I’m probably revealing way too much about myself here, but I have to admit something. As embarrassing as it is, I never played Pokémon as a kid. No cards, no Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow games for the Nintendo Game Boy Color, no live action role-play in the backyard — none of it.
I was such a nerd, I didn’t even do what nerds did. I read old books over and over and did math workbooks for fun. I had a Game Boy, though. I played Tetris on it. I was aware of Pokémon; it was a worldwide phenomenon so I couldn’t exactly remain oblivious. But for whatever reason, I avoided the craze.
Recently I’ve become aware of just why it was so addictive. A certain person (who shall remain anonymous) gave me his old copy of “Pokémon: Blue Version” as a way to pass the time, and I can with some legitimacy, blame him for what has turned into a full-fledged addiction.
So I’ve taken a brief break from my now consuming pastime to wonder, why is it that Pokémon is as addictive and popular as it is? It’s lasted generations, and it never seems to lose any steam. While playing last week outside the bookstore, at least three people stopped to tell me how jealous they were that I was wasting away beneath the sun, Game Boy in hand.
Junichi Masuda, one of the founding designers of the game, thinks it’s due to the accessibility. The games don’t require a class in programming, or absurdly high eye-thumb coordination.
“Anyone can pick up and play the game without feeling overwhelmed,” he told 1up.com. And, of course, there’s the comfort of the familiar.
“Countless hours can be spent exploring the game world to find every last, rare Pokémon,” says gaming expert Justin Haywood of 1up.com. “There’s a great deal of comfort in familiarity and repetition.”
And of course we all know it to be true. Why do most of us order the same thing at every Mexican restaurant, or love the smell of Mom’s house or the feel of an old blanket? It’s because it’s safe, it isn’t new, and new can be scary.
Why have I spent 40 hours of the last week trying to catch em’ all when I have two 15-page research papers due in a couple of weeks? Well, OK, procrastination and laziness are factors, but it’s also because there’s something undeniably satisfying in the sound that Charmelon makes when he evolves into Charizard, even if you’ve already leveled up 50 Pokémon before him. The ease of the remembered — the relief of assured success.
Pokémon, I am sorry I missed you in my formative years, but I promise I’ll be around from now on.
Catch the columnist at alesha.rimmelin@asu.edu
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