The Pokemon Phenomenon Is Still Alive
It has been more than twenty years of invitation to discover the wonders of this video game, to throw the ‘pokeballs’ and to fight tirelessly to grow as coaches. The revolution of the Pokemon phenomenon continues to rise, with important achievements behind it.
It is nothing more and nothing less than the second most successful franchise in history ; It is only behind Mario Bros. We speak of the hitherto irreplaceable Pokemon phenomenon, which despite time and great rivals. still as alive as ever.
Its sales are measured in billions of dollars; the number of video games in the license is enormous. Its fan base is one of the most spectacular in the industry, which has been and will be passed down for generations. In short, the success of this game is indisputable.
In addition, talking about the Pokemon phenomenon implies referring to its creator, Satoshi Tajiri, who is perhaps one of the most enigmatic personalities in the world of video games. As if that were not enough, his public appearances are scarce, as well as the interviews he gives to the press, since he does not allow them to take pictures of him.
The origins of the Pokemon phenomenon
Known as Mister Bug at school, Tajiri loved exploring the rural surroundings of his town to catch insects. He was the ‘weird kid’ in his class; He had sociability problems and some even thought that he suffered from Asperger’s. However, what most did not know was that he possessed a brilliant mind.
Then, as the years passed, the children stopped playing in the streets to spend their time in the arcades, so he came up with a great idea: “take their childhood entertainment to a video game . ” This is how it gave rise to Pokemon, by the hand of Ken Sugimori, who is the image designer of the creatures that we know today.
The start of the Pokemon was not on screen; His illustrations were first featured on Game Freak, a video game cheat post created by Tajiri with Sugimori. This came to sell more than 10,000 copies per edition, which allowed hiring staff so that his project continued in constant evolution.
Game Freak continued to grow and became a company that was beginning to see other directions in the creation of electronic games. After Quinty – their first hit in 1989 – they started a new project: Pocket Monsters . It featured Tajiri’s ideas and Sugimori’s designs, plus advice from Mario Bros creator Shigeru Miyamoto.
The beginning of his success and the Pokemon phenomenon
This project in the Japanese market achieved a sale of one million copies in its first year. Its name was shortened to what we now know: Pokemon, a game that became a resounding success in the United States as well.
This did not stop there; Tajiri came up with the cool idea to create a hidden in-game character that could only be obtained through trades. He called it Mew, and it was a kind of cat created last for this first edition and which gave it greater popularity.
As the word of this new character spread in the shadows, rumors and myths were created around the video game and interest on the part of the players was kept alive. CoroCoro Cómics magazine held a contest in which the winners were the first to get Mew on their consoles. With this, the Pokémon phenomenon had begun.
Extensive video game catalogs
Unquestionably, Pokemon is a worldwide hit. One of the reasons why it reached and remains in this place of honor is because of its varied catalog of video games; These have a spectacular plot, which unfolds as you take on the mission to leave your hometown to become a master coach and aspire to win the league by trapping all the creatures.
The installments have appeared for generations and with them come new species, movements, stories, abilities and also important improvements in the quality of the graphics. These are the main characteristics of each of them:
First generation of the Pokemon phenomenon
- 151 species.
- Game Boy console: his video games were the germ of everything; introduced the concepts of rpg progression and turn-based battles.
Second generation
- 251 species.
- Game Boy color console.
- It featured the innovation of the day-night transition and a parenting system.
Third generation
- 386 species.
- Game Boy Advance console.
- Powerful visual evolution.
- Pokemon contests and two versus two battles appear.
Fourth generation
- 493 species.
- Nintendo DS console.
- The big news: the world is shown in 3D.
- Touch functionality is added and online play is enhanced.
Fifth generation
- 649 species.
- Nintendo DS console.
- More Pokemon and Gym Leaders are introduced.
Sixth generation
- 721 species.
- Nintendo 3DS console.
- The Mega Evolutions and the new Fairy type are here.
- Horde and aerial combat.
Evolution beyond video games
Video games are what have made the Pokemon phenomenon possible, but without a doubt it goes far beyond them. It also has its anime adventures, which exceed 900 episodes, to which a good number of films are added. It is clear then that Pokemon is not just a video game; Over the years, he has been the protagonist of movies, manga, toys, comics, letters and, above all, of a common feeling: “fight and overcome.”
It is a phenomenon that has cultivated a large number of collectors, who enjoy each of its items to the fullest as it takes them back to childhood. In addition, it is currently attracting the attention of the new generations, which ensures perpetual success.
