GeekGirlCon Blog

Gotta Catch ‘Em All!

Today’s blog post comes from Jaden Blazier, a GeekGirlCon copywriter intern. Jaden shares her love for all-things-Pokémon!

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted nothing more than to live in a world where Pokémon exist. Pokémon, arguably the most amazing media franchise in existence, has truly sculpted me into the person that I am today. It all started with Pokémon Yellow for the Nintendo Gameboy Color, a role-playing game based in a fantastical world occupied by “Pocket Monsters,” or “Pokémon.” There is one simple goal: to become a Pokémon Master by catching them all!

At the time, I couldn’t appreciate the game for much more than the cute little critters and colorful Pokémon battles, but that simple fascination evolved into so much more. I began playing new versions of the game, collecting the trading cards, the plastic figures, the stuffed animals, and watching the anime — and to this date Pokémon is still my favorite show. Other kids my age seemed to be following a similar path, though maybe one a little less obsessive than mine… One of my greatest accomplishments was the memorization of all 151 first-generation Pokémon in numerical order!

By the time we reached grade 5, Pokémon was no longer considered “cool.” The trading cards and daily episodes became a thing of the past as other fads pushed it aside. New generations of Pokémon continued to be created, but as the new additions of monsters and characters became less and less personable, the popular love for Pokémon began to vanish. “That stuff is for little kids!” they would say, but I didn’t care. My love was unending; I never stopped my quest to collect them all.

Grade 9 was the year of the release of the latest games in the series: Pokémon Black and Pokémon White. At that point, it was uncommon to see people playing handheld gaming devices at school, but there seemed to be a unanimous exception made after the release of the games. This was when everyone finally swallowed their pride and gave up on trying to hide it. Pretty much every person had a copy. The idea that Pokémon was “uncool” was all a façade. It no longer mattered what social status someone held or what part of town they came from, Pokémon was appreciated and embraced. It brought us all together as it once did when we were little children.

I have to admit, I never actually played Pokémon Black or White, but I did continue to play my favorite versions of the game. It was such a relief to be able to express my obsession for Pokémon without being judged! And once everyone had completed the main quests in Black and White, the level of Pokémon talk throughout my age group never quite faded. It became trendy to play older versions of Pokémon. People used to pass notes or secretly text during class, but now it is not uncommon to find a high school student playing Pokémon Blue or Red under their desk with a Gameboy Color. This entire experience shows that one little game has brought our age group together. Pokémon has wiggled its way into the hearts of an entire generation, and may never leave.

Some find it difficult to understand why the game is such a big deal to the people of my age-group. Even as a high-school geek and Pokémon enthusiast, I still can’t truly explain it. There is no better feeling than leveling up your Pokémon and raising them as your own. It gets to a point where the Pokémon are no longer just video game characters — they become your best friends. It may sound strange, but Pokémon has arguably been the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and the people around me. I believe that setting outstanding goals for yourself is the only way to achieve greatness. That determination is replicated in the  quest to become a Pokémon Master.

I would highly recommend picking up a Gameboy and giving it a go—it’s a simple way to leave your troubles behind and get sucked into the addictive world of Pokémon. See if you could “Catch ‘Em All!”

Jaden Blazier, whose name originated from an episode of Star Trek, is a copy intern for GeekGirlCon. A high school student, she focuses on celebrating each day as a holiday of its own. Her love of animals is expressed through her many pets — most named after characters from her favorite video games, such as Kirby the Chinchilla. She has a stark fondness for board games, elephants, and, of course, Pokémon.

Guest Contributor
“Rock On!”