The Evolution of Pokemon
Pokémon has been one of my favorite video game series since I first bought a Game Boy
Pocket in 1998. At the time, I was the key demographic Pokémon targeted, and I fell for it
entirely. As I have matured as a gamer, I have kept up on the series and seen it evolve from
Pokémon Red and Blue to the most recent Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. I consider myself quite
knowledgeable on the subject, which was one of the reasons I picked it for my paper. Actually, I
conceived the idea of writing a paper describing the economic system behind Pokémon months
ago, and my current product is a more feasible extension of that idea. I also wanted a topic which
was original and different from the common ―violence in video games‖ or ―sex in video games‖
ideas. Writing the paper itself was surprisingly easy once started. Most of the research material
came from actual published materials in the library, and gameplay information was taken from a
combination of experience and revisiting Pokémon stadium, a branch off of the portable games
for the Nintendo 64. Organizationally, the paper was written from a chonological standpoint: the
idea, the product, and the product‘s effect. In my revision, I added visual evidence to try and
strengthen some of my points. I am quite happy with the final product.
One of the interesting finds in the research was how much academic work has gone into
understanding the Pokémon phenomenon. Entire chapters, papers, and even one whole book
were dedicated to explaining the series‘ popularity. Also, Pokémon was not seen as a just a pure
video game but the extensions into TV and movies were also important considerations when
trying to figure out the franchise‘s unique qualities. The paper also required research into
American and Japanese culture, an unexpected turn during the drafting stages. This also led to
some hiccups as attempts to compare Pokémon to earlier Japanese fads like Hello Kitty were not
2
Pocket in 1998. At the time, I was the key demographic Pokémon targeted, and I fell for it
entirely. As I have matured as a gamer, I have kept up on the series and seen it evolve from
Pokémon Red and Blue to the most recent Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. I consider myself quite
knowledgeable on the subject, which was one of the reasons I picked it for my paper. Actually, I
conceived the idea of writing a paper describing the economic system behind Pokémon months
ago, and my current product is a more feasible extension of that idea. I also wanted a topic which
was original and different from the common ―violence in video games‖ or ―sex in video games‖
ideas. Writing the paper itself was surprisingly easy once started. Most of the research material
came from actual published materials in the library, and gameplay information was taken from a
combination of experience and revisiting Pokémon stadium, a branch off of the portable games
for the Nintendo 64. Organizationally, the paper was written from a chonological standpoint: the
idea, the product, and the product‘s effect. In my revision, I added visual evidence to try and
strengthen some of my points. I am quite happy with the final product.
One of the interesting finds in the research was how much academic work has gone into
understanding the Pokémon phenomenon. Entire chapters, papers, and even one whole book
were dedicated to explaining the series‘ popularity. Also, Pokémon was not seen as a just a pure
video game but the extensions into TV and movies were also important considerations when
trying to figure out the franchise‘s unique qualities. The paper also required research into
American and Japanese culture, an unexpected turn during the drafting stages. This also led to
some hiccups as attempts to compare Pokémon to earlier Japanese fads like Hello Kitty were not
2
Cited: "Gameplay of Pokémon." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 26 Nov. 2009. Goad, Libe. Time Magazine 's Cover - November 22, 1999 Issue. Digital image. Gamedaily.com. 10 June 1999. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. Graft, Kris Gamasutra - The Art & Business of Making Games. 14 Aug. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2009. Kelts, Roland. Japanamerica How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007 Pub., 2001. Print. IN: BradyGames, 2005. Print. New York, N.Y: Universe Pub., Distributed to the U.S. trade by St. Martin 's, 2002. Print. Newman, James. Videogames (Routledge Introductions to Media and Communications). New York: Routledge, 2004 "POKEMON: THE MOVIE (1999): ChildCare Action Project (CAP) Media Analysis Report MAR14399." ChildCare Action Project (CAP): Christian Analysis of American Culture. 14 Mar. 1999. Web. 26 Nov. 2009. Pokémon Airplane. Digital image. Imageshack. 08 Jan. 2008. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. Pokémon Game Screenshots. Digital image. Bulk.Destructoid.com. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. Feb. 1999. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. "Satoshi Tajiri - Gamehiker Wiki." Main Page - Gamehiker Wiki. 10 Sept. 2007. Web. 26 Nov.