February 27th was the 20-year anniversary of Pokémon. A new game was announced with a heartwarming video celebrating Pokémon’s past. I wanted to take some time to explain the effect that Pokémon has had on my life while growing up.
My first ever Pokémon game was Leaf Green on the Gameboy. I loved nothing more than escaping to the world of Pokémon whenever I had the chance. To this day I find time to play Pokémon games and get immersed back into the universe. What inspires me most about Pokémon is the sheer creativity and passion that each game brings. I frequently hear complaints about the lack of originality in newer games but let’s be real, there was a purple blob in the first game called Muk. If anything, new Pokémon have gotten more creative.
The games weren’t the only aspect of Pokémon that I adored as a kid though. I loved collecting Pokémon cards and trading them with my friends after school. It was like a little black market where drawings of monsters on paper was the currency. Interestingly enough, I never really played the card game. We just kind of made up the rules as we went. If collecting and trading Pokémon cards taught me anything, it was persuasion. I learned how to talk kids into trading me for cards that I wanted with ease. I had a little silver briefcase that, if I carried it around now, would make me look like a drug dealer. My drugs didn’t affect the mind though, well at least not in the way that you’re thinking. I could easily argue that Pokémon affected my mind by sparking my imagination and giving me countless ideas.
Pokémon brought me together with many of my old friends as we gathered at each other’s houses to watch the premiere of the new movies or to just sit and play for a while. There is still a strong community built around Pokémon that welcomes with open arms. I can only hope that the future generations will be able to create the bonds through Pokémon that I was able to, and learn creativity through it as well.
Thanks for reading.
(Also, if anyone from Nintendo is reading this I’d love to direct a Pokémon movie. *wink wink*)