Pokémon fans gathered in Shoreditch, London, to celebratecelebrate/ˈsɛl.ɪ.breɪt/L2庆祝to do something special to show that an event or occasion is important the 10th anniversaryanniversary/ˌæn.ɪˈvɜː.sər.i/L2周年纪念a date when you remember or celebrate something that happened on that date in a past year of Pokémon Go. Among them was Mairead Ralph, 42, who has been a fan since the game first appeared 30 years ago. She met her husband at a Pokémon event 16 years ago. She says the game brings people to a happy place.
Pokémon is the world's biggest media franchisefranchise/ˈfræn.tʃaɪz/L2特许经营品牌；系列作品a set of related products, such as movies, games, or books, that are all based on the same idea or characters, which has earned $147 billion. It includes video games, playing cards, TV shows, and films. Other fans at the event had different reasons for loving the franchise. Rumeysa Usca plays the game with her dog, while Summer Till uses it to connect with her family. Stacie Smith and her son Rupert play together, and the game helps Rupert go outside more because he has autism, and Smith says this helps his mental health.
For Mairead Ralph, Pokémon is a lifelong passionpassion/ˈpæʃ.ən/L2热情；热爱a very strong feeling of liking something or of wanting to do something. She has traveled to Japan, the US, and France to meet other fans. She thinks the game brings people back to a happy place, no matter how bad the world is. "It doesn't matter if it's your first Pokémon or your thousandth Pokémon, that little click of the Pokéball will always bring you joyjoy/dʒɔɪ/L2快乐；喜悦a feeling of great happiness," she says.
