Cory Connor is like most 11 year olds. He started school this week, he likes to play basketball and football, and he enjoys having a good time.

But what sets Cory apart from other kids his age is that he won the Pokemon World Championships in his age division this year.

Unlike the popular augmented reality game Pokemon Go, these tournaments revolve around strategy-based Pokemon Trading Card Games and video game battles that gather thousands of players worldwide. The competitions start at a local level, with winners advancing to regionals, nationals and finally, to the invitation-only world championships, held this year in San Francisco.

Cory was introduced to the video game battles – played on a Nintendo DS – three years ago and he’s been earning top ranks ever since.

“He was fish out of the water and was amazing at it,” said Cory’s dad, Recco. “He was number one in North America for the past three years. And he finally won the world championships.”

“I won that in my first year of playing,” he said, pointing to one of many trophies he’s won playing the game. “It was really exciting because it was my first year of playing. Every year I’ve played, I’ve won.”

According to Recco, Cory has a highly strategic mind and he’s able to utilize and develop it in these games, which require prediction abilities.

“Since I started playing, I’ve matured,” said Cory. “My brain has been able to comprehend more so I’ve been able to test a lot more. I’ve been able to think outside the box.”

“I’ve seen him a lot more mature in the past three years,” said Recco. “He thinks three to four turns ahead now, similar to a person who plays chess. He’s more giving now. He helps a lot of the little kids out. In the past year, he’s a lot more charitable and a lot more giving.”

Cory attributes his success to his strong “support system.”

“I have a really good support system,” he said. “I have two very good trainers, people who help me out — Sam and Tiffany. They trained with me, they tested me and they would go over my team to make sure I didn’t forget anything. They helped me a lot with the games.”

Cory met these trainers at previous competitions he attended. He said that he is more intentional about helping younger players because “others helped me out.”

“That’s why I like this so much and why I let him do it because of the community,” said Recco. “Because it’s a core group of people. I don’t see a lot of bad sportsmanship.”

Recco said that encouraging his kids to play Pokemon has been rewarding, especially seeing the growth in Cory and his 15-year-old brother Calvin (who has also won multiple competitions).

“As long as he’s active, I’m content,” he said. “School is important, and if you’re not doing well in school you’re not allowed to do Pokemon or other sports. And it is better to play Pokemon than Xbox or Playstation or these shooting games that waste time. But this teaches him good prediction.”

Not to mention, participants also win scholarships upon winning. Cory has a little over $10,000 in scholarship money already.

“My dad is my number one support system,” Cory said. “He’s always there for me. He never gets mad if I lose. If I get a little sad after I lose, he makes sure I’m okay, and he says, ‘It’s all good.’ He never stops worrying about me. He never puts me down and he always makes sure I’m okay.”

This year won’t be the last time Cory sees the world championship arena. Since Cory took the title of “best in the world” (in his age division) this year, he has an automatic invitation to next year’s world championship as well.