Pokémon and Pokémon cards have been running strong now for over 25 years. You might be interested to know that Pokémon is actually the highest grossing media franchise of all time. More than Star Wars, more than the Avengers, and yes, even more than Mickey Mouse.
So it’s highly likely that your children at least know about Pokémon. Even if they don’t know about Pokémon, they very likely know who Pikachu and other Pokémon are.
What’s also likely then is that your child has seen or played with Pokémon cards. They seem to be in a large number of kids backpacks to trade and show off to friends, especially in recent years.
So as a parent whose child(ren) may be asking for or about Pokémon, you might be wondering what it’s all about.
Well fear not, you are in the right place. I’ll cover some of the positives and negatives of kids and Pokémon cards below!
Let’s jump right in!
Pokémon Cards: The Basics
Pokémon cards and the Pokémon Trading Card Game they are apart of were released in 1996 in Japan and 1999 in the United States. Since then, thousands of different cards have been released across over 100 different “sets”.
The game itself is played by building a deck of cards and taking turns against an opponent. It is a strategy game and requires players to build and use a deck of these cards. The players then “battle” to win the game!
While the Pokémon Trading Card Game is still going strong today, many more people have gotten into collecting Pokémon cards rather than playing with them. That is mostly because the value of cards have gone up tremendously in recent years. Even modern sets have cards worth over $100!
For the article, I will separate both of these. The first section will cover the Pokémon TCG particularly. The second will cover Pokémon Card Collecting.
Let’s jump in!
The Pokémon Card Game For Kids: The Positives
As mentioned above, the Pokémon card game requires 2 people to have at least 60 cards. There is both a physical version of this game as well as an online one. The QR code card that is found in every pack is another virtual pack that can be scanned and opened to add to you or your child’s online game.
What are some of the benefits of the game?
It Allows Them to Experiment and Plan
In case you missed it above, the Pokémon Card Game requires 2 players to build a 60 card deck. And while there are pre-built decks you can buy, the fun and effort comes in when kids try to create their own. This can definitely take a little bit of time, but it makes it all worth the while when they get to test out the deck that they put together themselves.
Also, when a child gets a new card that they like, they will typically try to insert it into their deck. And because these cards all have different effects and move sets, it will require them to strategize and experiment with the new effects and attacks of the cards they received.
When they finish their game, they will decide that they want to switch some things around, or they may be happy with their creation that they built themselves!
It Teaches Strategy
Yes, the deck building above absolutely requires thought and planning on their part. Once built though, the game itself requires you to make strategic decisions in the gameplay itself.
There are status effects, evolutions, and trainer cards that can change the game tremendously.
Which card should I play first? Do I want to build up one Pokémon in hopes that I get its evolution on the next turn? Or should I play a card that isn’t quite ready to buy more time? Should I sabotage their deck or build up my own?
Decisions like these and many others come into play during the game. And through these games, they can get better at making decisions and strategizing effectively.
It Teaches Risk vs Reward
Lastly, while strategy is a big part of the Pokémon TCG, there is also a good amount of luck in the game. A large number of the cards and moves require flips of a coin that inflict status effects and otherwise on the Pokémon.
These status effects then require your child to determine the risk vs reward of making a particular move.
As an example, one of the statuses is confusion. To attack while confused, the player must flip a coin to determine if the attack will be successful or if the Pokémon will deal damage to itself.
And depending on the health of their Pokémon and who the opponent has out, the decision can work out or can hurt you in the end. Hence giving them a feel for the risk vs reward for taking that particular action.
If you want to see some of it for yourself, check out some tournament gameplay!
Let’s get into the negatives of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
The Pokémon Card Game For Kids: The Negatives
As far as the Pokémon Trading Card game is concerned, there are a lot of benefits and reasons kids should play the game. If your child has gotten into it, you may find that there is really only one major negative to the game itself. And that is…
The Cost
As you may have guessed, some cards are better than others. They are more powerful, have more health, and as far as your child is concerned, is a MUST HAVE for their deck.
And as you may also have guessed, the better and more powerful cards are also more expensive. So as your child gets into the game more, they might be asking for additional packs or individual cards to level up their deck.
