This article was originally meant to be about how to run a successful locals’ night and the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make that happen; however, a post I saw on Bluesky the other day changed that. The post wasn’t long, but it hit me hard.

“I cannot begin to describe how much playing Pokémon Cards has changed my life for the better.”

So today I am writing about locals and the importance of community. It’s not often I get the time to think about and talk sentimentally about my hobbies and passions, but writing this article is one of those times.

Pokémon has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I still recall the excitement I felt when I got my bright yellow Game Boy and Pokémon Red, my first pack of Pokémon cards, and the fun of battling over a link cable with my brother and friends. As I got older, I drifted in and out of the games; I didn’t touch the cards for many years, but suddenly one day the world came to a stop, and nearly all of us were stuck inside due to COVID.

COVID sent me down a YouTube rabbit hole, but one area jumped out to me—Pokémon cards. It started off with a harmless video called “Beginner’s Guide to Investing in Pokémon Cards!” by Omnipoke. Watching the video, I felt an itch to have physical Pokémon cards in my hands and play with them. I sweet-talked my wife, and we ended up with the V Battle Deck – Victini vs. Gardevoir. As we played more, I was hooked. I played online, and while watching more videos about the Pokémon TCG, I found that on the Pokémon website there were lists of locals. This is where I found Bath TCG. Now, at the time, we were stuck in a lockdown, but I emailed Ben, and he promised to let me know when there would be some in-person play. True to his word, as the lockdown restrictions were lifted, I was emailed.

The first time I turned up at league, I was a little bit daunted. There were 10 or so people playing Pokémon and some watching games. I had walked into a community of players, and I was an outsider. I won’t lie; I was worried that it would be difficult to integrate into the community, but that wasn’t the case. Ben welcomed me into the space and had a brief chat with me before he had to attend to a customer. I approached some of the other people in the play space and was welcomed warmly.

One of the players, Dom, went out of his way to welcome me and introduce everyone to me. Everyone, without exception, was friendly and welcoming. I played Pokémon until we were kicked out of the play space as it was late. Since then, I can honestly say the people of my local are some of the best friends I have had my whole life. I am privileged to say I have been to one friend’s wedding, and there is another one later this year. I have celebrated birthdays, had parties, helped others through tough times, and been helped through personal tough times.

I have seen players come and go from the space, but I have to say every single person that walks through the door of our local looking to play has the potential to be my new friend. Our locals have been built on community, for the player, by the player. Whenever a new player joins the space, the established members are welcoming, and as a community, we always try to help people get the cards they need.

This has also been my experience of other groups within the community. I have been to a lot of Pokémon events over the last 12 months, and I can honestly say that every store has its own community, and they are all welcoming and friendly. I am still biased and can honestly say that the TCG Group’s community is the best, but going to large events after playing Pokémon for a couple of years is amazing. You see all the people you have met on your journey throughout the year, you get to hang out with your friends, and play Pokémon.

So when I see posts about how much Pokémon has improved people’s lives, I can honestly say I am in the same boat. I have made friendships that will last a lifetime, and I have been privileged to help my community grow and to welcome new people to the scene.

I can’t wait to see what the next part of the journey holds, but I know one truth: the community around Pokémon is one of the most welcoming and friendly out there. So if you get a chance, hang out at your locals.

To find out where your locals are, head over to the event finder on the Pokemon.com website!