Following The Pokémon Company International’s recent decision to issue Shaun “Foodking” Tysoe with an indefinite suspension from Play! Pokémon sanctioned events due to being deemed a “potential health hazard”, we fellow competitive Pokémon players would like to ask that the Play! Pokémon team reconsider their decision, as well as implement additional measures to help safeguard other players like him in the future.

To help show the solidarity of Play! Pokémon players, we ask that users include their Digital Player ID in the “Personal Message” field when signing this petition.

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Dear David Schwimmer,

We, the undersigned, are writing to appeal the recent “indefinite suspension” that has been issued to Shaun “Foodking” Tysoe (Player Number: 143030) as a result of him being deemed a “potential health hazard”. While we accept and appreciate that this decision was made as a result of multiple instances, we would like to request that the Play! Pokémon team offer Mr. Tysoe some leniency in respect of his personal circumstances, as well as adopting strategies and policies to hopefully prevent similar instances occurring with players in the future.

As a result of significant learning difficulties that impact his ability to perform what we consider to be basic day-to-day functions and judgements, Mr. Tysoe requires the assistance of carers who have attended both official and unofficial Pokémon events in the past. It is therefore unfortunate that during the events where incidents occurred, Mr. Tysoe neglected to have a carer accompany him.

Due to the nature of the occurrences and out of respect of Mr. Tysoe’s privacy, I hope you can understand why we have made the decision to not disclose their details in this open letter, but we hope that you can appreciate how the absence of an appropriate adult would lead to an increase in these unfortunate occurrences.

While it is the responsibility of Mr. Tysoe and his carers, not The Pokémon Company International, to ensure that he is accompanied to events held and endorsed by Play! Pokémon and that the types of incidents that have occurred do not, we are concerned that as Mr. Tysoe’s previous verbal and digitally written warnings were not repeated or forwarded to his carers, they were not heeded in the same vein that a child may not inform a parent or guardian about such instances.

This has made us realise that The Pokémon Company needs to install measures that allow a Pokémon.com member who is an adult or a minor to declare whether they have any learning or mental health difficulties that may result in them needing the assistance of an appointee such as a parent, guardian, carer or care agency. If the account system is updated to include an option that allows such a declaration and to include the personal details of said appointee or agency, then all correspondence addressed to the player will be able to be forwarded to the appointee. This would also ensure that if an unfortunate situation involving the player occurs at an event, the appointee can be contacted, ensuring a more beneficial conclusion for the player, other attendees and The Pokémon Company International.

In relation to Mr. Tysoe’s particular case; he is a dedicated Pokémon player who has attended events across the world for a number of years, quickly becoming a regular and friendly face for a significant number of the United Kingdom’s competitive scene. The decision to issue him with an indefinite suspension has understandably had a very detrimental impact on his mental health; leaving him incredibly heartbroken and depressed. If Play! Pokémon are willing to reconsider the terms of his suspension and offer him one last chance, he has agreed to the following terms in addition the regular Code of Conduct:

1. Mr. Tysoe must be accompanied by a dedicated carer when attending Play! Pokémon sanctioned events.

2. Mr. Tysoe and the aforementioned carer must ensure that all preventative action be taken on their part to avoid the recurrence of previous concerns. This includes but will not be limited to ensuring that he maintains an acceptable standard of personal hygiene.

As a whole, the Pokémon franchise has a considerable number of fans who find themselves somewhere on the autistic spectrum, partly due to the escapism, the collection aspect and the detailed knowledge the competitive scene requires. Events such as those held by The Pokémon Company International give fans in the autistic spectrum the perfect opportunity to use their love of the franchise as common ground to overcome any social inhabitations they may have and socialise with their fellow enthusiasts.

We hope that Play! Pokémon is willing to re-evaluate their policies and procedures to better care for and safeguard this demographic of loyal fans and that, given the personal circumstances of Mr. Shaun Tysoe, that you are willing to reconsider the status of his suspension.

Yours Sincerely,
The Undersigned

Declaration: Mr. Shaun Tysoe and his carers have read this letter and have consented to its publication.