Yes indeed they are real.
I wish I had friends that enjoyed playing these card games. I gave up on that long ago. I gave away all of my basic, energy, and trainer Pokémon cards since they aren't "cool" to collect. As a kid I'd play Pokémon against myself. Building decks was always so much fun. I tried to always be fair and do the best move, but obviously that was pretty much impossible since I was playing both sides.
I love board and card games so much. But yeah it is true. Today it is really rare to find people to play with and enjoy it.
Besides card games, board games are so much fun :)