the Coast, Well, you certainly got our attention! What do you
do to follow-up the release of Neo: Genesis, one of the best expansion
sets Pokemon TCG has seen? You tell the 15-and-over crowd of Pokemon
players (the ones who have arguably made Pokemon TCG the phenomenon it is)
to take a hike at the next Super Trainer Showdown. Your corporate decision
is simply inscrutable. For the record, I’m 48 years old, my wife is
40-something, my son (a finalist at the West Coast STS) is 11, and my
daughter is 8. We all play Pokemon TCG, we all played at the West Coast
STS, and Pokemon is the only TCG we play (although Harry Potter TCG will
probably change that!). Just stop and think a moment: that’s a family of
four all building decks and playing at Pokemon League every week, buying
boxes of Pokemon product with every expansion (Hear that sound? That’s
your cash register ringing!). Now, as far as your decision to shunt the
15-and-above crowd off to the side at the next STS, it’s so unexpected
that it’s hard for me to know where to start - so let’s begin with
your public relations release: “Wizards of the Coast is honoring the intent of
the Pokemon trading card game creators, to produce an enriching play
experience for kids. Wizards of the Coast continues to do as much as
possible with available resources to provide support for Pokemon trading
card game fans of all ages.” (Don Williams, Public Relations
Manager, WOTC) Now, I like Don Williams - I met him last July
aboard the Queen Mary when he gave me a “Press Badge” (I covered the
event for Beckett’s Pokemon Collector) and I’m sure his statement has
the official WOTC imprimatur. But frankly this makes no sense. Let me give you three points to consider: 1) The older 15-and-above players - including us
“Poke-parents” - are an essential ingredient to the success of every
single Pokemon League I have ever visited or heard of. Most
retailers assign a single (sometimes uninterested) person to manage the
League, and that person rarely has time (and often lacks the knowledge) to
answer the innumerable questions posed by younger players. Without the
active support of older experienced players, Pokemon League will fail. Who
helps kids build decent decks? Who answers rulings questions? Who has
compiled the single most comprehensive and useful guide to Pokemon
rulings? (Team Compendium is clearly of the 15-and-above category!). Who
helps supervise dozens of kids at every Pokemon League across the U.S.
while harassed Gym Leaders stamp books, grade Certified Coach quizzes, and
try to keep track of badges, “Medal” stickers and promo cards? Without
the invested interest of the 15-and-above crowd, Pokemon League will fail.
But the clearest message your recent decision sends to older players is,
“Sorry, Charlie. This game really ain’t for you, so please step
aside.” We’re not feeling the love out here, my dear Wizards. We buy
product, support our kids and other younger players, build creative decks,
and test the rules - we expect a little recognition, and being included in
the STS is one way to give us that. 2) We’ve all heard reports from Toy Fair 2001
that a “Pokemon Tournament Expansion” set will be released for
tournament play, and many serious players are looking forward to a more
balanced game experience. It sounds like our dear Wizards are giving
serious attention to creating better tournaments. But who is going to play
in these tournaments? I can’t see my 8-year old daughter getting
interested in a booster draft format - and even my 11-year old son
hasn’t seemed terribly interested in trying it out. If tournaments are
limited to cards from this special set, how many younger players will want
to even give it a try (especially after they’ve traded like mad to get
just the right cards for their favorite “Charizard-Blastoise Hot Water
deck? “). Although I’m sure there are 14-and-under players out there
who are intelligent enough game players to work within the limits of a
Tournament Expansion set, I think the restrictions will turn off most
younger players ... while the older experienced players who understand the
need for a more balanced environment will be sidelined! This doesn’t
make sense. If you wish to make tournament play more balanced with
restricted decks, you’ll need the older experienced players to work with
the new format. Once again, it will take older players and parent-players
to teach and encourage younger players to play within a restricted
tournament scene. 3) Finally, Pokemon TCG in the United States is a
different little beast than it’s older brother in Japan. And that’s
okay! What works in Japan might not exactly fit in the U.S., and vice
versa. I haven’t hard anything about Media Freak limiting Pokemon
tournaments to 15-and-under, but even if they do, why should that affect
us? In fact, since your public relations statement mentions the “intent
of the Pokemon trading card game creators” as a rationale for this
sudden shift, let me close by quoting from an interview with Pokemon’s
creator, Satoshi Tajiri (Time magazine November 22, 1999). When asked why Japanese Pokemon fans seem to focus
more on Pikachu while American fans seem to identify with Ash, the grand
Pokemon Master himself said, “It’s interesting, because in Japan, everybody
goes for Pikachu. In the U.S., the characters Ash [Satoshi in Japan] and
Pikachu are grouped together. American kids seem to like that. In America
there are more products sold with Ash and Pikachu together, not just
Pikachu alone. I think Americans actually understand the concept of Pokémon
better than the Japanese. The Japanese focus on Pikachu, but what I think
is important is the human aspect—you need Ash. And, to segue on to Tajiri-sensei’s comments, you
need us older Pokemon players to keep the game alive, pure and simple.
Lose us; you’ll lose the game. So please give this notion of eliminating the
15-and-above tier at the STS a second look. If you’re concerned about
“resources” I’m sure the older players would be happy to pay
reasonable tournament fees for a spot at the table. Otherwise, I’m
afraid Wizards of the Coast may be killing their golden goose - and we
will all be the poorer for it. Thanks for listening. Sincerely, Steven Diamond (DCI #44195221) www.pojo.com |