Pokemon for life: live streamer turns passion into business

A live streamer turned his childhood dream into a career by streaming for as long as 10 hours a day and selling Pokemon cards.

Jovi Siew, 35, is a full-time TikTok Shop streamer and co-founder of Majin Studios TCG who turned his love for Pokémon into a business recently, selling a pack of 10 cards for $6 to $7.

Speaking to TNP,  Siew said his interest began in secondary school when he and his friends collected the trading cards.

“We didn't play the game until much later when we had the financial ability to buy more cards,” said Siew, who goes by the username @majin.mojito.

The Pokémon Trading Card Game is a strategy-based card game that involves two players who use their "Pokémon" to battle each other.

“Lately, it has become more convenient for people to play online. So, the physical cards became a type of collectable that we collected for fun.”

Many of the cards in Siew’s collection are rare items and among those with the highest value.

One of his cards, Giratina, which is an alternate art card, costs up to $500.

“We don't play with high value cards; you might damage them and their values will drop” Siew said.

“There are ‘lesser’ variants of these cards that you use for normal gameplay. (They have the) same name and abilities but different artwork.”

Trading card games, or collectible card games, have seen a resurgence recently, most notably during the pandemic. But the trend has also been boosted thanks to numerous digital platforms.  

Describing the game as “complex”, Siew urges newbies to download the Pokémon Trading Card Game Live app on Google Play or App Store for guidance on the whole process.

Siew goes live from around 4pm to 6am, and his daily average number of viewers is approximately 1,500.

“People that stay for a long time are slowly becoming part of our community... Sometimes we chat about anything under the sun, because it's also a place where people come after work to destress.

"Maybe, today, you had a very difficult or tiring day. So, you come in and rant about all your things. I’ll be the listening ear.”

There were, of course, challenges when he first started.

Being a new live streamer and selling items on TikTok Shop, it was tough getting users' attention.

“People (on TikTok) are always sceptical if you're new. There has been progression since then; every day, my friends and I see some of the same people. So, it becomes a part of their lifestyle.”

@tnpdigital Looking for a Pokémon Iono Special Art Rare version card that costs up to $2000? Find out how Jovi Siew sells his Pokémon collection cards on TikTok Shop here! #fyp #pokemon #pokemoncards #pokemontcg #sgnews ♬ original sound - TNP

Then there are also the usual risks involved with high-priced collectibles.  

"TCG purchases entail many risks, from resealing to filtering and even counterfeits," Siew pointed out. 

"But, have absolute trust that even if we overlook some matters, you will receive your deserved compensation. We don't scrape the market for the cheapest prices; you can see that everything comes in sealed cases...

"You may not enjoy the lowest price, but what's guaranteed are untampered and genuine products, (proper) protection during the delivery process, and an enjoyable degen experience at an uninflated price."