Most of what I feel about this video and the overall state of the hobby has already been presented quite thoughtfully and more eloquently than I could deliver it, but I’d like to just chime in and offer that this hobby and overarching IP is so popular the world over that we’re just seeing what happens with any hobby that has run at full steam and been put under the microscope in the media for consecutive years. There are going to be people that burn out just as quickly as they came into the hobby. I know a good grip of folks that got in in 2020 the same way people came in in 2016 through PoGo. Their friends talked about it, it was in the news, it was all around. Lots of people jump on the train, and most will jump off. One could argue that those of us that got into Pokémon in the original boom jumped in for the same reasons, but we just stuck around. I’m all for more people being into something than not, and part of a thing growing is that there is an ever growing pool of perspectives and experiences.
All I know is that I’ve liked this stuff for decades, I still like this stuff, I’ll probably continue to like this stuff, and if someday I stop, well then that’s alright too.
Been collecting for 26 years with only very minor breaks and still having a blast. Still have plenty of collection goals & grails to chase. Go at your own pace and f the haters
I think whats interesting too is the relationship between increasing prices and increasing focus on stonks/ flipping. Prices rising across the board has heightened the financial barrier to entry. I initially got really into the idea of flipping as a means to make more money because I otherwise couldnt afford to buy the cards I really wanted. This isnt a new line of logic, but I think it is more pervasive than ever today as a direct result of rising prices. Even building binders for modern these days is something that could require the average person to have some sort of additional cash flow to offset cost. I also think there is a looming fear of further growth pricing people out entirely. So, there can be this feeling of time running out on massive sections of the hobby.
I dont know if people realize how insurmountable the barrier to entry feels starting from nothing in this hobby post 2020. It is literally not possible to build a collection today the way you could 5 years ago. This ultimately comes down to accepting and adapting, but I think its important to consider that perspective.
This just really struck a chord with me and helped me articulate some feelings I’d been ruminating on !
Honestly i’m still having fun cause i have a clear collection goal which isn’t tied to a card’s value.
I think most people just struggle to adapt to the ‘old’ norms of a Pokémon market where everything within reach compared to what happened at the latter end of SWSH and won’t accept to adapt if the value isn’t there nor serve to find a better “hunt” for themselves outside of the intent maximizing value.
The SV era has been the best block so far but i think a lot of the loud people hate on it cause its can not be flipped or can not be scalped like Evolving Skies. Yet as time moves on i’m sure the same people will magically love it again with what Jluv shown with the cosmic eclipse example. The only set so far from SV that hasn’t been hammered into the ground by the investors/scalpers was 151 but that’s cause they could still flip it at the premium to the right buyer.
Do these people not realize that there are other things to collect in Pokemon outside of modern?
I’ve been back into seriously collecting Pokemon cards for the past 4 years now. I haven’t touched modern or been burnt out for even a second. Modern is great to the extent that it gets kids into the hobby. But it was never meant for adults in the first place.
That’s not to say that adults can’t enjoy/collect modern, but obviously any adult is going to get burnt out collecting something that has no nostalgia or actual collectability associated with it.
This pretty much sums it up to me. If what you used to like about a hobby is gone, find a new perspective or stop engaging so you can put your energy and passion somewhere you actually enjoy.
JLUV did a good job with his video, but as @pfm has stated, the narrative feels like it’s geared towards a particular slice of the hobby.
I think the video is actually very good with a lot of good content, editing, narrative, etc. He laid the points from a very logical point of view, my issue is the title which is obviously click baity.
I understand that collecting has become harder for both new and older collectors in recent years, but I feel there is more to it than prices are “higher” or “being burnt out from modern”. From my personal experience, collecting is still enjoyable but the collecting community isn’t what it used to be (especially with social media).
When I went to help out at Pittsburgh regionals, I only interacted with people that played the game. I talked to zero collectors while volunteering. Talking to new and experienced TCG players was so much more enjoyable than talking to collectors in recent years. When talking to TCG players, we just discuss what is currently happening within the meta and how just our experience with Pokémon in general. I even started to play an impromptu game with one of the judges.
When in Toronto, I had an even better time. All the staff I was working with had their sons playing in the tournament and they would just talk about how their kids would prepare. I enjoyed listening to people tell stories about their past tournaments and the other things in Pokémon they enjoy. Some collect and you can tell that they genuinely love it. Even though I waste so much money on travel, the experiences and interactions are well worth it.
When interacting with collectors or “long term investors” in person, I noticed most are just flexing and making it a competition between others. I never mind people flexing, but I notice some will just be arrogant when talking to others and feel they are better.
