Catch ‘em all: The evolution of Pokemon

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world where you can catch creatures, train them and help them become the best? Pokémon is all about this. Whether you are a die-hard Pokémon fan or just a newbie to this world, let’s take a trip back in time to the very beginning of Pokémon. 

Pokémon is a short form for ‘pocket monsters’ invented by two Japanese friends: writer, Satoshi Tajiri, and illustrator, Ken Sugimori. In 1982, they started a gaming magazine together, Game Freak, and after a while, they decided to develop video games. The magazine turned into a gaming company and Satoshi & co released games such as Pulseman, Yoshi, Mario & Wario in 1989 which was a huge rage. Ever since his childhood, Satoshi loved catching bugs and insects and this led to an interesting gaming idea of Pocket Monsters, a.k.a. Pokémon. He decided to pitch it to Nintendo. The idea didn’t strike Nintendo, however, they were willing to give Satoshi a chance due to the immense success of previous games. He created Pocket Monsters: Red and Green - a video game of collecting and trading monsters. This game wasn’t just about collecting Pokémons in Poké balls, but also about how to become a Pokémon Master! The phrase ‘gotta catch ‘em all’ enticed children and adults alike. And that’s how it began as the second-largest gaming franchise worldwide!

During the same year, after the massive success of the video games, the Pokémon Trading Card Game was launched. Pokémon became more than just catching creatures on Game Boy. It brought a unique way to play, trade and collect cards. Each Pokémon card had a creature with special powers, and players were required to strategically build decks to battle with friends. The trading card game became so popular that people used to get in queues to get them, and some turned them into unique collectables over time. This was also the beginning of Pokémon trading card tournaments and leagues across the world. The Pokémon Trading Card Game continues to be one of the best-selling trading card games worldwide.

From video games to trading cards, Pokémon saw huge success, and to add more to this, the franchise launched a television show. In the year 1997, an animated series revolving around Ash Ketchum, a young boy hailing from Pallet Town, and his mate Pikachu, travel extensively to catch new Pokémon and become Pokémon masters. From unique Pokémons to thrilling battles, the show has it all. Over time, Pokémon became a household name with millions of fans worldwide. Following the popularity of the Pokémon TV show, many movies, toys, books, and a dedicated Pokémon store in Japan, were launched. The franchise also began experimenting with the spin-off video games, namely Pokémon Snap and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon.

With movies, TV shows and video games, the Pokémon franchise already made a name for itself. But in the year 2016, the franchise took another leap to expand and launched an Augmented Reality (AR) game called Pokémon Go. This was a game that was never seen or played before which made it stand out. The game allows the player to catch Pokémons in the real world. Just imagine you are walking in your neighbourhood and you find a unique Pokémon outside your regular grocery store. How is that? This game encouraged players worldwide to be outside more, explore their locality and catch Pokémons in real life. From a teenager to an adult, everyone has been hooked on this game ever since it was launched. Along with catching Pokémons, the game also featured Team Rocket encounters and Gym Battles to keep the game engaging. However, Pokémon Go also caused unforeseeable incidents, and had major controversies worldwide regarding the safety of people.

It started from a dream and now it is an AR! Pokémon has surely come a long way. It is everywhere! It has always been a game more than just catching pocket monsters — it is an adventure, a discovery and a connection whether through a deck of cards or a smartphone. There is always something new in the world of Pokémon, and no wonder it is still popular among people of all ages even after 20 years of its arrival.