For Pokemon fans that don't know how to play the collectible card game, you'll soon be able to learn by playing on your phone for free. I got to spend time playing an early preview of Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket,

Pokémon TCG Pocket has the workings of a slick virtual trading card game

Uh oh, it looks like The Pokemon Company has cracked the formula to make digital Pokemon TCG as moreish as its erstwhile CCG rivals.

I have a near-mint first edition Charizard card from the original run of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. I traded for it, about 20 years ago, back when Pokémon was new and I was young and nobody’d even considered that grown adults with too much money would livestream themselves opening booster packs for a game designed to be played by children to make money.

The digital Pokémon Trading Card Game needs a fair pricing model to avoid exploiting fans' nostalgia. The game offers two free booster packs daily but may heavily rely on microtransactions for progression. A deep understanding of psychological manipulation could lead to excessive in-game spending on virtual card packs.

Game Rant attended a hands-on preview event for Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, and we have some general impressions.