The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket app was released Oct. 30, 2024. As of December last year, the mobile game has been downloaded over 60 million times. Among these players include Ohio University students, who praise the app for its accessibility to players both new and old.
In 1996, the original Pokémon Trading Card Game was released to the public as a tabletop card game. Since then, an estimated 200,000 unique Pokémon cards have been collected by individuals around the globe; and the franchise has grown exponentially.
Now, the classic trading card game millions love has come to mobile phones.
Maecy Voytek, a sophomore studying hearing, speech and language sciences, found out about the game from fellow members of the Marching 110.
“I didn't think it actually sounded that fun,” Voytek said. “But when I started playing it, I really liked the battling aspect of it. It's very addicting once you download it.”
Pokémon TCG’s social feature allows users to connect with other players on the app. Players can battle with their friends or share the cards they’ve recently pulled through a system called “Wonder Pick.” The feature allows players to receive one random card from another's packs.
Although Voytek has collected Pokémon cards since childhood and amassed a large collection, she has never played the actual card game.
“The game was too complex for my little six-year-old brain,” Voytek said. “This is my first time actually using the cards the way they're intended and not just collecting them.”
Connor Gleason, a junior studying marine biology, has been playing the Pokémon games since he was given a Game Boy Advance for his birthday when he was young. Since then, he has kept up with the video game series and recently downloaded the newest mobile game.
“My little brother actually told me to play because we both play Pokémon pretty frequently,” Gleason said. “We keep up with the games. It's been a relatively big part of our lives, so he let me know about the game, and I downloaded it.”
Gleason collected the cards throughout his life, but he never played the game until recently, as a result of the app.
“It's a good way to get new people that don't know about the card game, or are just interested in Pokémon in general, playing or interested in it,” Gleason said.
Pokémon’s newest game has made learning how to play the nearly 30-year-old card game accessible to everyone, including long-time fans of the game.
Daphne Cannon, a junior studying environmental science and sustainability, has been a fan of Pokémon games since she was young.
“I had to be in first or second grade,” Cannon said. “My brother collected cards, and I was like, ‘Wow, that's really cool, I want to be like my brother.’ And I just kind of liked it ever since.”
Cannon first heard about the trading card game pre-release on YouTube and followed its release. She has played the game nearly every day since it came out.
“Personally, I really like collecting cards, and it doesn't cost money to do it on the app,” Cannon said. “I can open packs and get that rush ... I don't have to go out and spend like $100 or $60 to go get a bunch of Pokémon cards from Target.”
The game is free to play for anyone with a mobile device despite having optional in-game purchase options. For new players, there are introductory tutorials and guides available on the app to explain everything needed to play.
“In the mobile app, it shortens it down and makes it a lot more understandable for the average person,” Cannon said. “I'm 21 and I've been playing Pokémon my whole life, and I've never played the card game until now … So I'm really happy with how accessible and easy this game has made it.”
