Why Do People Still Buy Pokémon Cards and Other Collectibles?
The psychology behind the cards
Recently, there has been a surge in Pokémon card collecting, as well as waves of nostalgia. I know it feels like I'm late to discuss the trend, but I really wrote about it months ago, just not very effective. So here I am, attempting to reformulate those ideas.
If like me, you grew up playing with cards, collecting them, having Pokémon on your Gameboy, and reading every magazine you could get your hands on, you've definitely been paying attention to what's been going on in the last year.
Pokémon card sales and prices have skyrocketed this year, with some cards reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars.
On Thursday, Heritage Auctions sold a sealed box of Pokémon booster packs for a record $360,000, only two months after selling an identical collection for $198,000.
According to eBay, sales of Pokemon cards on its platform have grown by 60% in a matter of months.
YouTube stars, celebrities, and investors have all spent large sums of money on cards, fuelling the hype and boosting their value.
This has led others to buy cards in the hopes of profiting from them. Isn't it crazy? Even before the GME-type buzz on r/wallstreetbets, there was somewhat of a GME-type hype.
NOSTALGIA is one of the emotions at the base of collecting them
Nostalgia has long been considered a physical ailment as well as a mental illness.
Rather, I argue that nostalgia is primarily a pleasant, self-relevant, and social emotion that fulfils essential psychological functions.
Nostalgic stories are more good than negative in nature, feature the protagonist as the self, and are socially rooted.
Are Pokémon Cards helping people deal with existential crises? No, not at all. So, what motivates people to collect?
Is it a monetary or emotional decision to acquire Pokémon cards in 2021? The reality, on the other hand, may be somewhere in the centre.
In general, collecting can assist us in reconnecting with our inner child, allowing this "figure" to live on through us in the present. And I suppose it has a hint of nostalgia's poetic hope.
There's nothing to be embarrassed about.
Furthermore, having their hard effort recognised may provide some people joy and satisfaction. Isn't it wonderful to have finished the collection? Some people, on the other hand, may wish to collect for the exact opposite reason: they can start on a journey by collecting Pokémon and pokeballs, akin to Ash and Pikachu's experiences.
It might be a fascinating experience that never stops, and (for better or worse) it can provide meaning to a life that would otherwise be pointless.
Financial (e.g., selling your house to buy a hologram Charizard) or psychological/physical effects are possible (e.g., if you sell your house to acquire a holographic Charizard).
But, maybe it's the 13-year-old millennial in me from 2005, but a room full of decent Pokémon cards doesn't bother me.
I just checked Top 100 (pokemonprices.com), and an Umbreon shiny rare holo is now going for a minimum of $6077.49. I mean, it's a really good-looking card, but are we going insane?
It's all good and right.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to supply and demand, which is how the world works. However, in my perspective, this Poke-business makes the GME to the moon look to be the most rational thing in the world.
Some card prices will undoubtedly decline in the future, but not to the point where the market as a whole would collapse.
Pokémon has become one of those trends that never go out of style.
Some further readings:
From the year 2000: Pokemon Craze Challenges Docs | Psychology Today Australia
Some more modern pieces: The Psychology of How Pokémon Go Gets Inside Your Brain | WIRED
The UX Psychology of Pokemon GO | by Anna Wikström | UX Collective (uxdesign.cc)
Brain scans reveal a ‘pokémon region’ in adults who played as kids — The Verge
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