Question: when were the pokémon playing cards first released by the pokémon company
Answer: The Pokémon Trading Card Game ( ポケモン カード ゲーム , Pokemon Kādo Gēmu , `` Pokémon Card Game '' ) , abbreviated to PTCG or Pokémon TCG , is a collectible card game , based on the Pokémon video game series , first published in October 1996 by Media Factory in Japan .