How influential was the franchise on your life?

[RR☆Oresama]

Okay. Like many of you guys, I was a huuuuuuge 90's kid. I grew up in a world with newfangled anime series such as Dragon Ball Z, the birth of the console wars which had resulted in the war between the Nintendo 64 and the PlayStation, Final Fantasy's so-called golden age, and don't forget, our beloved franchse, Pokémon.

Quite frankly, without Pokémon, I would have no interest in many of the things I do today. Without Pokémon, I would never really appreciate a good game and know what constitutes one. Without Pokémon, I would never be as artistic as I was. Ever. Without Pokémon, I would never really watch that much anime, as Pokémon and Card Captor Sakura. And as such, I would not know about Japanese culture, or even its language. I wouldn't even know what to take up in college if it weren't for Pokémon. Which is now game design.

I've been playing it ever since I was three. I have a whole slew of testaments, testimonies and tests of my fanboyism just to make sure I'll play it until the day I die. Pokémon has forever influenced my life, and it still will.

Oddly enough, unlike many of you who have played it through elementary, middle and high school, there weren't many insults targeted at me because of it. Pokémon has in fact, what made me make friends other than the fact that I took up Japanese and loved anime, and as such, learned how to draw it. Ken Sugimori's art style even leaked into my own, and I love it!

People have even come to me for advice just so they could get back into the fandom the same way they did decades ago. And as such, I am now a walking resource for all things Pokécentric. It actually helps, too, as some are still playing it through. I guess I actually inspire them to.

Pokémon has taught me not to become so jaded--its constant title of childish has made me childish myself. As such, I act like a kid, yet a kid who knows most of his responsibilities, and I do not become cynical as a result. Battling until the very end has taught me to continue doing things as long as I am still alive. And Pokémon had taught me to stay open-minded for the rest of my life.

So guys, how about you?​

 

[Tman]

It taught me how to read. I was a really slow learner before pokemon, but now when I got into I actually started to comprehend. Now I am an all advanced student! Pokemon also is still a huge part of my life taking hours away of my life I am proud to lose.

 

[Archenoth]

I was actually never allowed near Pokemon as a kid. (I was a 90s kid as well) So it never really had much of an effect on me at an early age, I actually had no interest in it. As I got older, it helped me accept my interests and become tolerant to pretty much everything.

I actually only became interested in Pokemon because of Smash Bros Melee... I had taken the time to learn how to use Pichu effectively. By the time Brawl rolled around, without Pichu on the roster, the little guy had kinda grown on me. So I did some searches on DeviantArt and Google for a suitable avatar to use that had Pichu. Damn, I was always a sucker for cute things, and that search was nothing short of adorable. The art style was also something that I liked. I tried to draw it a couple of times, and kept seeing references to Pokemon that I didn't get. I was interested, so I figured I'd try one of the games out so I could see if I could learn about it, but mainly so I could train a Pichu. I didn't know that the version I played didn't have Pichu in it... (Yellow)

But I loved it!

But I was also fearful of the reputation that Pokemon had at the time. So I kept it relatively secret. Little did I know how silly that was. It remained a guilty pleasure of mine for a long time before I finally switched my avatar on a forum I frequented to one of the Pichu pictures I had Google'd earlier. I was expecting nothing short of torches and pitchforks. People didn't seem to care. Though I did make an animated GIF file of a Pichu on fire from cropped frames of the Pikachu and Pichu short to anticipate the reaction. I posted it below for my curious readers.

I desired more, but I was confused by all the versions of the game, some people complained that everything in Pokemon was pretty much the same game. Unfortunately I believed it to be literal when I finished playing Yellow and started playing Leaf Green. (I started it because I read you could get Pichu in it) I read about breeding a bit and decided to try to get a Pichu using those means. LeafGreen was the first one I actually finished. The Sevii Islands were awesome! And also the first time I managed to get a Pichu.

By this time I was more than I little hooked, but I figured that all the games had identical layout, so I figured I'd try one of the spinoffs. Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time.
I liked roguelikes to begin with, so it was right up my alley. And I'm not gonna lie, man tears were shed at the end of that game. Though some would call it cliche, I hadn't played many games due to my previous restrictions and it was completely unexpected for me. It was supereffective!

I was still embarrassed about my interest, but over time that actually faded away as I learned about the other regions and played the other games. I began to mature a little. I discovered that maturity was not about what you happened to like, but about the responsibilities you had. I sympathized with many a person about things they liked that they were embarrassed about. Since I was lax, people would often tell me these things, and I would remain with a neutral disposition about whatever they happened to like. Because of my previous delusions about what people thought about me liking something.

