Pokemon and the power of nostalgia
- Published
We began our Pokemon adventure on Game Boys. Today we continue it on our smartphones
Pokemon Go may be the biggest game on the planet right now, but its little monsters first sprang on the scene in the mid-1990s. The BBC's Heather Chen remembers the unique emotional connection the game made with its earliest users.
Some girls loved Hello Kitty. Others played with Barbie. I grew up with Pokemon.
For many '90s children, video game characters were almost like friends.
I was nine when I first discovered the game. So for me, Pokemon Go wasn't just the start of a craze. It was more than just soaring share prices and renewed interest in the Japanese gaming giant.
This was the news that would reawaken an entire generation of aspiring Pokemon masters, now adults.
Only true trainers will remember their first catches and gym battles played out on Game Boys
Pokemon Go fever is a result of many things: a clever concept with smartphones, a viral marketing, external campaign and not forgetting the franchise's powerful emotional connection with fans.
Nostalgia is indeed a huge part of the formula, but there are other more emotional factors that could help explain Pokemon madness.
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Childhood dreams, now on your smartphone
Playing the first version of Pokemon back in 1996 meant relying on our trusty Game Boys - and a lot of imagination.
As young and aspiring trainers, we would roam around different worlds in search of rare Pokemon to fill our Pokedex encyclopaedias and learn more about our favourite monsters.
Many of us shared the same daydream: what if Pokemon were real?
The popularity of Nintendo's app has created a new phenomenon of Pokemon players
Pokemon Go fulfils the fantasy we had growing up of seeing pocket monsters roam our world.
And swapping our Nintendo consoles for smartphones, hunting for Pokemon has now been revolutionised and brought to life.
To be the very best (like no one ever was)
There is still a thriving Pokemon nostalgia community online.
We share memes, reblog Tumblr posts and swap stories of our first battles - both wins and losses - and Pokemon memories, like this one.
This viral Tumblr post showed what it felt like to play Pokemon
But the nostalgia doesn't stop there. Many also remember the hit cartoon show on weekends which took users on new pocket monster adventures.
And who could forget its catchy opening theme, external, with its uplifting message about doing your best to chase your dreams?
"I wanna be the very best
Like no-one ever was
To catch them is my real test
To train them is my cause
...
Pokemon, gotta catch 'em all!"
Let's face it: growing up we all wanted to be star trainer Ash Ketchum with his army of Pokemon
Being different is okay
But one of the most important lessons I learnt from playing the game, was that you don't need to follow the same path as everyone else to be the best.
You choose your own unique starter Pokemon and are strategic.
Many of us grew to love our first Pokemon which would even go on to become our friends.
I cannot emphasise how important a decision this was: the monster would become your first ever Pokemon, the one who you'd go into battle with.
There's a Squirtle in our BBC mail box!
Electric rodent Pikachu, external was always a fan favourite. Some liked cuddly grass Pokemon Bulbasaur, external but an even more popular choice was baby fire dragon Charmander, external which seasoned players gravitated towards. With the right training and attention, it could go on to evolve into one of the game's most powerful creatures.
It also happened to be the Pokemon of choice among all my friends. So I knew I had to be strategic if I wanted to defeat them.
Water extinguishes fire and I became a water Pokemon trainer, starting with a Squirtle, external who I named Bubba.
We went on to win many gym battles and claim badges together, all with the help of my heat-resistant army.
Finding him in the real world (while looking for my mail) was a dream come true.
And now I can't wait to see all my Pokemonsters again.