Experience: I’m a world champion Pokémon player
I started playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) around 10 years ago, when I was seven. My older brother, Marco, had already been playing with my dad for years. At first, the three of us just played at home. For me, Pokémon TCG is a family activity – it keeps us close. I think that’s important, especially nowadays when everyone is on their phone.
I’m from Iquique, a city in the north of Chile. We have a strong Pokémon community here, and several local shops host tournaments. The game is two-player, and involves each person preparing a deck of 60 cards – each card represents one Pokémon, with different abilities and powers. You then battle your opponent with your cards; whoever has the more powerful combination of cards is the winner.
Across Chile, Japanese culture has become ingrained in our own – anime, Pokémon and manga are very popular here. There were a lot of Japanese shows on TV when I was growing up. I watched Naruto, Dragon Ball and, of course, Pokémon.
