I still remember the days in 3rd and 4th grade, while on the ride home from school on the bus all these kids would huddle around and start trading Pokémon cards. I had no clue as to what was happening, so I went home and found a Pokémon VHS (Yes, they still existed back then!) from my neighbor’s movie rack and decided to watch it. Granted it really didn’t help much in understanding why people kept trading cards, but I definitely felt more in the loop with the mention of Magicarp and Charmander.
It is now about 10 years later and the world of Pokémon has hit iPhones everywhere! Interestingly enough, there are more 20-year-olds running about looking for Pokémon in various side streets than there are 10-year-olds. While watching the UEFA Final (Shoutout to my boy Ronaldo even if he only played 7 minutes of the game) at Buffalo Wild Wings, I managed to catch a Pidgey in my friend’s plate of food. And at the library, I found both Venonat and Spearow just chilling on my stack of MCAT books. To be frank though, I think they were enjoying reading those books a lot more than I was. Even my daily texts and snapchats have turned into clues to finding Pokémon at different places in the neighborhood. One of my friends spent the night driving around town with her brother looking for Pokéstops and another was sending me pictures of all the nerds on campus looking for these various stops.
Our generation has probably seen and adapted to change the quickest. We started with AAA maps during road trips and now we use the GPS on our cell phones to travel even five miles. This game is the epitome of that change. From trading cards to Gameboys to cellphones, Pokémon continues to evolve with our generation.
I might be an amateur player, but even I enjoy finding Squirtle in my bathtub. The game’s ease in playing despite actual knowledge of Pokémon is what makes it so appealing. We can play is anywhere and since we always have our phone, we gotta catch ‘em all.
If you’re still not convinced that this game is for you, here’s 3 more reasons why
1. You can be in the loop when all your friends are discussing the Pokémon they have.
Everyone wants to know that conversation is about; I mean that’s why I even watched the show back in the elementary school. You also get to learn names of all these different Pokémon even if you can’t figure out what they actually do.
2. You never know what Pokémon to expect or where to expect them.
You could very well just be walking down the street to a friend’s house and pick up four along the way.
3. It’s a lot of fun
Let’s face it; reliving childhood games is a lot of fun.
