week twelve: pokemon

Pokemon. The international hit. The worldwide phenomenon. The Beyoncé of video games.

I, like probably everyone younger than 40, grew up playing a Pokemon game. It was Pokemon Silver, and my starter whom I shall love forever was a Chikorita.

Pokemon's cultural stamina is unending.  The new game for the Switch, Sword and Shield will be coming out soon, as well as a Detective Pikachu movie with a star-studded cast. Pokemon Go, the game on the smartphone, has reached an all-time high in the past few months instead of dipping downwards as with any gaming app where people have lost interest.

It's 20-year legacy and popularity can be attributed to several great aspects of the game, in my opinion. First and foremost, the pokemon are adorable. The gameplay is also easy to understand and straightforward, and it allows access to people of all ages and ability to play. You can play with friends in the game, as well as trade and battle with pokemon. It's a great, simple adventure story.

The merchandising is also excellent, and that is probably a huge aspect of how Pokemon and Nintendo earn so much money. Nintendo has done a great job of capitalizing on the huge selection of these cute little pocket monsters. Having such an enormous collection of "characters" with elemental types that are weaker or stronger than others helps us have agency over how we use our pokemon, and this aspect of strengths/weaknesses also entice us to learn more and become invested in the game. It's no coincidence that Pokemon is also played competitively in the eSports arena.

Here is a video for any and all Pokemon lovers (go to 1:30): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxG03AQjUek