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Pokémon 25th Anniversary Reflection
I’ve had the absolute pleasure of growing up with Pokémon. I’m essentially 6 months older than this franchise going by its release in Japan on February 27th, 1996. Just as many people have grown up in households that contained various passions and cultures, my fascination with Pokémon stemmed from my exposure to video games at a young age. Had I not received a Game Boy Advance one fateful Christmas morning, I would not be writing this today.
I am forever indebted to Pokémon because it has been one of the few constants of my life. As a kid, I changed schools a lot which made it tough to keep and make friends. At times, my love for Pokémon brought me to new friends. At others, it excluded me from friendships. It became one of the first things people knew about me, even though I eventually grew to like other TV shows, sports, or subject areas. The times in which it ostracized me were tough, but I found solace once I discovered websites like Serebii.net and Bulbapedia in 2006.
While my Pokémon fandom started with the Trading Card Game when the first few packs(Base Set, Jungle, and Fossil) launched, it took another step when I started watching the show shortly after. Of the three major mediums of Pokémon being the cards, the anime, and the video games, the games came last chronologically in my life but they were the most impactful. It was the most immersive of…
