When I found out that Pokémon was celebrating its 20th anniversary this past weekend, a flood of thoughts and memories flooded my brain. First thought: I’m an old bastard!
OK, that is not a fair point to make. I’m the oldest member of the Digital Crack Network by a country mile, so I’m an old bastard whether Pokémon existed or not. But all of my memories of the series always result in my second thought: my son was in diapers when the series originated; he is now 21. And my entire history with Pokémon revolves around him growing up and me sharing it with him.
I am not hipster enough to brag about knowing the franchise when it was known as Pocket Monsters. Hell, I can’t even tell you exactly when I started playing the games. What I will tell you is that every memory I have of those little creatures involves my son. From the collectible card game, to the Game Boy games, to the N64 and beyond, I have been in lockstep with my son.
My first exposure with Pokémon involved the original Pokémon Blue for the Game Boy in 1998. I did not know or care about the card game, but the video game was right up my alley. It was a Japanese-style RPG (JRPG) which introduced a collecting mechanic that sang to my ADHD-riddled brain. Catch a bunch of monsters? Evolve them? Try to catch them all? CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!
My son, age 4 at the time, was not interested in the video game. Instead, he took a huge hankering to the animated series. He was totally immersed in the adventures of Ash Ketchum, et al, and I jumped in as a way to better connect with him while expanding the universe in my head. Soon, I was invested in the animated series. After a trip to the neighborhood Walgreens, I was inadvertently pulled into the card game as well. Pokémon fever had infested my house!
I have a lot of random thoughts from that period. I learned to play the card game so that my son and I could play together. I purchased a Game Boy Color and a copy of Pokémon Red just for him so we could trade Pokémon…which we never ended up doing. We bought booster packs to strengthen our card decks. We watched the animated episodes on an almost religious basis. When Pokémon Stadium was released on the Nintendo 64, I used the Transfer Pak so we could battle against the CPU with our steroid-laden Game Boy Pokémon.
My craziest memory from that time? I went with my family to spend the day at the local mall. At one of the play areas set aside for children to run around, there was a huge huddle of pre-pubescent kids. They were all centered on a child, no older than 10, holding a book that listed the going price of all current Pokémon trading cards. He would consult the book as other children, in near-single file, asked him about their cards for trade. Like a broker, he would field an inquiry, turn to his tome, and declare how much the child’s card was worth in trade. I remember looking at my then-wife and asking, “When did the kids nowadays become financially-savvy sharks?” She just shook her head in disbelief.
The Pokémon card craze soon left my son, to be replaced by Yu-Gi-Oh! The video games, however, remained dear to him. He is current with all of the games, and is anticipating the release of the upcoming Sun and Moon games later this year. My daughter arrived later on but would take to Pokémon like a fish to water. She owns my Pikachu Nintendo 64 because, were I to deny her the console, she might dismember me with a KFC spork!
As for me, I never advanced beyond the original 151 Pokémon in my head. Sure, I know some of the newer entries in the Pokédex, but I have no real attachment to them myself. My real connection to Pokémon, though, will always be with my children, and I live vicariously through their current experiences with the franchise. My son will tell me about the new twists in the latest version, and my daughter will tell me how adorable Pikachu is for the 1,000,000th time.
One thing I take from the whole Pokémon sensation is how Nintendo can hit one out of the park whenever it wants to apply itself. I rag on the company’s current direction ad nauseum to my crew and the world, but I have never doubted Nintendo’s ability to set the gaming world on fire when it wants to. It upsets me to think that they’re no longer on top of the video game landscape, but they are the only ones to blame there. Nintendo is Nintendo’s biggest enemy!
The most lasting thought I have about Pokémon, however, is how is has impacted the lives of me and my children. I have shared many phenomena with my son; he once believed the Power Rangers were gods incarnate, and I went along just to humor him. But to share in an experience with your child that interests you both is unique and special. From the card game to the animated series to the video games, my experiences with Pokémon have been enhanced because I was able to share them with my children. As a father, any moment spent with them is a blessing. But as a gamer, the ability to share your passion with your children is especially memorable.
Thank you, Nintendo, for giving me another reason to share my passion for gaming with my children. Hopefully, then next 20 years will be filled with more of the same. Who knows? Maybe I will pass my love for gaming and popular culture with my grandchildren. Just not anytime soon, okay? I’m old; I’m not granddad-old!
