Pokemon Video Game Championships in Phoenix to Give Local Players Chance to Compete for Glory and Prizes

All those long hours on the Nintendo DS will pay off for the "trainer" who wins the regional Pokemon video game competition this Saturday in Phoenix. We confess we've never played the Pokemon game, though we're not too bad at Call of Duty 4. Like the television cartoon, Pokemon seems to be all about...

By Ray Stern

May 21, 2009

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All those long hours on the Nintendo DS will pay off for the "trainer" who wins the regional Pokemon video game competition this Saturday in Phoenix.

We confess we've never played the Pokemon game, though we're not too bad at Call of Duty 4. Like the television cartoon, Pokemon seems to be all about honor, glory and kicking the other guy's butt. Game players are known as trainers, like the folks in the cartoon who sponsor each alien fighter.

If you're a Shaolin master at this game, you can register for the competition taking place this Saturday at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Click here for more details).

Wanna-be contenders need to bring their copy of Pokemon Platinum.

Unfortunately, only 128 randomly selected players will actually be able to compete on Saturday. But the winner will go on to play in the June 27 and 28 national championship on June 27. From there, the top gamer will play against international rivals in the world championship on August 14 in San Diego.

The very best two players will win trips for four to Tokyo, New York or Hawaii.

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Ray Stern is the former news editor of Phoenix New Times. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Arizona for more than two decades. He's won numerous awards for his reporting, including the Arizona Press Club's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Journalism.