This year marks the 20th anniversary of the popular Pokémon franchise. With new video games, new cards, and new apps being released, BYU–Hawaii students are reminiscing about the impact Pokémon has had on their lives.
“Pokémon is pretty popular. Everyone agrees that it’s a good thing,” said Spencer Lawrenson, the vice president of the Gamer’s Student Association studying computer science from Washington.
“Pokémon was the biggest thing going on at that time. Every kid who was into Nintendo stuff was playing Pokémon. Watching the TV show, the card game, you name it, Pokémon was the thing back then.”
Pokémon came to America from Japan as a pair of video games: Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue, released on the Nintendo Gameboy in the late 90s. The success of the video games led to TV shows, movies, toys, and even a collectible trading card game. For some players, reminiscing about the games brings them back for more.
“Nintendo is shooting out to get the nostalgia feeling,” said Cy Kaahanui, a graduate intern for media broadcasting, who is from Kapolei, Hawaii. “They are revamping the old series for people like me who played it in its prime. There’s a nice facelift, more things to do, more Pokémon. It’s a lot of fun because you’re reliving your childhood.”
Lawrenson and Kaahanui both started playing the original Red and Blue versions of Pokémon and collecting cards for the trading card game.
“I remember saving up and running over to the toy shop in my hometown to get a pack of cards,” said Kaahanui. “We’d try to get the next rarest card so we could put them in our decks and fight the neighbor kids… for dominance.”
Other players on campus discovered Pokémon later in their lives, but it still left its mark. “The first Pokémon game I ever owned was Sapphire, but the one I've played the longest is Emerald. I've logged over 300 hours on that game and I still play it occasionally on my Gameboy Advance SP,” said Bethani Levine, a senior studying ICS Communications from California.
While Pokémon has gained in popularity over the years, other major franchises have dwindled. “I think, early on, they [Pokémon] figured out the formula to make people bond with it. They created characters that would connect with certain people,” said Kaahanui.
“The appeal of Pokémon was so great because it showed us an adventure. Kids could relate to this 10-year-old boy going on an adventure and just finding things, discovering, developing bonds, and growing together to become stronger. Pokémon was a gateway to that window where kids could escape.”