Earlier this month, Nintendo announced that in line with one of its most popular franchise's 20-year anniversary, the newest installment of the Pokémon series would be released later this year: "Pokémon Sun" and "Pokémon Moon." Being the first entirely "new" games since "Pokémon X" and "Pokémon Y," these new titles, playable on the 3DS platform, will feature customizable player characters, a new Pokémon region to explore and dozens of new Pokémon to collect and train!
Now, I, for one, am extremely excited for the new release. Being 19 years old, and having been a Pokémon fanatic since the age of 2, there's a pretty good chance I will preorder the games. Even today, I'm working on perfecting my team in the remakes of "Ruby" and "Sapphire." My trusty Dugtrio, affectionately referred to as Snoop Digg, leads my team to victory.
He's tougher than he looks.
Though it's just a game, I've grown tremendously as a person because of Pokémon. Growing up alongside the series, it helped me with my reading and problem-solving skills, not to mention the boost it gave me in social development. I met my childhood best friends through Pokémon, I bonded with my current best friends through Pokémon and I have no doubts that I will bond with future friends over these games. But as excited as I am for the continuation of Pokémon, I'm especially thrilled that a new generation of children will be able to experience the exhilaration and satisfaction of becoming a Pokémon master.
I still remember the excitement of unwrapping a purple GameBoy Color and a copy of "Pokémon Red" for my third birthday. I played it almost nonstop. I can't even begin to imagine how many double-A batteries I burned through on the road to being "the very best like no one ever was." But it paid off as I defeated the Elite Four and the Champion, and much to the dismay of my in-game rival, I did indeed become "the very best." I continued to be grossly involved in the Pokémon series, investing both time and money into each new title to continue my reign as Pokémon Master. And now, 20 years later, a new generation of children is given the opportunity to become "the very best."
With the release of Pokémon's newest titles, children will defeat an evil organization, learn to utilize the power of friendship to befriend creatures, use this power of friendship to trade with real-world friends in order to complete their Pokédex and ultimately, become this new region's Pokémon Champion. A new generation of children is given the chance to ask themselves, "Do you have the skills to be number one?" A new generation of children is given the ultimate dilemma: Which of the three starter Pokémon do I choose? With the release of "Sun" and "Moon," a new dawn of Pokémon fans is about to begin.
