Play! Pokémon, formerly known as Pokémon Organized Play (often abbreviated as POP), is a division of The Pokémon Company International established in 2003 and known for hosting the Pokémon World Championships, a competitive eSports tournament which features the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), Pokemon Go, the Pokémon Video Game Championships (VGC), and the Pokkén Tournament Championships. It is the official governing body of the competitive tournament circuit for Pokémon, as well as the organizer of a variety of programs for casual players of the game. History Play! Pokémon was formed in 2003 under the supervision of The Pokémon Company International (previously known as Pokémon USA) after Wizards of the Coast lost its license to the Trading Card Game. Since then, a new league, tournament, and prize system was created. Organizational structure The organizational structure of Play! Pokémon is such that with the exception of major tournaments (i.e. International and World Championships), which are mostly run by The Pokémon Company International and its affiliates, all other tournaments (of a smaller scale) are run by volunteers which are part of a Play! Pokémon program known as the 'Professor Program'. These volunteers, which are known as Pokémon Professors, are sanctioned by the Play! Pokémon program to help promote the game in many ways such as by judging, advertising and staffing events whilst upholding the spirit of the game. These Pokémon Professors can also host and run tournaments for their local community. Non-competitive programs Play! Pokémon organizes a variety of programs intended to be a starting point for beginner players of the Trading Card Game and/or the Video Games. These programs are casual in nature and tend to be organized by Pokémon Professor volunteers and held in public locations such as game stores, community centers, or libraries. Play! Pokémon Leagues: Leagues are run by volunteers with an approved background check conducted by Play! Pokémon. A league cycle is usually divided into eight seasons, each of which lasts about five weeks and is typically represented by themes found in Pokémon (e.g. gym badges, starter Pokémon). Players can earn prizes like physical Gym badges or seasonal promotional cards by completing rows in their player score card assigned to them at the event. There may be several weeks of a break in-between seasons, but most leagues continue to play to allow players to catch up on prizes they may have missed. League sessions typically last for two