WILLIAMSTOWN, W.Va. (WTAP) – Luke Giffen, an 11-year-old from Williamstown, has become an international Pok\u00e9mon champion four years after he began collecting cards.<\/p>\n
Luke now holds two regional titles and one international championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was my last time to break into and say that I\u2019m one of the top players in the season,\u201d Luke said.<\/p>\n
Luke said he has gained math and critical thinking skills from playing the game over the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny hand can win, you just have to know how to strategize,\u201d Luke said.<\/p>\n
Chad Giffen, Luke\u2019s dad, said Pok\u00e9mon helped his son learn how to read.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough this whole journey, like for instance, like he was learning to read whenever he started playing the game. So playing the game really helped him learn how to read and his math skills are kind of bar none and big parts of that come from the game because so much of the game is all about math,\u201d Chad Giffen said.<\/p>\n
Luke has competed in Brazil, London and recently returned home from a win in New Orleans. His favorite place has been Hawaii.<\/p>\n
\u201cHawaii has been my favorite. We got to explore the island of Honolulu and I think that I really like that because it was also my first worlds and I met a bunch of great people there, and I didn\u2019t really do the best at that tournament, but exploring Hawaii and meeting new people was really fun,\u201d Luke said.<\/p>\n
Chad Giffen said players remain friends even when someone loses.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone loves the game. Everyone\u2019s there to play, and yet they do realize that there\u2019s going to be a winner and there\u2019s going to be a loser. And it\u2019s okay,\u201d Chad Giffin said.<\/p>\n
Luke spends at least three hours a day practicing his skills. His next competition is in San Francisco in August for the world competition. He will meet with friends at 740 Hobby to continue testing his skills.<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s note: The video for this story will be added once it airs. Please check back for the updated video.<\/p>\n
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