The official Play! Pokemon rules have been updated, and they now prohibit certain clothes from being worn at events at the risk of being removed from the venue.
Officially sanctioned Pokemon events have codes of conduct that are expected to be followed. At its core, the Pokemon franchise is aimed at kids, so adults need to behave themselves at all times, especially when competing, in order to create a safe and secure environment for all.
To this end, the Play! Pokemon has a Tournament Rules Handbook that receives updates regarding player conduct and expectations for the organizers. The December 4 update added to the “Prohibitions” section, clarifying what clothes can be worn at events.
Pokemon attendees cannot dress like judges or staff members
According to the updated rules (confirmed by the official Pokemon website,) players cannot wear clothing that would confuse them for one of the official organizers of the event. The following is listed as a prohibited item:
“Any attire that may cause confusion regarding an attendee’s staffing status (such as wearing aJudge uniform or shirt when not actively on staff).”
One reason for this rule is that it’s common for Pokemon event organizers to dress like the Professors who appear throughout the franchise.
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Naturally, people like to cosplay as characters from the games, so it’s easy to imagine confusion if someone unfamiliar with judge outfits attended while dressed like Professor Oak.
This rule could also be a way of stopping people from cheating. Someone could attempt to pass themselves off as a judge to try and secure a victory for another player, especially during a busy event.
Those who break the clothing rule or bring another prohibited item, such as a mock firearm, are expected to be removed from the event site. In the case of clothes, the organizers might be forgiving if it’s a coincidence, assuming someone didn’t show up with a t-shirt with “Judge” printed on it.
The people attending events might want to make sure that they aren’t wearing something that can be confused for a staff member’s gear. Either that, or they should bring a spare shirt in case they’re asked to change attire.
