I have been thinking a lot about my childhood lately. The exact cause for that? I’m not sure. I guess, as I’m moving through my early 30s, I am more cognizant of my life and the way gaming has shaped it than ever before. Maybe I’m working through trauma and focusing on the good parts more than ever, who knows? Of course, I’ve always known how important Pokemon, specifically Pokemon Yellow, is to me, but looking back and looking at where I am now, I think I’ve undersold it more often than not.
Like many at my age, I grew up alongside Pokemon. I received Pokemon Yellow and a Game Boy Advance for Christmas when I was very little, which is the only Christmas I remember. It was my Christmas miracle, if we’re to get a little cliché about it. I have no idea how my mother afforded it back then or how she made it happen. I don’t want to get too involved in that aspect of my life, but I grew up severely poor. Poverty lingers no matter how much you distance yourself from it; to this day, I know I have some bad habits and hobbies that come from all the ways that poverty shaped my childhood. But, in all that hardship, video games were my escape, and video games shaped my childhood and life, too. Now, that doesn’t mean games should or can only be escapism, but I understand escapism more than most.
Pokemon Yellow was my escape. I remember spending hours and hours playing it. I remember using it to learn to read, as I would exercise every skill taught to me in Kindergarten and first grade (ish), in the game. I’m sure my comprehension was still developing because I remember the first time I faced the Elite Four. I thought, as I lost to one of them, that I had to start the whole game over…not just the Elite Four. Eventually, somewhere along the way, I did beat the game. I’ve kept this physical cartridge ever since, and that’s important to note, too.
Pokemon Yellow survived every time I would trade games in at GameStop for new games, and Pokemon Yellow survived when I was forced to sell other Pokemon games. Pokemon Yellow survived the fire that destroyed my home in middle school, it has survived several life moves, it has survived going to college, it has survived marriage and three kids, and it has survived for 25ish years of my life. I keep it close at all times because it is easily one of the most treasured items of my life.
Every time I think about this period, I of course think about the strengths of my single, disabled mother in providing for me as a child to the absolute best of her ability. I think about the fact that Pokemon Yellow was vital in my ability to read at higher levels from a young age. I think about how it kick-started a lifelong love of the Pokemon franchise, to the point that I’ve played every mainline game, most spinoff games, and have a Pokemon tattoo (Totodile, my love, and of course I want more). What I have less attributed to it over the years is everything that followed: the friends I made along the way, the passion it inspired in me for video games, and the ways I have involved Pokemon in my life and my children’s.
I mean, just look at this fella.
Pokemon on the School Bus
I don’t make friends easily, and unfortunately, that trait is true of my childhood and my adult life. Pokemon was very important in making friends when I was young. A school bus is the best place to see the evolution of Pokemon games. In elementary school, a handful of us were nerds playing Pokemon games near each other. This, of course, was probably just before gaming was considered cooler (and I hope it is considered cool in schools today? I dunno). One of them I am still friends with today, and of course, one kid would show up with a link cable. That was the best. This evolved over time from Game Boys and the earlier games to the Nintendo DS, 3DS, and 2DS, at least in my time. In high school, I would make another friend, and a series of Pokemon battles would commence over the years because we were rivals. It was, to the point, that I still name some of my in-game rivals after him.
I look back fondly on that era of my life. We only allowed each other one legendary in most competitions, which meant that he countered my Latios with Darkrai, and I countered his Darkrai with Yanmega. We don’t battle as often today, though we’ve discussed it several times and with all major releases, because we’re both adults with tons of responsibilities. Still, the nostalgia is there, and my high school rival and my childhood friend through Pokemon are still in my life. I guess, because this happened over years with essentially every Pokemon game, that I never really thought about how Pokemon Yellow made this all possible. If it weren’t for that unlikely Christmas miracle, I may never have enjoyed video games as much as I did and do, and I may have never used them to bond with others. I guess, in the adult years of my life, I miss this.
Anyone else remember the GameShark? Ah. Good times.
