by Savera Bajwa
Kevin Nunez is a 25-year-old college student who likes to spend the first Sunday of the month at the Nintendo World Store in Rockefeller Center to satisfy his guilty pleasure of battling other players during Pokémon Trainer Sunday.
“At first I thought I was too old to be playing Pokémon and battling with others in public. But when I got there I realized that I wasn’t the oldest one,” said Nunez.
Located on 48th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues, the store hosts the monthly gathering of people of all ages who come to battle Pokémon trainers like themselves or members of the store’s staff on their hand-held video game devices, the Nintendo DS, the exclusive Pokémon play station.
The participants — ranging in age from 8 years old up to adults in their 50s — huddle together in one corner while parents of the younger players congregate in another. A third group, stragglers who are just there to enjoy the show, is usually invited by friends and is there to support them.
In Pokemon, the main character starts off as a young kid eager to become a trainer of creatures that hold special powers. He or she is able to go out into the world and capture Pokémon from their natural habitat. The character is able to train the creatures and see them evolve into a more powerful version. In order to do get their Pokemon to evolve, trainers must battle other trainers. While these battles happen virtually, the event draws people into the same room.
Pokemon Trainer Sunday starts at 11:30 AM and ends at 2:00 PM. The first floor is a lounge area with mini-stations set up for customers to test the devices displayed. At first glance it looks like an ordinary electronic store, but upstairs is different environment. There are around 60 people grouped together with their Nintendo DSes tapping vigorously on the tiny screens.
Aaron Mark has been attending the monthly event for the past two years. He said he comes with a group of friends and arrives early in order to get on a list to battle the staff. He enjoys battling the staff because it helps strengthen his Pokémon. Sometimes the Nintendo World store has an Advanced Trainer Sunday, Mark loves to attend those as well. The reason he likes to battle the staff is that winners receive a prize, which can be toys, stickers, and sometimes even actual games.
The Alvarez brothers are also big fans of the event. Keever Alvarez is 16 years old and he got his younger brother 13- year-old Yosrick to attend the event with him. The brothers both live in Tribeca and sometimes get their neighbor Kevin Nunez to go with them since he is also a fan of the game. The brothers have been fans of the game since they can remember.
“I remember when I was really little I wanted to be a Pokémon trainer, you know for fun, and I like going there because I still love the game and its all about strategy,” Keever Alvarez said. He likes to think back to when he wanted to be just like Ash Ketchum, an anime character from the Japanese Pokémon anime series, which became a popular TV show. For Keever Alvarez he found out about the show first and then the card game, then he got into the video game. His love for Pokémon just kept growing.
“Its something really different, I like playing games at home but its always fun to to battle others and when you go to such a big place is even more fun,” said Yosrick Alvarez.
There is something refreshing about being able to visit your childhood. For most of the attendees they are doing just that. Nunez is a little embarrassed that he enjoys the event, but when he sees others like him, older people he feels there is nothing to be ashamed of.
“I always thought I was good, you know I would win against my brother and friends, but when you come here and see all these fans your nothing but an amateur. I don’t really come to play, I just really like to watch,” he said.
Raymond Mitchell, 11, of Brooklyn, has been attending the even for the past year. He is never able to beat his opponent. After a few minutes of play, Mitchell yells, “I won I finally won.”