Pokemon Experiences

Pokemon is one of the most addictive RPGs in the history of video games. It's revolutionary style of gameplay and mastery of both single and multiplayer not only made it one of the most successful franchies and an overnight smash hit but also led to an entire nation of fanatic pokelovers. Most kids who grew up with a Game Boy had played it and those who didn't had heard of it and knew a few pokemon fanatics. It propelled the Game Boy to new heights and was the single reason the Link Cable sold well enough to continue production. Although many had lamented its blatant commercialism and not-so-subtle catch phrase "Gotta Catch 'Em All", there was no denying its impact on the gaming industry.

For me, I first heard of this franchise when Red and Blue first hit shelves here in the United States. Everyone was talking about it. My friends all got Game Boys and copies of the game and played it every day. One guy even bribed people with his copy. He would ask for something, then if unsatisfied with your response, reply with "I'll let you borrow Red for a while!" It became so large school faculty began talking about "Pokemans" and how us kids were going crazy over it.

Unfortunately for me, my Game Boy's screen had a fallout with my foot one unlucky blackout, so my curiosity was quenched through watching the TV show and reading walkthroughs online. I read every day, even though I did not own the game. I had become addicted without playing it! Such is the impact of Pokemon. My carpool friends all used to bring it with them, passing around their Game Boy through the car ride home, finally letting me play. However, they soon became tired of my constant Pidgey capturing and limited my playtime after a while.

Finally, the day came. I had saved up enough money and bought a used Game Boy Pocket from Funcoland and a new copy of Blue from Target. From that moment on, there was not a single AAA battery in the house that wasn't dead or in my Game Boy. I played constantly, searching for new Pokemon to capture, refining my team, etc. I would trade Pokemon with my friends, battling them to see who was superior. My Hall of Fame soon became overloaded. I later went on to purchase Red and a link cable, using my old Game Boy to trade (even though I couldn't see). I captured all 150 multiple times, building better and better teams. My constant drain to batteries around the house also led to my birthday present: a Game Boy AC Adaptor! I was officially a fanatic.

Pokemon also led to a few instances of fights and getting in trouble, however. People at school were fighting over Pokemon moves, where you can find them, which one was better. I remember my friend Robert got into a yelling match with another kid because Primeape beat Hitmonlee in the anime and he swore his Hitmonlee would beat any Primeape any day. I remember one time getting lectured by the principal because me and a friend kept the staff waiting on back to school night because we were in the middle of a trade. My friend and I once fought because I traded him a pokemon he wanted to catch on his own.

But there's no denying Pokemon's success or the fun times you'll have playing it. Pokemon creates a ton of memories (memories I'm making as I type this!), some good, some bad. But when you think of Pokemon, you'll always remember those times you had playing it or those people you knew who went nuts over it. I know for me, whenever I hear the name, I'll always remember watching the show, playing it on the way home from school and playing it with my fianceé. Do you have any Pokemon memories? If so, what are they?