Jones, M. (1999, November, 15). Is pokémon evil? Newsweek, pp. 72-73.

OVERVIEW

The title of the article speaks volumes: "Is Pokémon Evil?" Would such a question make it to the headlines if someone wasn’t seriously thinking it? This Newsweek piece highlights how much the Pokémon phenomenon has grown on the eve of the opening of "Pokémon: The First Movie."

As of early November 1999, the craze had not yet died, and while there have been many similar toy infatuations, this one is one of the biggest.

‘In the history of the toy industry, there has never been a hit so global, so multimedia, so rapid, so long-lasting as Pokémon,’ says toy-industry analyst Sean McGowan, adding that neither he nor anyone else clearly understands why.

In the United States, Pokémon began as a television show and a 3-part Nintendo video game. The TV show is now the highest rated children’s show, and over 7 million videogames have been sold. Wizards of the Coast have sold over 2 million $10 starter collector card sets. Total retail for the games, TV show, toys and cards has reached $1 billion in the U.S. and $7 billion worldwide.

With all options for consumers, the cards are the most accessed and debated. Some kids actually play the game that puts Pokémon against Pokémon in a battle of strength and ability but all of them—some 5 million in total—are involved in trading and collecting of the cards in some way. The cards not only create the greatest amount of action for the kids, with some cards fetching between $100 and $400 on the "Pokémon black market," they also have created the most amount of angst for parents and educators.

Schools across America are banning the cards from campuses because of the bad influence they’ve had on kids. Kids are fighting and stealing over the cards and, once recess ends, classes can’t start until the disputes have been settled. For some, having or not having the hard-to-find trading cards is creating a Pokémon caste system on the playground.

Parents, on the other hand, aren’t as certain of the evils of the trading cards. For every parent who considers the trading cards addictive, there’s one who praises the extra reading and analytical thinking involved in playing the cards.

Aside from interpersonal issues, there are also intrapersonal dilemmas. Families are bonding over trading sessions—whether they are fair or not—and collecting as they work as teams to create the best super-set.

The article concludes by saying that many think Pokémon is losing ground. Their final judgment is based on a sound argument: if parents are beginning to know about it, their kids will move onto something else.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. What toy crazes of the past does this resemble? Which is biggest in your opinion?
2. Have you seen the good side of Pokémon? Have you seen its bad side?
3. What would you recommend to parents with children of the Pokémon trading card age?
4. How do you handle Pokémon card trading in your youth group?

IMPLICATIONS

1. Adolescents wield a vast amount of consumptive power; it is important to stay informed about the ways they spend their money.
2. Even a seemingly harmless activity can have an ugly side.

Lee Fletcher cCYS