I’ve lived through all of Pokémon ’s 30 years , so I’ve watched as the ‘90s Pokémania descended into the modern-day scalper culture that has soured millions of people on the hobby and put those who remain in a constant state of vigilance. Maybe because I was so young when Pokémon was first starting out, I still have a lot of joy and whimsy attached to the series, but it’s been pretty tragic to watch the light leave the eyes of our collective consciousness when we see the little yellow guy because scalpers have turned the whole thing into a get-rich-quick scheme. There’s something darkly funny about hearing that PokéBeach was talking to a kid at a recent card show and the boy told them that he didn’t actually know much about Pokémon , but he’d begun flipping cards after seeing influencers talking about how it was a good investment right now. My inner child weeps for this kid who is grinding and hustling instead of grinding to win his eight badges.…