Written by Aviral Gupta
Pika-Pika! A wild Pikachu appeared!
Everyone loves Pikachu, the fluffy yellow Pokémon. But have you ever wondered how the little yellow mouse jolted into your life? When it comes to Pokémon you could be one of the two. Someone who is religiously following the series, the games and whatever the beloved franchise spawns or someone who is completely immune to the Pokémon fever and bewildered by how it has completely integrated itself into modern pop culture
So, strap on your seatbelts as we take a journey through time itself and go back to the roots of the Pocket Monsters.
The monstrous company responsible for this franchise had humble beginnings. Satoshi Tajiri, the creator, used to write and edit a fanzine(a magazine brought out by amateurs or fans) called Gamefreak, focusing on the arcade game scene. It was handwritten and stapled together. As the company grew, Satoshi became disillusioned with the arcade game scenario of the time as he realized that the games were lacking in quality. So, he and one of his associates took it upon themselves to revolutionize the gaming industry of that time and that’s how Gamefreak became a game development company.
Fast forward to the 1990s, and while Gamefreak was not the big giant it is today, it was a trustworthy name in the gaming industry with titles like Yoshi (a game series) to back them up. So, when Satoshi pitched the idea of Pokémon to Nintendo, while the producers did not understand it, they gave him the benefit of doubt. And thus began a franchise that went on to become the second largest gaming franchise ever Mario being the first, coincidentally also owned by Nintendo.
Pokémon Red and Blue were the first iterations of the game. The game’s unique top down and pixelated graphics were most of what the Gameboy console could manage which was far behind the competition. Nevertheless, the game still managed to create a world from which children and adults never wanted to leave. Releasing them in pairs was an ingenious move on the part of the company as one needed to trade with a player in possession of the counterpart to truly Catch ’em all. This led to the formation of communities and every gaming franchise needs a community to survive.
The games soon became popular resulting in an anime adaptation. The premise was as simple as it could be: the protagonist Satoshi (Ash Ketchum in the English version) sets out to travel the world with his partner Pikachu in the quest to catch them all. The characters were relatable and unique, and the show aided in the growth of the franchise as a whole. The show’s popularity resulted in the creation of a remake, known as Pokémon Yellow. Now Pikachu followed the player around throughout your adventure, just like Ash’s Pikachu in the TV series. This allowed players to interact with the electric mouse, a feature that was implemented in later Pokémon games as well. It also featured the addition of various characters such as Jessie and James to mirror the TV Series. A manga adaptation soon followed.
The Pokémon Adventures Manga was a serious departure from the childish tone of the anime series. According to Satoshi, it was closest to what he imagined the world of Pokémon to be like. The manga was riddled with adult themes such as blood and gore and consequently faced a lot of censorship during its release in America. Like the anime it too deviated heavily from the plot of the game. Nevertheless, it only added to the popularity of the series and is going strong even today.
The period after the release of anime and manga saw an immense growth in popularity of the franchise. It was aided by the fact that the Christmas of 1999 was dominated by Pokémon merchandise of all kinds such as toys, video cassettes, mugs, pillows and trading cards. Imagine a product, Pikachu was on it. Kids were lining up to buy them too. Some of these products today are collectibles worth a lot of money.
Due to the popularity of the Pokémon franchise at the time, a sequel to the game was inevitable. The second generation of games arrived. Touted as one of the best if not the best of the Pokémon to be ever released, the generation strengthened the already strong hold of the Pokémon franchise. The game polished the already existing mechanics while simultaneously bringing some of the most innovative concepts to date. It also added an option to choose your gender, a feature missing in the original games.
Jumping to 2016, a year remembered for a whole lot of things, from the death of Muhammad Ali to the abysmal Superman Vs Batman movie. But one of the things that everyone remembers is Pokémon GO and how Pokémania took over the world. The game utilized Augmented Reality and presented a unique way of catching and interacting with Pokémon in real time. It owed its success to the fact that the game was simple and could be picked up by anyone. Also, it allowed people to experience in a way what the protagonists of their favorite series felt like as they journeyed catching Pokémon and visiting places. It opened the door to a new generation of fans.
Today Pokémon has released 8 generations worth of games with various spin offs such as the movie Detective Pikachu. The games have also evolved over time, with them being particularly tough to recent games basically holding your hand throughout the game. While this does infuriate some of the older fans, it makes the games accessible to a broader audience. Well, corporate greed does trump creative freedom.
Yet, it is safe to say the franchise has stood the test of time, with each iteration adding scores of new fans and new Pokémon. So whether you have played the games as a kid yearning for a sense of nostalgia or a person who has never met Pikachu, there has never been a better time to Catch ’em all.
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