So as a parent, it can add up. However, there are a lot of ways to buy Pokémon cards to save some dollars. Check out that article to give you some ideas!
Now that we’ve covered the Pokémon TCG Game, let’s jump into the collecting side!
Pokémon Card Collecting For Kids: The Positives
While the Pokémon card game is incredibly fun, a large number of people (children and adults alike) buy Pokémon solely to collect them. Some of the cards hold some serious value and can be worth hundreds, thousands, and even hundreds of thousands of dollars!
Don’t believe me? The rapper Logic bought a Charizard for $220k. And that record for the same card has doubled since then.
While their value is worth being aware of, a lot of them just look really cool. And for kids, getting new cards and showing them off to friends is a better benefit than any other.
So without worrying about the value, let’s jump into some of the positives of collecting Pokémon cards for kids.
It Gives Them Ownership of Their Own Items
When kids are young, they don’t tend to take very good care of anything they own. As they grow though, the find things they like and start protecting it and treating them with care. This ownership of things then teaches children about taking care of their own and other peoples items.
Pokémon cards has been and continues to be a major bridge for kids in this manner. It’s one of the first things that kids can collect that are cool and fun to show off to friends. A lot will even go a step further ask their parents for nice binders, penny sleeves, and other protective items for their cards.
And while I wasn’t going to mention value, keeping them nice does in fact make them more valuable in the long run. So owning something that does have value that they can take care of is a great benefit to Pokémon card collecting.
It Teaches Negotiation
One of the best parts about collecting Pokémon Cards as a kid is being able to trade others for cards that you want. There are simply too many for any child to get a hold of all of them so there is undoubtably some cards that a friend or otherwise has that they will want but don’t have.
And this trading requires negotiation. They have to figure out how valuable their cards are in their mind. They then have to work with another child to negotiate who is trying to figure out the same thing.
And you know what? Sometimes they will be pumped about their trade. Other times though? They will have a bit of remorse about it. And that’s okay.
This is a lesson that is tough to learn any other way. And being on one side or the other can lead to conversations that allow for open discussions and new understandings for both kids.
In case you were wondering, I am most definitely speaking from personal experience here also. So it’s something I have personally felt and also seen my own kids go through.
It Can Give Them Something to Work Towards
It’s incredibly fun to show off cool cards to friends. Getting those cards though means that they have to earn them. That’s where you come in parents.
Pokémon for a lot of kids is one of the first things they can earn and consistently want more of (nice job Pokémon marketing). Once they get a bike, a video game, or something like that, then it’s done. Pokémon cards though? There isn’t a limit to how much cool stuff is out there.
Giving children the opportunity to earn them through chores, kind acts, grades, or otherwise can be an incredible motivator. It was in my life when I was young and I’m seeing it come through with kids as well.
So if Pokémon cards are what they like? Give them the opportunity to work towards earning them!
Pokémon Card Collecting For Kids: The Negatives
While you are on a website that writes particularly regarding Pokémon cards, we did try to remain neutral to all of the positives and negatives in collecting. That being said, there is really only one big one that we covered above also.
The Cost
Once again, whether it be Pokémon card collecting or the game itself, it is worth noting that the cost can add up quickly. Individual packs can cost $3-5, and other packs and boxes can range from $10-120!
As mentioned above also, there is seemingly no limit to how much can be had as new sets are being released consistently.
Outside of the cost though, I don’t see many negatives. Sure, kids may fight for and over them. They also might be sad about not getting a card they want. That all comes with the territory though.
The good news is that Pokemon cards certainly have a market and can be sold. If your curious if your child has anything worth some money, learn how to identify them and look up what they may cost!
If your child happens to love Charizard, I also have an article on some of the cheapest Charizard’s you can buy!
Summary
I tried to be impartial, but this is a Pokémon card website after all. Hopefully this gave you some insight into what Pokémon cards are all about!
Have any comments or think I missed anything? Please let me know at [email protected]!
If you’re curious about selling Pokémon cards, check out some ways to do it here!
If you want to figure out what some cards may be worth, I have you covered here as well!
Thanks for reading!