When I was 11 and dreaming of competing in the Pokémon World Championships held in Sydney in 2000, my friends and I spent hours training teams of creatures and battling them on our Game Boy consoles. I never made it as a player but did achieve my dream on my 26th birthday, when I covered the world championships as a journalist.
The first wave of Pokémon mania in the late 90s saw the franchise viewed with suspicion by most adults. Now that the original fans have grown up and become parents themselves, we see what Pokémon is truly about: an imaginative, challenging, and wholesome series of games that rewards every hour children devote to it. Like Harry Potter, the Famous Five and Narnia, Pokémon offers a powerful fantasy of self-determination set in a world almost totally free of adult supervision.
Pokémon was designed from the beginning to be a social game, encouraging players to trade and battle with each other to complete their collection of virtual creatures and train their teams up into super-squads. The internet has normalized this idea of video games as social activities, but when Pokémon Go launched in 2016, it brought people together in a way that was unprecedented - hundreds of people converging on the same park to catch a Gengar.
Pokémon is often thought of as a turn-of-the-century fad, but its success wasn't instant. It was the result of slow-burning sales over years. The franchise has become the highest-grossing entertainment property of all time, with north of $100bn in revenue from TV series, merchandise, trading cards, games, and more.
Pokémon's creator Satoshi Tajiri was born in Machida, a city on the outskirts of Tokyo, where he collected bugs as a child. He later became an avid video game player and started putting together a monthly zine with his friend Ken Sugimori, which eventually led to the creation of Game Freak and the development of Pokémon.
The idea for Pokémon began percolating in Tajiri around 1990. It took six long years to transform into the monochrome world full of 151 collectible critters in chunky black pixels. During this time, Tajiri nearly went bankrupt several times, taking on projects with Nintendo and other game developers to stay afloat.
Today, Tajiri remains at Game Freak, still involved in creating new Pokémon games, though he reportedly stepped back from day-to-day development in 2012. In 2016, the launch of Pokémon Go became the most popular mobile game in US history, with 232 million players across the world.
Pokémon Go was different from other video games in that it wasn't just about escapism but connection - a continuation of the lineage of those first games decades before. At its height, it connected players with their local area and the people around them, making them think there might be magic out there.
The first wave of Pokémon mania in the late 90s saw the franchise viewed with suspicion by most adults. Now that the original fans have grown up and become parents themselves, we see what Pokémon is truly about: an imaginative, challenging, and wholesome series of games that rewards every hour children devote to it. Like Harry Potter, the Famous Five and Narnia, Pokémon offers a powerful fantasy of self-determination set in a world almost totally free of adult supervision.
Pokémon was designed from the beginning to be a social game, encouraging players to trade and battle with each other to complete their collection of virtual creatures and train their teams up into super-squads. The internet has normalized this idea of video games as social activities, but when Pokémon Go launched in 2016, it brought people together in a way that was unprecedented - hundreds of people converging on the same park to catch a Gengar.
Pokémon is often thought of as a turn-of-the-century fad, but its success wasn't instant. It was the result of slow-burning sales over years. The franchise has become the highest-grossing entertainment property of all time, with north of $100bn in revenue from TV series, merchandise, trading cards, games, and more.
Pokémon's creator Satoshi Tajiri was born in Machida, a city on the outskirts of Tokyo, where he collected bugs as a child. He later became an avid video game player and started putting together a monthly zine with his friend Ken Sugimori, which eventually led to the creation of Game Freak and the development of Pokémon.
The idea for Pokémon began percolating in Tajiri around 1990. It took six long years to transform into the monochrome world full of 151 collectible critters in chunky black pixels. During this time, Tajiri nearly went bankrupt several times, taking on projects with Nintendo and other game developers to stay afloat.
Today, Tajiri remains at Game Freak, still involved in creating new Pokémon games, though he reportedly stepped back from day-to-day development in 2012. In 2016, the launch of Pokémon Go became the most popular mobile game in US history, with 232 million players across the world.
Pokémon Go was different from other video games in that it wasn't just about escapism but connection - a continuation of the lineage of those first games decades before. At its height, it connected players with their local area and the people around them, making them think there might be magic out there.
I remember playing Pokémon Gold on my Game Boy Color back in '99 and being obsessed with catching that elusive Charizard 
. Nowadays, it's all about Pokémon Go, which is just like the old-school games but on steroids 
. I played Pokémon Go with my friends last summer and we had a blast running around, trying to catch those pesky Rattatas 
. The new generation of Pokémon fans might not know the nostalgia behind the franchise, but it's great to see how the series has evolved over the years. Satoshi Tajiri's story is really inspiring - who wouldn't want to turn their childhood passion into a billion-dollar empire? 
I'm still amazed at how Pokémon has aged like fine wine 
. It's crazy to think about how it went from being seen as a weird kid's fad in the 90s to becoming a global phenomenon 
. The fact that it's all about self-determination and imagination is really what makes it special, you know? Like, who wouldn't want to be their own trainer, collecting and battling creatures? 
It's also wild how it brought people together in such an unexpected way with Pokémon Go - I remember seeing videos of people doing the "Gengar dash" 
. The history behind the franchise is pretty cool too, from Satoshi Tajiri starting out as a bug collector to becoming a video game legend 
. But what really gets me is how Pokémon has always been about more than just gaming - it's about community and connection 
.
. I remember spending hours battling my friends' Pokémon teams and trying to catch 'em all. It's amazing how the franchise has grown and evolved over the years 
. I think what's so special about Pokémon is that it's more than just a game - it's a community 
. From trading cards to mobile games, it's brought people together in ways we never thought possible 
. Satoshi Tajiri's passion and dedication to creating something truly unique and imaginative is really inspiring 
. And let's be real, who wouldn't want to catch a Gengar in real life? 
.
The fact that it was designed as a social game from the start is so cool - it's no surprise that it sparked this massive movement with Pokémon Go 
.
From collecting bugs to creating a gaming empire, he's like the ultimate underdog success story. It's crazy to think that he almost went bankrupt several times before achieving his dream 
.
It's awesome that the franchise has become so wholesome and family-friendly over the years, and I'm glad to see it getting the recognition it deserves 
Like, remember those park gatherings for Pokémon Go back in 2016? That was some wild stuff 
He nearly went bankrupt a few times and still managed to create this global phenomenon 
.
I mean, I'm all for community building and whatnot, but sometimes I feel like we're missing out on some real human interaction when we're all glued to our screens 
. It's a reminder that games can be so much more than just entertainment – they can be a catalyst for connection, creativity, and community building 
anywayz, its kinda cool that the creator dude went thru so much before he made it big... like, i bet he had some crazy dreams back in da day 
But I never got into it as an adult like some of the older fans did...I think its because my gaming tastes kinda shifted to more realistic stuff 
my friends and I would spend hours battling each other and trying to catch every single Pokémon on our Game Boy. it's so cool that the franchise has come full circle and now its grown-ups are just as enthusiastic about it as we were back then 
. i mean, who wouldn't love a world where you can explore your neighborhood with a virtual creature by your side? 