^My 21st birthday will be in December, the day after Christmas.
I actually got Blue version for my birthday back when I was in Kindergarten. Needless to say, Pokemon molded me into the gamer I am now. I went into the game not even knowing how to select a starter (my aunt chose Charmander for me, but I later found out I preferred Bulbasaur). Pokemon aided my reading, vocabulary, and problem-solving skills at that early age. Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone else arguing about the educational value of Pokemon.
Ok, enough rambling.