{"id":580451,"date":"2026-08-02T15:31:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T15:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/580451\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T15:31:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T15:31:10","slug":"the-language-of-pokemon-is-universal-why-fans-are-still-catching-em-all-after-30-years-pokemon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/580451\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The language of Pok\u00e9mon is universal\u2019: why fans are still catching \u2018em all after 30 years | Pok\u00e9mon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most Pok\u00e9mon<\/a> obsessives count rare, absurdly expensive playing cards or pristine, fully boxed game cartridges that have survived decades in the attic among their most prized possessions. But for Mairead Ralph, her Pok\u00e9mon-related crown jewel is a bit different. \u201cTechnically, it\u2019s my husband!\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The pair first locked eyes amid decks of Pok\u00e9mon playing cards and Pok\u00e9balls at a fan event 16 years ago and the rest is history. Ralph was among hundreds of Pok\u00e9mon fans who flocked to Shoreditch, east London, on Saturday afternoon for a pop-up celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/a>, the massively successful augmented reality smartphone game that has seen millions of players physically venture to all corners of the earth to catch \u2019em all in person. In that spirit, the surrounding area was full of Pok\u00e9heads wandering the streets, their heads in their phones, seeking to catch exclusive Pok\u00e9mon that had been released.<\/p>\n

Ralph, 42, is an OG Pok\u00e9mon fan, getting into Pok\u00e9mon Red when the game (and franchise) debuted 30 years ago. \u201cI\u2019ve been in love with it ever since,\u201d she says. Months after Pok\u00e9mon Red released in Japan in February 1996, the now-famous playing cards were released, some of which have since soared in value to thousands or even millions of pounds. Earlier this year, the world\u2019s only Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) 10-graded Pikachu Illustrator card was sold for a staggering \u00a312m.<\/p>\n

The franchise, which spans video games, playing cards, TV shows, films and merchandise, has become so big that the Pok\u00e9mon company, which celebrated its 30th birthday in March, is now the world\u2019s biggest media franchise, with total revenues of $147bn (\u00a3110bn), according to Guinness World Records.<\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon GO\u2019s 10th anniversary Summer Quest celebration in Shoreditch, London. Photograph: Teri Pengilley\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

This is far from the first Pok\u00e9mon-related event Ralph has attended. She has travelled to Japan, the US and France to mingle with fellow fans. Despite often not sharing the same language, this hasn\u2019t been a challenge for Ralph. \u201cThe language of Pok\u00e9mon is universal,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Ralph even met her husband at one event. \u201cI was at an event doing Pok\u00e9mon stuff and he was working in a different area, and then we ran into each other at the local nerdy shop,\u201d she says. Their love of the franchise extended to their wedding. Instead of having numbered tables, they had Pok\u00e9mon. \u201cIf you were told to join Pikachu\u2019s friends, you had to find the table with his face on it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

She thinks Pok\u00e9mon has remained popular because it \u201cbrings people back to a happy place, no matter how bad the world is\u201d, especially during these tricky times where issues such as the cost of living are hitting hard. It helps that most Pok\u00e9mon are \u201chappy and smiley\u201d apart from a few \u201cgrumpy\u201d outliers. \u201cI\u2019m looking at you, Mewtwo,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Rumeysa Usca and her pomeranian at the event. Photograph: Teri Pengilley\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Also at the pop-up was Rumeysa Usca and her animated pomeranian Boomi. The 34-year-old engineer travelled from Leamington to attend the event. For her, the appeal of Pok\u00e9mon Go is simple. \u201cI can entertain my dog, entertain myself and lose weight,\u201d she says. Usca has been playing the smartphone game for four years and has been a lifelong fan of the franchise, which she attributes to it \u201cnever having a break\u201d, with new products being regularly released.<\/p>\n

She also says Pok\u00e9mon taps into nostalgia and a desire to return to simpler times. \u201cAs kids, we were so happy watching and playing it. It just brings back those good emotions,\u201d Usca says.<\/p>\n

Summer Till, 24, says it\u2019s a good way to connect with younger relatives. \u201cThere\u2019s a generation gap between me and my niece and nephew, but Pok\u00e9mon is common ground for us,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go has helped Summer Till connect with younger relatives. Photograph: Teri Pengilley\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Those who wanted a free coffee with a branded Pok\u00e9mon Go cup needed to complete a challenge on the game along the surrounding streets. Among those taking part was Stacie Smith and her son Rupert. They travelled in from Southend in Essex. \u201cShe\u2019s been getting all the luck,\u201d says Rupert, referring to his mum catching better Pok\u00e9mon than him on her phone. Smith remembers collecting Pok\u00e9mon cards when she was growing up. \u201cWe would buy them along with panini stickers and Spice Girls postcards,\u201d she says. And she then became fond of the cartoon, which was a staple on children\u2019s TV in the late 1990s. Rupert enjoys the playing cards aspect more, but the pair have found a \u201cshared love\u201d of the franchise through Pok\u00e9mon Go.<\/p>\n

Stacie Smith with her son Rupert, 12. Photograph: Teri Pengilley\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Rupert has autism, which means he \u201cdoesn\u2019t like leaving the house very much\u201d, says Smith, but the game has encouraged him to start venturing outside more, and the pair spend more time together. This, she says, is \u201creally important for his mental health and trying to get him integrated into communities so he can talk to other people\u201d.<\/p>\n

At school, he\u2019s made friends through his enthusiasm for Pok\u00e9mon. He\u2019s been handed down some Pok\u00e9mon cards from family, including a first-edition holo Mewtwo from his dad. If kept in pristine, PSA 10-graded condition, the card could fetch about \u00a318,000, but with a few bends and tears Rupert\u2019s has been well-loved and is sadly less valuable.<\/p>\n

But for many in attendance, their love of the franchise is hardly material. Ralph\u2019s love of Pok\u00e9mon will be enduring. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s your first Pok\u00e9mon or your thousandth Pok\u00e9mon, that little click of the Pok\u00e9ball will always bring you joy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most Pok\u00e9mon obsessives count rare, absurdly expensive playing cards or pristine, fully boxed game cartridges that have survived…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":580452,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[61,60,80],"class_list":["post-580451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=580451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580451\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/580452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=580451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=580451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=580451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}