The Pokemon series has done something few video games series have truly done; stand the test of time. It's been around for 18 years in Japan and almost 16 years in North America now, and shows no signs of stopping any time soon. An entire generation of people have grown up with the Pokemon games now. I remember back when Pokemon first came out back when I was a kid, and hearing the adults talk about how Pokemon was just the newest fad, and heard them claim it would fade away in just a few years like most things that get popular among young kids.
And yet it didn't.
Pokemon has something about it that keeps people coming back while still drawing in new fans, generation after generation. Somehow it manages not only to appeal to young children picking up their first video games but also to adults like myself and many of you. Even after 16 years of playing the same basic formula over and over, we keep coming back to it.
So, I ask, what is it about Pokemon that has kept you interested in it? Or if you're a relative newcomer to the series, what is it about the series that has drawn you into it enough that you've signed up on a competitive fansite for it? What's so special about Pokemon that's kept it so strong for so many years?
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And yet it didn't.
Pokemon has something about it that keeps people coming back while still drawing in new fans, generation after generation. Somehow it manages not only to appeal to young children picking up their first video games but also to adults like myself and many of you. Even after 16 years of playing the same basic formula over and over, we keep coming back to it.
So, I ask, what is it about Pokemon that has kept you interested in it? Or if you're a relative newcomer to the series, what is it about the series that has drawn you into it enough that you've signed up on a competitive fansite for it? What's so special about Pokemon that's kept it so strong for so many years?
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Pokemon has always been something special for me. Since the very first episode of the anime, since the very first time I booted up Pokemon Red, it's had an impact on me. It's not unfair to say that Pokemon has played a large part in how my life has played out. It helped ingrain into me many of the values I hold dear today, helped me make many of my friends and helped me to learn many skills. It's given me something to do when I was bored, given me a place to go when I needed some time alone, and provided me with new outlets to making friends when I was lonely.
Why is it that Pokemon has had so much more of an impact than other video game series? Well, one big reason is definitely the emphasis on social interaction. Right from the very first games it was clear that Pokemon was meant as an experience you'd share with others. The trading system is the most obvious example of this, but there were other ways this was shown as well. The Pokemon world was vast, and to us kids full of mysteries. We were constantly discovering new things, hearing new rumors and coming up with new ideas, and we naturally wanted to share this with our friends. Right from the start Pokemon developed into a sort of subculture. You didn't just play Pokemon or watch the anime, you participated in something bigger. Other games and shows could do this to a degree, but I don't think any of them managed to integrate themselves into our daily lives as much as Pokemon did. This is how it really took off in the first place, and how it came to be a cornerstone of so many of our childhoods.
And this impact continues today among the kids today. You'll hear the same types of stories from anyone of any age you talk to who started playing Pokemon as a kid. They and their friends would get together and share their stories, ideas and rumors. The Pokemon world is set up in a way that sets a child's imagination aflame. The large number of Pokemon always makes you wonder if there could be more; the hints of a larger world and deep history hint at mysteries to be solved, adventures to be had. Kids just run wild with that stuff.
And then there's how the series manages to keep itself relevant even after the mystery and novelty fades as we get older. At first, for me at least, it was the onset of new generations that kept me going at first. There were always new Pokemon to train, new places to see, new mysteries to solve. Sure these lost their mystical quality they had when I was very young, but now I KNEW more was coming. I didn't need the formula to change; I just needed more of what I already had. And boy could Pokemon deliver on that.
Then as I got even older and the novelty of new Pokemon and areas started to wear off, Pokemon had another ace up it's sleeve; the sheer variety of ways there are to play the games. I started to discover new challenges that the community had developed thanks to the internet, and whole new worlds opened up to me. I discovered Nuzlockes, then Smogon and competitive battling, and from there the floodgates opened. Pokemon has near infinite lasting appeal, because not only is there tonnes of content, you can mess with that content in so many ways. You can compete against others, complete the Pokedex (and when you're done with that, hunt shinies), or try playing throught in-game with new goals in mind and with new restrictions. Pokemon has so much depth of gameplay that you can dive in and never really find the bottom; the possibilities are nearly infinite. The competitive scene alone is enough to keep people interested indefinitely, especially since it keeps evolving and changing. Then there's the fact that there's a nearly infinite number of ways you can create your own challenges for in-game play. It's far easier to do this than in other games because of the massive selection of Pokemon, moves and items at your disposal.
