Is there a point where gatekeeping is a net positive to the hobby?
- Yes, some gatekeeping is beneficial
- No, Pokemon should not be gatekept
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voters
4 Likes
Depends on how we define gatekeeping, I do think that all these “private” sales of gold stars or high-end cards going for ridiculous prices is absolutely stupid. Anyone who uses gatekeeping as an artificial way to pump the market isn’t someone u want to be around in the hobby or interact with.
4 Likes
Every day I have to remind myself that I am not unique or special. I have to accept it and enjoy this hobby and the people I hold dear in it. I feel thinking about the noise just causes uncesessary trouble and suffering.
Bandwagons come and go. I was a fan long before them, and I am pretty sure I will be a fan long after they are gone. Either way I always feel it will be for the good. I enjoy Pokemon and the people in it. So I might as well share the love and not gatekeep.
Cheers!
24 Likes
i didn’t vote!! i would imagine if you knew with absolute certainty that someone’s intentions were bad, then maybe. but idk how you could know that. for me this truly is just a hobby and it ultimately doesn’t affect me, i imagine the calculus changes alot when it’s your livelihood
3 Likes
Knowledge in this hobby is more attainable than its ever been. If someone is passionate enough or demonstrates genuine interest, they will find help on here.
It’s when someone doesn’t demonstrate genuine interest and is here for the wrong reasons..
12 Likes
People who lie, cheat, or steal should be gatekept from Pokémon, the hobby, and interacting on online fourums
17 Likes
Everything in moderation. I also agree it doesn’t need to be that complicated. Keep those who act in bad faith away but no need to make people feel unwelcome either, even if they’re new to collecting.
5 Likes
There’s a difference between “gatekeeping” a space vs “gatekeeping” the entire hobby. There are spaces online or offline that are better if not everyone gets into them. This happens all the time and it’s not really something that can be stopped. In contrast, to gatekeep the whole hobby is not really a thing anyone can do. You can’t stop someone from buying cards. Most people will probably agree with this but because the question is left vague the answers will be up to interpretation about what we are actually talking about here.
23 Likes
This is a super broad question, one for which a binary poll isn’t going to fully capture all of the nuance. But, ideally that will lead to good discussion 
Is it gatekeeping to not share information on an autograph event broadly?
Is it gatekeeping to not share a source you have for NM singles?
Is it gatekeeping to ignore questions from new people because they were too late? Sucks for them?
5 Likes
Pokemon and perhaps life in general is so cyclical. This same conversation happened in 2020. The problem then and now, regardless of your perspective, you can’t control things out of your control. I don’t know how you would even gatekeep someone, outside of removing people from a platform who are banned from auction houses, grading companies, etc. Even then, pokemon collectors are so fickle they will follow these people, especially if they have a card they want.
This is why the oldest veterans understand its just a futile fantasy. Its also a slippery slope, and invites bitterness. Even here on E4, there are overly cynical takes that add no value to the commentor or reader. Its crazy how booms really boom prices and emotions.
29 Likes
What are we defining as gatekeeping? Is it gate keeping individual people or is access to to the hobby and product in general?
Are the current prices of product and cards being included as gatekeeping?
Are the manipulation of card prices to drive prices up considered gatekeeping?
2 Likes
- Free enterprise
- Obligatory enterprise
- …no free lunch
2 Likes
I feel that gatekeeping is often conflated with policing. Some policing is necessary, as it sets an expectation and basis for decorum. Gatekeeping is not an attempt to establish behavioral norms, but instead, an attempt to maintain exclusivity within a group.
There are also natural forms of gatekeeping like cost and language, and in our case, I’ll include age because that is part of the behavioral standards… however, we’re not always strict with that. 
And shouldn’t be… it’s the internet. It should be like being in public, IMO. (But it’s not…)
Aaaanyway, gatekeeping on the whole hobby? Certainly not. Within communities like this? Also, no.
2 Likes
Is it gatekeeping to not share information on an autograph event broadly?
YES, only if it’s a public event.
" " " not share a source you have for NM singles?
No. This source is a personal relationship you’ve established or discovered and as such, it should never have been expected to be shared.
“”" ignore questions from new people because they were too late? Sucks for them?
No. This is a personal choice, and newcommers Especially in alarge community cannot expect anyone to go back for them.
Naturally, in most communities, there is a combination of hand holding and survival of the fittest, but the smaller that community is, the more 1-on-1 time and immediate access newcommers can have.
3 Likes
I wonder if some people get confused by what Gatekeeping is.
Money is one thing, a culture, lore, and fandom is quite another. There can be some overlap, but I do think there is some crossing of the wires for some. I will try to make a more thoughtful response later. But I wonder if that clarification would change how people voted.
So uh, cheers. Go post in a fun thread now!
3 Likes
I think there can be both toxic, unhealthy, elitist gatekeeping and helpful, beneficial, and positive gatekeeping. Some examples of each:
Toxic gatekeeping:
- Ridiculing or demeaning new hobby members because of a lack of knowledge
- Insisting there is a “right” way to collect or that someone is doing Pokemon “wrong”
- Engaging in excessively moralizing arguments about who can buy cards and how to buy them
Positive gatekeeping:
- Having and enforcing separate spaces for separate styles and types of conversation (e.g. Reddit vs Twitter vs E4)
- Ensuring community-wide standards of respect, including acceptable practices and unacceptable practices
- Educating people and telling the truth, even if that truth may be difficult to accept
26 Likes
how did you know what mr bubbles would say???
If you have the secrets of time travel please share if they reprinted Destined rivals
3 Likes
Nah. Let people be people. Gatekeeping is like forbidding bad behaviour. It can deter some, but at the same time it creates a dark community that you have no sight on.
Try to influence people by giving the right example, instead of banning them. Obviously if someone really crosses a line then something needs to be done, but people react better to giving them a mirror than punishment.
2 Likes
Are you telling me you don´t know how to travel through time? Just focus your mind and go.
2 Likes
If we’re talking about gatekeeping people out of the hobby BECAUSE theyre ruining the hobby then yes. Otherwise, no. In the end though no one can actually do it, so its pointless to try.
3 Likes