Ariana Stidham, president of University College London’s (UCL) Pokémon Society, says the community around the game has helped her to forge real-life connections.
The 20-year-old joined the society in her first year, worried about making friends.
“It really means a lot to me to have found that community and those people that I can really call my best friends through life,” she says.
“The community has made me feel not as alone as I initially thought that I was growing up.
“It’s a very passionate community of people, and I feel like they’ve helped me out in ways that I can’t even put into words.”
And some of the others Newsbeat speaks to say that the series has changed their lives.
Pokémon TCG competitor Drew tells Newsbeat: “I don’t think I would be anywhere near the man I am now if I hadn’t started playing Pokémon.”
While streamer Josh, who’s been making content since 2016, says the game has been a huge part of his life for 25 years, and he can’t imagine it any other way.
“As long as they keep making games, I can’t see why I wouldn’t at least play them,” he says.
“It’s everything, it’s literally given me a job.”
Josh adds that he is just like millions of others, whose days are made brighter by Pokémon.
“There’s not enough words to express how grateful I am for this to exist,” he says.