But perhaps the most important thing about Pokemon that's kept it relevant all these years is it's ability to draw people together. Pokemon played alone does eventually get dull. When you share the experiences it creates with other people though, it just lasts forever. Gamefreak has shown their commitment to growing the community aspect of the games with every generation, and it shows. Pokemon communities are everywhere, with a thousand different focuses. There's a Pokemon community for every fan. Pokemon continues to thrive because we continue that subculture that formed back in those early years. We keep sharing our experiences, keep spreading and debating rumors, keep discussing strategies and tactics, keep comparing our collections, and keep challenging each other. The games are always providing new fodder for this, and so Pokemon keeps going on. Really, I think this is what sets Pokemon apart. No other game series has a sense of community as strong as the Pokemon series does. And that's what keeps us playing, 16 years after we first started.
Why is it that Pokemon has had so much more of an impact than other video game series? Well, one big reason is definitely the emphasis on social interaction. Right from the very first games it was clear that Pokemon was meant as an experience you'd share with others. The trading system is the most obvious example of this, but there were other ways this was shown as well. The Pokemon world was vast, and to us kids full of mysteries. We were constantly discovering new things, hearing new rumors and coming up with new ideas, and we naturally wanted to share this with our friends. Right from the start Pokemon developed into a sort of subculture. You didn't just play Pokemon or watch the anime, you participated in something bigger. Other games and shows could do this to a degree, but I don't think any of them managed to integrate themselves into our daily lives as much as Pokemon did. This is how it really took off in the first place, and how it came to be a cornerstone of so many of our childhoods.
And this impact continues today among the kids today. You'll hear the same types of stories from anyone of any age you talk to who started playing Pokemon as a kid. They and their friends would get together and share their stories, ideas and rumors. The Pokemon world is set up in a way that sets a child's imagination aflame. The large number of Pokemon always makes you wonder if there could be more; the hints of a larger world and deep history hint at mysteries to be solved, adventures to be had. Kids just run wild with that stuff.
And then there's how the series manages to keep itself relevant even after the mystery and novelty fades as we get older. At first, for me at least, it was the onset of new generations that kept me going at first. There were always new Pokemon to train, new places to see, new mysteries to solve. Sure these lost their mystical quality they had when I was very young, but now I KNEW more was coming. I didn't need the formula to change; I just needed more of what I already had. And boy could Pokemon deliver on that.
Then as I got even older and the novelty of new Pokemon and areas started to wear off, Pokemon had another ace up it's sleeve; the sheer variety of ways there are to play the games. I started to discover new challenges that the community had developed thanks to the internet, and whole new worlds opened up to me. I discovered Nuzlockes, then Smogon and competitive battling, and from there the floodgates opened. Pokemon has near infinite lasting appeal, because not only is there tonnes of content, you can mess with that content in so many ways. You can compete against others, complete the Pokedex (and when you're done with that, hunt shinies), or try playing throught in-game with new goals in mind and with new restrictions. Pokemon has so much depth of gameplay that you can dive in and never really find the bottom; the possibilities are nearly infinite. The competitive scene alone is enough to keep people interested indefinitely, especially since it keeps evolving and changing. Then there's the fact that there's a nearly infinite number of ways you can create your own challenges for in-game play. It's far easier to do this than in other games because of the massive selection of Pokemon, moves and items at your disposal.
But perhaps the most important thing about Pokemon that's kept it relevant all these years is it's ability to draw people together. Pokemon played alone does eventually get dull. When you share the experiences it creates with other people though, it just lasts forever. Gamefreak has shown their commitment to growing the community aspect of the games with every generation, and it shows. Pokemon communities are everywhere, with a thousand different focuses. There's a Pokemon community for every fan. Pokemon continues to thrive because we continue that subculture that formed back in those early years. We keep sharing our experiences, keep spreading and debating rumors, keep discussing strategies and tactics, keep comparing our collections, and keep challenging each other. The games are always providing new fodder for this, and so Pokemon keeps going on. Really, I think this is what sets Pokemon apart. No other game series has a sense of community as strong as the Pokemon series does. And that's what keeps us playing, 16 years after we first started.