Thousands of children around Australia play the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and Cessnock is home to two of the best.
Jayson Campkin of Nulkaba and Stuart Madafiglio of Cessnock will travel to San Diego, California next month to contest the 2009 Pokémon TCG World Championships after coming first and second in their respective divisions at the national championships in Hobart.
The World Championships will be held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront on August 14 and 15.
Such a phenomenon is the game that the Pokémon company is able to fund the airfares and accommodation for the winners of each age division to the world championships, and for competitors that are under 18 (which most of them are), a parent or caregiver’s travel expenses are also covered.
Jayson, 11, took out the national junior (11-and-under) division to qualify for his fifth world championships in a row.
His father James will also compete at the tournament in the masters division (16 years and over), as one of the top eight players in the Asia-Pacific region.
Stuart, 13, came second in the senior division (12-15 years) and was invited to attend the world championships.
The winners of each age division are automatically eligible for the World Championships, while other players can receive invitations based on their performance at the Nationals or last year’s worlds, their premier rating, or through the Last Chance Qualifier meet.
Prior to the Nationals the boys played in the NSW titles, with Jayson and James winning their divisions, Stuart coming second and another local boy, Rémy Coupe, coming fourth in the seniors.
The boys are members of the local Pokémon League that is currently based at the Campkin house after moving around a number of local venues.
The group is led by James, who also competed at the world titles with his son in 2005 and was a judge at last year’s meet.
Player numbers peaked at about 30 a couple of years ago, and James said many of the children involved showed improved results at school after joining the group.
“The game teaches them some hard words, and there’s a lot of maths and strategy involved,” he said.
Stuart’s mum, Fiona, agrees.
“Every kid at Nulkaba that was in the Pokémon League a couple of years was up on stage getting an award at the end-of-year presentation,” she said.
And the educational benefits don’t stop there – prizes on offer at the national and world championships include scholarships to be put towards the winner’s schooling.
Scholarships of up to $US7500 are up for grabs at the worlds, and the top four in each age division will receive a trip back to the US to attend the 2010 World Championships.
Prizes are awarded to the top 32 in each division, including booster packs from the next upcoming Pokémon TCG expansion and a customised Pokémon Nintendo DSi.
Jayson’s previous best finish at the worlds was 33rd, in his first year aged just seven, and he is hoping to go one better this year.
“I’m getting my DS this year,” he said.
What is the Pokémon Trading Card Game?
- The Pokémon TCG centres on characters from the Pokémon TV show, movies, and Game Boy games, which were first seen in Japan in 1996
- The trading card game, first released in 1998, involves players building decks around their favorite Pokémon and then play against each other, sending their Pokémon into “battle”
- Each opponent needs a 60-card deck, which is compiled by buying and trading Pokémon cards, and every card affects each other differently
- The Pokémon Company International releases four sets or "expansions" a year, so the game continues to evolve and expand for both players and collectors.
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