Gamers Haven will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon Trading Card Game on Friday with a five-hour, screen-free “Learn-to-Play” event designed to introduce new players and reconnect longtime fans with the tabletop classic.
The event runs from 3 to 8 p.m. at the St. Thomas store, where owner Daniel Perez and the Gamers Haven team are inviting the community to focus on cards and strategy rather than video game competition.
According to Perez, marking three decades of Pokémon with a face-to-face card game event was an intentional choice. “Thirty years is huge! That’s three decades of memories, friendships, and battles. For us, the best way to celebrate that legacy wasn’t behind a screen, it was across a table. The heart of the Pokémon trading card game is that person-to-person connection, and we wanted to bring people face-to-face and remind everyone that Pokémon started as a shared experience. This event is about learning and having fun, not high scores.”
The event is designed to be unintimidating for anyone who has never touched a Pokémon card before. “This event is going to be one big birthday party for Pokémon. We want to create a fun, upbeat atmosphere where anyone, on any level, can have a good time. Whether someone is an experienced player or starting out for the first time, we want them to have a place to come and party with us and meet new people with similar interests. This is not a tournament,” Perez said.
To facilitate this event, Gamers Haven will have dedicated learn-to-play stations, starter decks ready to go, and friendly mentors walking new players through their first turns. Perez emphasized the unique value of bringing people together for a hands-on, face-to-face card game in an era where so much entertainment is digital. “While our world is centered around technology, and we have so much to benefit from it, there is so much value in being able to find something you love that takes us away from our screens,” says Perez.
The event is structured to cater to the multigenerational range of the Pokémon fandom, from kids just discovering it to adults who grew up with it. The five-hour window is intended to allow anyone to stop by, whether they have hours to spend or just half an hour. The plan is to kick off the event with a welcome and ‘Happy Birthday’ celebration for Pokémon, followed by quick how-to breakdowns and hands-on play.
Throughout the event, there will be rolling learn-to-play sessions, open matches, and casual battles with opportunities to trade and meet new people. Ultimately, the team at Gamers Haven hopes the event serves as a launchpad for a regular community game night.
While the store already hosts a community game night every Sunday, the plan is to extend this to weekly events centered around Pokémon. “We currently have a community game night every Sunday, but we plan to extend this to weekly events centered around Pokémon. While we always have our doors open during store hours to provide a space for anyone to sit down and play Pokémon, Settlers of Catan, Root, Azul, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh, Dragon Ball Z, or any other trading card game and or board game. We plan to create a space for families, friends, and anyone who may be interested to come on by and make memories with us,” Perez said.
