How I Learned More About Business at Age 10 Playing Pokemon Than in Four Years of College
When I was 8-10-years-old, I was a bacon and donut eating machine, who also -- through hard work, sweat, and actual tears -- became my age group’s “World Pokémon Champion” for the Pokémon strategy card game.
This was a Very Big Deal for nerdy kids in the days when Pokémon was king. I was interviewed by gaming magazines, my winning deck was made into a Pokémon poster, I was written up in Wikipedia, and I won lots of cool swag (remember the gold Pokémon Game Boy?).
Although I didn’t win Pokémon college scholarships (I did that later, by playing the Magic the Gathering card game), my Pokémon Master status did earn me several free trips, including being flown to Hawaii to represent the United States in the international Tropical Mega Battle, where I had the privilege of meeting some of the game’s creators and anime artists.
“Yeah, so what?” you may ask. Hang with me. Because by playing Pokémon competitively, I learned far more than I learned in college about the realities of business.
The Pokémon game includes an opponent (a “competitor”), a deck (a “product or service”) that you can create and modify, a time limit (part of the “market”), and an infinite number of outcomes depending on the decisions you make.
Further, because new card sets were constantly being released, the cards you play with and against (the “environment”) are constantly changing.
It's the ultimate business war inside a deck of cards.
I developed my own processes for getting to the top. And although my 10-year-old self wasn’t sophisticated enough to realize these were methodologies with bigger-picture implications, I later realized how my passion and focus on becoming a Pokémon Master translated to how I approach my business ventures in adulthood.
To earn my #1 Pokémon status, I did this:
Practiced and became extremely focused at studying and learning each and every card and what it does, including the nuances of using it.
Practiced playing the cards in different combinations and observing the outcomes of those plays while competing against other top players. I also studied how my top competitors responded to certain play.
Constantly top-graded my opponents, because you don't get better with a crappy player across the table from you. I was lucky to have top players at home (my older brothers also were successful competitive players) but sometimes I would seek out top competitors and even travel to practice play with them. I didn’t have to do this, but sometimes you may need to pay another top player to practice with you (Mastery coach, anyone?)
Bulletproofed the wins by reducing the possibilities of losing. There are only so many variables that can occur, so I tried to develop a plan for each one.
Adjusted my deck after each game, depending on what worked and didn't work. Making any changes immediately usually worked best for me.
Gave myself grace to lose sometimes, because that is part of the process. And, then moved on to continue fine-tuning all of my moves and strategies.
Similarly, came to understood that sometimes it really is luck that causes a loss, and tried to nurture a temperament that let me stay focused on the goal even when “bad luck” happened. Of course, sometimes you get lucky, too (I admit to being considered the family member with the most “good luck”); it's part of the game. It’s easier when you recognize ahead of time what you can and cannot control.
Was backed by a family – my parents and 2 older brothers -- who supported my endeavors and encouraged me to succeed at a high level.
Celebrated the wins! My dad used to take us to Fuddruckers to get bacon-and-cheese-loaded fries.
Loved the game and accepted it for what it is. The key is simply getting better every day.
Whether in a card game or in an entrepreneurial venture, the success formula is essentially the same.
Practice, study, practice, observe outcomes, adjust, top-grade, develop plan for each scenario, make changes immediately, adjust, fine-tune, nurture temperament to stay focused when losing (emotional control), top grade, get support, celebrate wins, love the game, get better every day.
I believe that if you apply that Pokémon list to anything you do, you will likely rise to the top; I’d be surprised if you told me otherwise. In fact, I am using my Pokémon process, at a higher level of course, with the businesses I am creating now, and all of them are moving full-steam ahead.
In business, I change my formula when new situations, whether market, product, or even family, arise, so that my game plan is constantly evolving.
And, I know better than to ask the game creators to create a new game that works better for me. Instead, I use what I have to "game" the system as it stands, and improve my odds at success. So, far, that approach of the Pokémon Master has worked.