The reason I call them delusions is because later, I made it to a post-secondary school. I realized that about 90% of the people there liked Pokemon. I was confused by this initially, but came to accept it when people would play it, talk about it, whatever. My view broadened. It turned out the only people that thought that Pokemon was shamelessly kiddish were from one of the following groups:

• Smug people who don't like cartoons at all
• Younger kids who believed anything not rated "M for mature" was a "horrible and kiddy game" (and of course they didn't want to be labeled "kiddy")
• Parents of kids who liked it when they were young.
• And Pokemon fans who convinced themselves that their parents were right about it because they liked it when they were young.
• Pokemon fans who were convinced by the previous group.

I enjoyed what I liked, and so did others. I realized that getting all up in arms about someone liking something is a waste of time and a mark of immaturity. I put all bias behind me, and grew confident about what I enjoyed. Not marking it as anything other than an interest. My interest. I grew confident in this, and I noticed a few things... If you aren't embarrassed about something, chances are, neither will others. This certainly applies to a lot more than just Pokemon. Also, confidence is the best way to get people to like you. I have literally no enemies right now, plenty of friends, and massive quantities of acquaintances. I gained a new outlook, and people look up to me for it. It's something that I would not have realized had I never been interested in what I was, Pokemon.

tl;dr - Pokemon gave me a new outlook and disposition, gained me friends, respect, trust, and has overall, as corny as it sounds, made me a better person.

 

[Zeffy]

Apparently influential enough that I went to the internet and looked for a like-minded group of people to whom I can talk to about without feeling bad about myself.

 

[Bayrock]

Just this week my younger brother was hounding me to get season 1 of Pokémon for him, and eventually I began to think it was a pretty good idea too.
I had gotten quite involved with 4th Generation competitive battling and breeding a few years back.

So, once push came to shove I ended up with 14gb worth of Poké fun on my Xbox 360.

I never expected that I'd love it so much, just because I can remember waking up to see them every morning as a kid.

In the end, it's brought me to these forums, and also got me to put some effort back into Pokémon in general.
Now I've started a new game on Black, and have already made it quite far.
I have also completed around 3,500 soft resets on Heartgold, in hopes of obtaining a nice shiny to add to my upcoming Trade Shop.


Overall, Pokémon is a good thing.
​

- Bayrock

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

The franchise itself didn't change my life on its own, but being a Pokemon fan at such an influential age certainly did a number on me; without Pokemon, I probably wouldn't have adventured on the internet to the same extent as I did, whether it be looking for people to talk to, or for tips on how to get out of the Rock Tunnel or something. Sure, I'd have found out about some of the stuff now eventually, but Pokemon facilitated my internet development, leading me to this place which, in turn, did a number on me as a person. But that's another story.

 

[Overlord Drakow]

It influenced me a fair amount. I spent a lot of time on the game boy games and the TCG too, which formed my interests at an early age and it's part of why I'm still into video games and card games now.

 

[Keitaro]

I never cared for the Internet much until I came across an old java IRC Pokemon chat room, that lead me to using the Internet on a daily basis. I wouldn't say it has influenced me in itself though because I'm sure any other interest could've had the same impact given a different scenario, but it has lead me to meeting some really great people along the way.

 

[BrainDamage]

the simplest way I can put it: Pokemon has and forever will represent one of the facets of my personality. Even when I think I've forgotten it, it leaks through. Still got a soft spot for the franchise

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

I'd have to say it had a pretty big influence. I bought 11 games in the franchise, currently obsess over a playable trainer character (and hopefully you know who she is by now), and spent two years of my life writing a story based on my own Pokemon trainer creation. I've spent countless hours playing and replaying the games, posting about Pokemon on sites like this, and filled my computer with fanarts of my fave trainers. Really, my life would be totally different if Pokemon wasn't a part of it.

 

[cappayne]

Time is really the only way Pokemon has affected me. I'm not engaged in other animes or Japanese culture. I didn't draw because of it, and I knew how to read before the first games came out. Heck, in 1998, a Charizard card got you the girl. Imagine that. When I was in elementary school, and even high school, it was normal for people to show up with a gameboy and play during recess, or even class (we had a crew in my grade 11 Math class).

For me, Pokemon has just made me have a much larger imagination, and has helped me be positive about things, I.E. If I have the strength to continue on after losing my beloved Pokes in a Nuzlocke, I have the strength to finish this essay. Stuff like that.

 

[Bika]

It was a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE influence on my life. I met my best friend through Pokemon, and it's helped me bond with lots of people. Not a day goes by where I don't do something Pokemon related.

 

[Outkin]

I've lost a friend and made a friend because of it, but otherwise it's but mostly a privite way to eat up my time.

