Christian pastors in the US declared Pokémon's iconic character Pikachu to be a demon during its initial surge in popularity in the late 90s, sparking a moral panic that saw the TV show being banned from airing. The creator of the game, Satoshi Tajiri, was portrayed as a 'delinquent' and 'criminal' figure who was leading children astray with his 'sinister monsters'.
However, today Pokémon is viewed as an imaginative, challenging, and wholesome series of games that rewards every hour spent by children playing it. It has earned a place among the greats of children's fiction alongside Harry Potter, The Famous Five, and Narnia, offering a powerful fantasy of self-determination set in a world almost totally free of adult supervision.
The game was designed from the beginning to be social, encouraging players to trade and battle with each other to complete their collection of virtual creatures. This concept has become normalised with the internet, but it was novel back then, requiring people to huddle together using cables or converge in public spaces like parks.
Pokémon's astronomical success wasn't instant, but the result of slow-burning sales over years. The franchise has brought in more money now than it ever did at its peak, becoming the highest-grossing entertainment property of all time with a global phenomenon that transcends age and culture.
The creator Satoshi Tajiri was born in Japan and was an avid collector of bugs as a child, earning him the nickname 'Dr Bug'. The idea for Pokémon began to percolate around 1990 but took six long years to transform into the monochrome world full of 151 collectible critters that we know today.
Today, Tajiri is a reclusive figure who remains at Game Freak and still involved in the creation of each new Pokémon game. The launch of Pokémon Go in July 2016 saw the mobile game become the most popular in US history with over 232 million players worldwide.
There's a unique aspect to Pokémon Go that makes it different from other video games, which is its focus on connection rather than escapism. It connects players with their local area and the people around them, creating a sense of community and shared experience among players.
The pastoral nature of Pokémon has persisted throughout the years, focusing on interrelationships between humans and Pokémon as well as an environmentalist bent to its stories. This resonance with nature prevents the franchise from feeling cynical or exploitative, instead showcasing a powerful vector for connection between people born from one boy's love of the natural world.
However, today Pokémon is viewed as an imaginative, challenging, and wholesome series of games that rewards every hour spent by children playing it. It has earned a place among the greats of children's fiction alongside Harry Potter, The Famous Five, and Narnia, offering a powerful fantasy of self-determination set in a world almost totally free of adult supervision.
The game was designed from the beginning to be social, encouraging players to trade and battle with each other to complete their collection of virtual creatures. This concept has become normalised with the internet, but it was novel back then, requiring people to huddle together using cables or converge in public spaces like parks.
Pokémon's astronomical success wasn't instant, but the result of slow-burning sales over years. The franchise has brought in more money now than it ever did at its peak, becoming the highest-grossing entertainment property of all time with a global phenomenon that transcends age and culture.
The creator Satoshi Tajiri was born in Japan and was an avid collector of bugs as a child, earning him the nickname 'Dr Bug'. The idea for Pokémon began to percolate around 1990 but took six long years to transform into the monochrome world full of 151 collectible critters that we know today.
Today, Tajiri is a reclusive figure who remains at Game Freak and still involved in the creation of each new Pokémon game. The launch of Pokémon Go in July 2016 saw the mobile game become the most popular in US history with over 232 million players worldwide.
There's a unique aspect to Pokémon Go that makes it different from other video games, which is its focus on connection rather than escapism. It connects players with their local area and the people around them, creating a sense of community and shared experience among players.
The pastoral nature of Pokémon has persisted throughout the years, focusing on interrelationships between humans and Pokémon as well as an environmentalist bent to its stories. This resonance with nature prevents the franchise from feeling cynical or exploitative, instead showcasing a powerful vector for connection between people born from one boy's love of the natural world.