20 years of Pokémon – The birth of the license
Pokemon is the fruit of the spirit of Satoshi Tajiriborn August 28, 1965 in TokyoAt Japan. Tajiri has been a true insect enthusiast since he was very young, and this passion even has a name, it’s calledentomologyAs a teenager, he discovered a new passion: arcade machines and video games.
This is how in the 80s he created the magazine with friends Game Freakwhich later became a video game development company. If this name is surely not unfamiliar to you, it is because it is this company that has been developing Pokémon video games for Nintendo And The Pokémon Company.
Legend has it that upon discovering the Game Boy and its link cable in 1991, Tajiri imagined insects walking on the famous Link Cables and that’s how Pokémon was born. While this can be quite disturbing, especially for those who don’t particularly like insects, it is nonetheless this vision and passion for these little creatures that gave life to Pokemonso stop mistreating ants and think about it the next time you start a Pokéball !
The first games Pokemon were released in Japan on February 27, 199620 years ago, with the versions Red And Greenthen shortly after, the version Blue which was for our Japanese friends, an improved version of the first ones. USA (1998) and in Europe (1999), only versions Red And Blue were released, with the Green version remaining a Japanese exclusive. While Pokémon had a timid start in Japan for a short period of time before becoming an integral part of Japanese culture, it was an immediate success in Europe and North America. It didn’t take long for people around the world to hear about Pokémaniawhich was the source of many reports and articles in the media, but also of much concern among parents as the phenomenon was so significant among children. Today, between the main games and the derivative games, it is not far from 75 Pokemon games all combined, on all platforms, in all countries that can be counted!
It wasn’t long before the card game (CCG) makes its appearance, an impressive success since its beginnings, which still does not let up with its significant number ofextensions and a multitude of playing and collectible cards. With the video gamethe card game is also represented at international competitions and has its share of enthusiasts. It is also interesting to note that not all fans of card games, particularly on a competitive level, are necessarily fans of consoleand vice versa. In any case, whether it is collection or competition, the JCC seems to still have good days ahead in front of him.
THE cartoon appeared almost from the beginning, account It also has its share of fans, even if the animated series is often criticized for being too childish and often out of step with the experience. video game. Which has the effect of conveying to the general public a very reductive image of the Pokémon universe in the eyes of many. The anime Pokemon Today it is a good twenty movies or TV movies, and more 18 seasons for the series! Almost every time, we will find Sacha and his various traveling companions, in adventures that rely more on the heartstrings than on a faithful representation of the video game adventures. In any case, the anime Pokemon continue to interest many people to this day!
There are countless number of toys And goodies of all kinds, the most popular of which remain the famous Pokémon Center which is mainly found in Japan. With approximately 250 to 300 million of games sold worldwide to date, Pokemon has long since become an essential license in the world of video games, widely integrated into popular culture. It is unlikely that today you will come across a person who does not know Pikachuthe first ambassador of this vast universe, star of many variations of the franchise.
Today, Pokemon It’s thousands of fans around the world, enthusiast sites galore, communities everywhere, you can find derivative products in many stores, international competitions take place every year, managed by The Pokémon Company via the program Play!Pokémon. Pokémon is one of those games that have become cult and intergenerational, it is not uncommon to see big children who have become adults, sharing their passion with the youngest. The advent of the internet has brought a real plus to the license, especially on the versions Black And White (5th generation) and more particularly with the versions X And Y (6th generation) who have been able to take great advantage of the potential provided by the family’s portable consoles DS And 3DSabandoning the concept of cable linkfor wireless (infrared and wifi). The Pokémon Company, which manages the operation of Pokémon games, also provides players with free websites such as the Pokémon Global Link (Video games) or the TCG On Line (JCC card game), allowing you to play online from your console or computer/tablet. While Nintendo don’t hesitate to support events like the Pokémon Daya kind of big Pokémon mass where many fans come together around their passion during crazy days supported by the Japanese firm.
English speaking sites like Pokémon Showdown allow the most zealous strategists to fine-tune their best teams in detail, almost effortlessly, by generating on the emulator Pokemon to test their strategies in real conditions before starting thebreeding (“breeding”) on console. Other French-speaking sites like Pokétools allow you to create and prepare teams online, and to keep their details complete before starting, with several tools to better visualize the potential final result. Some enthusiasts even take the experience to the point of creating their own games. Pokemon on the computer, in order to reinvent the universe of this almost limitless game. The list of everything we could talk about around Pokémon is long, very long and we do not claim to list everything that is done around this license, but you will have understood, the “Pokémon” universe is today very vast and very varied.
Even if Pokemon Although it still has a childish image that sticks to its skin, the original recipe of Pokémon (a young person who decides to go on an adventure to discover the world) continues to seduce or win back many players and it seems that the 722 Pokémon known to date still have good days ahead of them, so much the better!
As the professor says Chen : Welcome to the magical world of Pokemon !