 

[Mr. Magius]

Quite frankly, without Pokémon, I would have no interest in many of the things I do today. Without Pokémon, I would never really appreciate a good game and know what constitutes one. Without Pokémon, I would never be as artistic as I was. Ever. Without Pokémon, I would never really watch that much anime, as Pokémon and Card Captor Sakura. And as such, I would not know about Japanese culture, or even its language. I wouldn't even know what to take up in college if it weren't for Pokémon. Which is now game design.

That's basically the same thing for me. Pokémon gave me knowledge of what the great mechanics are of a video game: designs, storylines, graphics, etc. And I used to draw Pokémon all the time, which helped out a lot in the artistic.
Pokémon actually really influenced how good my spelling and grammar is.

Although Pokémon games are aimed just for the fun of playing them, they really are educational.

 

[Jellicent♀]

Oh gosh, you have noooooooo idea.

Pokemon is big in my life. I never really had friends growing up. At all. Ever. maybe an acquaintance that would let me play tag out of pity, but I was always the butt of a joke around school. I was the one the school picked on (since we always had such few people), I was the one being bullied more than anything, and I was the one always invited to parties because people felt sorry for me.

So when my mom gave me my first Pokemon game when I was five, it was amazing. I loved it. Traveling around the country with cute little pets that loved me unconditionally, I was ecstatic. Finally something liked me, whether it was artificial intelligence or not, I thought of Pokemon as my friends. They were my friends even before I started high school. I would look forward to seeing and playing with my Pokemon everyday.

After I finally made a significant amount of friends in high school, I thought I would lose my love for it, but I never did, and through my love fr it, I met other people there who I could play Pokemon with. Finally, instead of being made fun of for playing, I was finally thought of as "cool". So, since then I've always thought of Pokemon as my friends, as childish and immature and as stupid as that may sound, I'm proud of it. Pokemon helped me feel confident, and I owe a lot to this franchise.

 

[rhycochet]

the games have been around since i was in 5-6th grade, i believe...and since then, it's pretty much one of those very rare series of games that i always get upon release.

the anime, not so much. i watched it when i was little and occasionally catch it on TV if i happen to come upon it channel-surfing.

 

[Yoshikko]

Pretty influential, more people at school played it when I was younger, and I think I started because I saw my cousin playing it, and because I watched the anime of course. But uhh, as far as positive goes, it was also influential in the sense that I learned how people judge you on the things you like or do which yeah, left its marks.

 

[Mr. Mammoth]

Well, I love Pokémon. Or, I just don't love it. I LOVE it. Pokémon has been my everything fo the majority of my life. I don't come from an English-speaking country (which is evident sometimes, but that's beside the point) so when I got my first Pokémon game, I couldn't for the love of me understand it. I didn't understand what the attacks meant, I didn't understand what the NPCs said. I didn't understand a thing language-vise. But I still played it, I still loved it to death. I watched the anime too, which was translated into my native language, and there they also translated the attacks. So I put one and one together and started to learn English by understanding the attack-names of the moves!

But not only did I just play the games and watch the anime, no, no. I actually used to go around in my yard, battling fictional Pokémon like it was my job. This helped me develop my creativity which sort of forwarded my way of thinking. If that makes any sense whatsoever.

Now, when I grew up as a little kid, everyone was crazy about Pokémon. We played, traded cards with each other, bragged about rare figurines that no one else seemed to have and so on. But as I became older, my friends stopped caring about Pokémon, labelling it as "childish" or "stupid". Now, I could see this development, so I hid the fact that I still liked Pokémon. Eventually, I moved up into fourth grade where i was bullied for some time. It was extremely painful for me, and I hated every second of it! The only thing keeping me somewhat happy was the fact that when I got home from school I could play Pokémon. The little critters helped me through bullying, they made me stronger in a sense. They at least kept me from breaking down completely.

Pokémon is, and will always be one of my favourite video game franchises.

I truly love this stuff.

 

[Micro SD]

Very, very influential. Even years after the original craze died down, Pokemon influenced a lot of how I think and act. I remember the original series and how Ash progressed thru his journey and how it made me want to travel places. The games kept drawing me back to keep playing them. I've spent countless weeks just focused on Pokemon. Even now in college, I love it and even went and bought my first cards in years a few weeks ago. And nowdays, surpisingly, I make more friends because of it. Without Pokemon, I could easily say I'd be very different.

 

[Dragonmage]

Pokemon shaped my entire childhood (which will probably never end, so my whole life). Pokemon is my life, and I can't listen to the old songs without getting choked up. Although it causes me a lot of ridicule, I love it. Pokemon isn't just a hobby, or game, but a way of life. It's MY way of life.