Bexleyheath Friday Night Gaming

There is a disappointing lack of regular VGC events happening in the London area. Even just weekly ones where I can meet like-minded people and have some fun battles, let alone full-on tournaments. Between September and the end of 2015 (at the time of writing) there are just two events, and one of those doesn't even issue CP. The other is a Regional, which isn't bad I suppose.

To accommodate for my regular pokémon urges, and get myself into the rhythm of battling people face to face, I decided to join the nearest VGC group I could find. This is in Bexley, south east London, and the complete opposite side of where I live and work.

Getting down there is a mission, usually taking 1.5 hours and a couple of trains. Thankfully, the community there is incredibly welcoming and I felt right at home immediately. They host a variety of different games such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Vanguard and Pokémon TCGs, as well as the Pokémon VGC. Unfortunately, the VGC is the smallest group there, usually bringing in no more than 8 members a time, most of whom play more for fun and not competitively.

To clarify, I totally understand why people would go to this group for fun over competitive play. I am one of the oldest people there, and I think back to me at their age and I was all about the fun aspect. I think there are two people who are properly competitive, one I've become good friends with and we test each others' teams regularly. Feel free to check out his YouTube channel.

The reason I go to this club is just to have fun with pokémon in real life, and the vibe is completely different to tournaments. In tournaments I get very tense and just think about winning. Don't get me wrong, I'll chat and have a laugh with my opponent, but I can't relax. At these weekly events, with nothing on the line, I can have totally crazy battles and just have fun, regardless of the end result.

It's also great to see new generations of players come through, some of whom are young enough where I can say I've been playing the game since before they were born! The social aspect is great, as it's probably the one thing I've lacked when I've played since the original days of generation one. It's awesome to properly interact with other players, talk about the game we all love, have a couple of trades and some fun matches.

This group gives me the opportunity to use my competitive pokémon for fun and offers a really relaxing change to the pace of tournaments. For those living in the Kent, London and perhaps Sussex areas, I recommend looking into it. We can always do with a few more faces and continue pushing the VGC community forward.