I will never forget getting a little green Gameboy color and Pokémon Blue for my fifth Christmas. It was the day that for me, marked the start of my lifelong appreciation for the series. I remember starting off with Squirtle because I thought he looked "so cool!" I made many memories with that game, ultimately moving up to each new game as it came out. Fast forward fifteen years, and I’m still playing the games that I cherish so much.

I now find myself wondering what it is about this series of games that I love so much. There are so many reasons why I still play these games, and why I will keep playing them.

I Want To Be The Very Best

If that phrase doesn’t ring a bell to you and you’re under the age of thirty, you haven’t lived a life worth living.

The Dream Team

With over 700 fighting creatures to choose from, it’s a difficult choice. As a kid I was always fascinated with the idea of creating a team that mirrored what I saw on TV. I had to have all the starters from a specific region and then fill in the blanks later. I wanted to be Ash. I’m pretty sure we all did at one point, though.

So. Many. Games.

It seems like Nintendo will never stop milking the powerhouse that is the Pokémon franchise. It seems like every year they come out with at least one new game. As long as they keep making these games, I’ll keep throwing my dollars at them. All I ask is that they finally give us a remake for the beloved Pokémon Snap!

Weird is Good

Every generation of Pokemon brings with it the good, the bad, and the really weird. I don’t really know what they were thinking when they came out the keychain creature that is Klefki, but I’ll admit that it’s pretty cool, albeit really strange.

Pokémon Trainer= Life Goals

I will never stop dreaming about being a trainer and Pokémon being real. Until that dream comes to fruition, I’ll stick to playing the games and obtaining my level one hundred Magikarp, watching as it splashes around, decimating everything in its path.