There are GREAT people that collect that I’ve interacted with as well (most from E4), so I’m very grateful for those interactions. I still love collecting and won’t stop anytime soon but I never thought there would be a day when I would shifting to the playing side of the TCG, but I’m glad it happened (I’m even a TCG judge now).
I think this perspective is helpful to have. As someone who connects modern and vintage, there are benefits to both. Modern is very accessible and allows me to feel like I can knock off a lot of cards at once for a given collectible. That said, it gets exhausting dealing with the ups and downs and people always looking for the next thing to pump. I’ve also felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of cards - while I love the art rares it can be nice to take a step back when I need to. Vintage, as you said is nostalgic and not only that it just feels more authentic and rooted in a better sense of Identity most of the time for me. I think anyone who has trouble staying connected with the hobby can benefit from re-centering themselves to a point where they don’t feel like they have to do certain things in collecting to have fun. Public perception can be a big detriment sometimes.
i watched the video bc i like J’s personality, but the video wasn’t for people like me who aren’t swayed by influencer’s opinions. for me, this has been the best year of pokemon since coming back in late 2020. every set has over a dozen special arts. sure there are some duds like RotBF/OBF, but then you get sets like AR/FF (Paradox Rift) for me or 151 for many of yall. This year has been insanely good. I feel sorry for those who aren’t getting their itch scratched with what they’re putting out right now.
Gave the vid a watch and think I largely agree with what @pfm said above. What he discusses is valid for those who are really only in it for the hunt, but that’s definitely not the whole picture.
Personally for me SV has been fantastic. The new Pokémon, the fantastic art, the return of ex, the cheaper prices and so on. All of it comes together beautifully in my opinion and that’s why I have always been baffled hearing people say SV has been boring and swsh was leaps and bounds better. It genuinely sounded alien to me. I even thought about making a thread about it because I really thought I was taking crazy pills. After this video though I think I have come to understand where it comes from.
I didn’t understand it because not being in it for the passion and artwork or just for the money was foreign to me but I now I get that the hunt can really be a factor. It’s not that I never understood the hunt, I opened packs myself for a large part of my life and still believe I am on it when buying old vintage singles, but I never realized people could be in it only for the hunt alone. Which I don’t even think is innately bad, here though I think it is put as a competitive be better/have more than others/money or bust perspective which does leave a sour taste in my mouth. At the end of the day it’s peoples choices for how they interact with something I suppose.
I think Pokémon will be fine and will continue as such, but can see why some people would be disillusioned now however, that is just one part of this whole thing. I have been in this community for years and just now realized the hunt alone side so there is plenty more happening than this video displays!
I don’t agree with his sentiment that vintage is unrealistic to collect, and I’m guessing his point of that was that it forces collectors to turn to modern if they want to participate in collecting. Is collecting sealed vintage to OPEN difficult to get into? Yes, that can be an unrealistic avenue for those getting into the hobby without spending major money. If we’re talking individual set cards though, every vintage card is easily obtainable if you put the right amount of patience into it.
Really the entire video is about how gambling on opening product has become frustrating. Which I mean, hasn’t it always been? I don’t really understand the point of this video and it’s definitely sensationalized. If you buy singles I don’t see how the hobby has become frustrating at all. In fact, being in the hobby as a singles collector is probably utopia for modern at the moment.
Agree that it was a weird thing to say regarding vintage. He was just showing graded cards during those portions so maybe he meant entering the graded market? Or like what you said buying vintage to crack which definitely wouldn’t be sustainable lol.
You’ll find they continue being fun when setting goals - your own personal chases, not just “i want this card from this set”, imo.
Look at species collectors - always excited and eager for new additions.
I’m currently working on a few binders with nice goals to keep me focused, spending in the right place and giving me joy with every slot filled.
Just my 2c
I listened to the video and without reading any above comments here is my opinion.
This video is solely stating, at this exact moment, there is no hype driven content that is recruiting people into the hobby.
Well it also states random opinions of modern product, but that is kinda irrelevant.
That is it.
Which honestly, is not a bad thing. Sure, the world isn’t in a panic to buy as many products as humanly possible, but that is so refreshing. We need a break from the hype driven hell were still recovering from.
It was nice to get a huge influx of real collectors. Hopefully, until the next hyped up moment, prices will correct and show the slow growth we yearn for.
I support difficult pull rates, because it would be fun and challenging to pull the chase card you want. Then when you finally got it, the satisfaction would be great!
It’s like climbing a mountain. If it’s an easy climb, there’s no challenge and satisfaction anymore.
