Just like to point out something. So Pokemon cards are nothing more than fanicly drawn and in some cases holographically done pieces of cardboard that we as players/collectors and sellers assign value too. Well, so is money. Money is nothing more than a representation (to use a grocery store term here, paper or plastic?... plus digital if you wanna be technical these days) that society and our government has assigned 'value' too. Take this form of currency to the reniassance period and it's colored paper and weird small rectangles to them.
Anyone here collect other CCGS? I know one person has said they play Yugioh here, I have dabbled in it as well enough to know how it costs way more than Pokemon. In my time I have played/collected First Edtion Star Trek CCG from Decipher (dead game) Sailor Moon CCG from I think Dartz (have the full sets, is also a dead game) and Buffy CCG from Score (have the full sets, also a dead game) but the money put into it (and technically lost) doesn't matter when I can recall the time I spent playing these games with friends and any other cool memories, like finding an ultra rare holographic in my first Buffy starter deck. By the way, any ultra rare in Buffy is worth way more than any Pokemon card (at least by Ebay standards) and as mention earlier that is considered a dead game.
How about video games? WOW (World of Warcraft) is a big waste of time and money to me, but hey that's my opinion and millions of others disagree. Grand Theft Auto games anyone? Won't be me, see my above statement. How about Final Fantasy? Okay, that I'll buy into but I know others don't. How about Dead Space? Again, I'll buy into that but not everyone will. What matters is that it's worth it to the people who play them.
Any hobby is costly, especially added up. I know someone who spends almost as much money on astronomy as I do on Pokemon (particularly in the long run) and they go out stargazing maybe once a week weather permitting. Does it seem wasteful, yes. If it's worth it to him then that is all that counts.
Can't really blame advertising either. First off, these days half the peole skip the commercials or just ignore them. We've seen plenty of commercials for Warcraft (the one with Mr. T and his mohawk gernade spring to mind) and I couldn't care less. I even ignored the Dead Space 2 commercial because I already had my mind made up and my copy reserved before the commercial aired (fyi, I have Black and White fully reserved and I hadn't even seen a commercial for it). Advertising is a way to show off products and try to encourage viewers to buy them but when it comes down to it that power is still with the viewers.
How about something more harmful than mere entertainment. Anyone smokers, because that's just even more costly than Pokemon (my parents being life long smokers at least in so far as my memory goes) and way more harmful than Pokemon. These days for two cartons of cigarettes that cause lung cancer and stuff that is usually the equivalent of an unopened box of cards that is far less harmful. Drugs? More costly and more harmful. Alcholol? More costly and more harmful. Gambling? More costly and if taken too far more harmful.
Say one gives up Pokemon (or anything else, insert Yugioh, video games, what have you if you'd like) and you have that 'extra' money. What do you do with it? Me I got nothing else I could really name to do with it. As long as one is able to meet ones other financial responsibilties (ie insurance, rent, cost of living, etc.) then does it really matter?
Bottom line, to both the OP and anyone else, if you don't think the cost to enjoyment factor is worth whatever you are/were doing then give it up, that is your call. To the rest of us who will continue to collect/play/trade or whatever in any respective hobbies, then keep reaching for the stars.
Oh and OP, your poll should have had a fourth option in it: Yes I know all of this and I don't care.