Pokemon Yellow Was My First Love
I guess we’re sticking with clichés, but it’s true: Pokemon Yellow was the first video game love of my life. Looking back, I am curious as to why my young mind never wanted to become a game developer. I stumbled into Game Rant while pursuing a degree in English, which I mean, developing reading skills through Pokemon Yellow to a love of literature is a pretty obvious path. But still, it’s curious. Where I come from, with the limited access to the internet I had, maybe it just never dawned on me that I could work in a field I loved. Maybe, for at least a portion of my life, I just wanted to keep the greatest hobby in the world to myself for leisure. I dunno.
But what I do know is that I love video games. I know that video games got me through the hardest parts of my life. I had Pokemon Yellow as I learned to navigate a world that didn’t want me. I had World Destruction League: Thunder Tanks when I faced hunger pangs every day. I had Runescape when I was bullied as a child. I had Assassin’s Creed to stoke my love of history. I had Dragon Age: Origins as I was learning who I am. I had God of War Ragnarok when I lost my grandfather, the most influential man in my life.
I’ve had a job every single day of my life since I was 16, and no matter how little I was paid, I would put some money from my check on a pre-order for an upcoming game. The GameStop guys used to expect me like clockwork. I always wanted to play the next game; the premium game pipeline, in the age of forever games like Roblox, is the pipeline I prefer. I love constantly seeing the visions and worlds of others through their video games. Yes, yes, I work in games media and partially this is required of us, but I did it before I worked here and I’ll do it after. I’ll do it as long as a premium game pipeline exists. To play everything I can is my real test; to explore them is my cause. Okay, sorry. Sorry. Maybe that’s why I struggle making friends.
But would I have loved any game as much as I do if Pokemon Yellow didn’t kickstart it all?
Pokemon in My Late 20s and 30s
I was a lost, lonely kid when I received Pokemon Yellow, one asked to bear too much responsibility, one who had to become a man much earlier than I was prepared. When I think about my childhood, it is often about the lack thereof. I could write checks before I was in fourth grade. I could fix busted water pipes before I was pre-teen. But, maybe the childhood I really had—the one I still nurture to this day—is in video games. That’s probably a bit too romanticizing of the situation because I am an adult now and I played more than Pokemon, but it’s nice seeing this through line, this consistency, in my life, even when I had none.
Over time, obtaining games (Pokemon or otherwise) has become easier (despite the current economy making sure that it isn’t without some challenge). I don’t have to save $5 bucks out of every check now, walk into GameStop, and slowly put money on pre-orders. I’ve managed to obtain a Totodile tattoo. Heck, I even reviewed Pokemon Sword and Shield on the Switch, which young me wouldn’t fully believe if I told him. My wife and I still get into, and out of, Pokemon GO every few years. I’ve ensured Pokemon was a part of my children’s lives, playing Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! with my oldest when he was young. His favorite Pokemon is still, despite having played all the new ones and some of the older ones, Bulbasaur. That’s how you know he’s a good kid. I’ve worked hard, ever since he was born, to ensure my kids had none of the hardships I did, but I guess, in so many ways, I’ve ensured they’ve had the good parts too.
My favorite Pokemon, if I had to pick two, are Totodile and Yanmega.
And with Pokemon Legends: Z-A and Pokemon Gen 10 (presumably) around the corner, I don’t see this love and influence in my life dying anytime soon.
And, I guess, that brings us to the conclusion, as to why I am even writing this. I keep thinking about my childhood, and it keeps going back to how Pokemon and video games were the only consistent factor I had. Consistency, when in poverty, is a beautiful thing. Pokemon Yellow, a Christmas miracle, made this all possible. It gave me escapes, it gave me ways to experience emotions I struggled (and still struggle) with, and it gave me consistency. I’ll play every Pokemon game that comes out ever, as I endeavor to play as many games as I can in this life, and this consistency brings me excitement for my 30s, 40s, and however long I may live. And I dunno. That makes me feel better about my childhood, about my life to this point.