The tagline says it all: "Gotta catch ’em all."
We are a species that improves upon itself if it’s realistically feasible. As history shows us, the thirst for knowledge and convenience leads to an effective and efficient workplace, which leads to a certain quality of life. With this quality of living brings us the ability to enjoy our personal lifestyle and hobbies. One hobby that is popular among many people around the world is the art of collecting. I call it an art because when you start factoring in galleries and displays that collectors proudly show off, it adds a whole new word for dedication. Almost everything that one might collect is worth something to them and to another collector; baseball cards, coins, jewelry, cars, games, book etc.
Enter Satoshi Tajiri, the creator behind Poketo Monstero, or PokeMon. When he was a kid his hobby, among many other things, was collecting insects. From this basic idea of collecting insects of all kinds came the idea of creating fictional monsters to collect that appealed both to children and adults alike. But it became more than just collecting. It soon evolved to training and combat! The formula for success quickly became collecting + trading + training + combat = success. How big of a success exactly?
The first game based off this idea was released on the GameBoy in 1998. Pokémon Blue and Red allowed you to collect and combat with 151 different Pokémon as you became the very best trainer in the land. Soon after the major success of Blue and Red in both Japan and the U.S., a special Pokémon Yellow: Pikachu Edition was released to take advantage of the technology provided by the GameBoy Color. With the idea of implementing two games for each "generation" of new Pokémon, Nintendo would be able to capitalize two-fold with a very basic premise. If kids are willing to pay for trading cards, and part of Pokémon’s unique appeal was trading, two versions of exactly the same game with slightly different Pokémon could work. It did, and did it ever. With the ability to "link" your GameBoy handheld of any kind with another, players were able to then virtually trade their Pokémon with someone else’s, getting them one step closer to becoming a Pokémon Master.
The second generation of Pokémon began in 2000 with the release of Pokémon Gold and Silver for Game Boy Color. Like the previous generation, an enhanced remake titled Pokémon Crystal was later released. The second generation introduced 100 new species of Pokémon for a total of 251 Pokémon to collect, train, and battle. Pokémon entered its third generation with the 2003 release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire for Game Boy Advance and continued with the Game Boy Advance remakes of Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and an enhanced remake of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire titled Pokémon Emerald. The third generation introduced 135 new Pokémon for a total of 386 species.
In 2006, Japan began the fourth generation of the franchise with the release of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl for Nintendo DS. The fourth generation introduces another 107 new species bringing the total of Pokémon species to 493. The Nintendo DS touch screen allows new features for the game such as using the "Pokétch." New gameplay concepts include a restructured move classification system, online multiplayer trading and battling via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, the return (and expansion) of the second generation’s day-and-night system, the expansion of the third generation’s Pokémon Contests into "Super Contests," and the new region of Sinnoh, which has an underground component for multiplayer gameplay in addition to the main overworld.
Looking through the timeline of Pokémons success, no huge phenomenon would have passed by the opportunity to branch out into other aspects of its customer’s lives. Besides the many spin-off videogames that were created (Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Stadium, Pokémon Rescue Team, etc.) the explosion of cute monsters was soon to be seen everywhere. Pokémon can be found on your lampshades, bed covers, toy boxes, cereals, clothes, airplanes, books, crafts, and numerous other things. Ten Pokémon music cds were released, one of which is called Pokémon Christmas Bash, I kid you not. Ten movies were made, with the eleventh to come out in Japan this month and a twelfth one currently in production. The popular TV anime series debuted in 1997 and has since then produced over 550 episodes.
It’s safe to say the world quickly became infatuated with the little critters and everything that followed behind them. A simple, yet effective formula took the gaming world by storm and since then hasn’t quieted down a bit. With every new generation of young kids comes a new generation of Pokémon, and with such a guarantee of customers every couple of years, Pokémon has become a huge name not only in the gaming world, but the business world as well. Don’t expect Pokémon to go away anytime soon, because as long as there are children, there are little monsters waiting in their pockets to be played and traded with.
