Pokemon: A Love Story
I’ll never forget the day I held my very first Blue version in my hand. I had waited eight long years for something to challenge me, something to pursue with the utmost passion, something to complete me. I unwrapped my Gameboy color first, it was from my Dad. It came with a Mario Bros. game, a respectable title, yet it would be dwarfed in comparison to the epicness that was about to be unveiled. My older brother Dustin, bless his heart, knew exactly what to get me. Don’t misunderstand, I was beyond stoked to recieve my Gameboy from Dad, you should have seen little Maxwell light up at such a prize. But nothing could prepare me or my family what came after. Gameboy games came in square cardboard boxes then, about five times the size of the game itself. You always knew when you were getting a Gameboy game for Christmas/Birthdays. But on this day, I was entirely green, I could not anticipate what was in the square shaped wrapping paper, because in my mind, surely it could not be better than a Gameboy. 
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My poor Grandmother must have thought the box contained something dead my brother had put in there to scare me, because I shrieked so loud everyone else jumped, and she had a mixed look of terror and confusion on her face. Seeing I had startled everyone, I had to reassure them.
“Look, I got Pokemon!!!!…..and it’s Blue!” I proudly hoisted my newly acquired Holy Grail into the air, waiting to have praises showered upon me, songs of the greatest birthday to ever be celebrated, waited for my family to stare in awe of Pokemon: Blue Version.
Mostly everyone just said, “What the hell is Pokemon?” and continued eating their cake and wishing me happy birthday. In an instant I got over the adults apathy and asked my Dad for two double A batteries, I had no time to waste. Max was the name of my adventurer, and Charmander was his prized Pokemon, and from there I embarked on a journey of epic proportions, a Journey that continues today…
I’m not sure what it is about this game that makes it so special. Pokemon is a timeless cult classic that is still a fad nonetheless. The Japanese anime craze of the nineties still resonates with myself and my younger brother, as well as with many of my friends. But most of that stuff I grew out of with time. But Pokemon has stayed with me. Every now and again they come out with a new one. More Pokemon, new features, and I usually make my way to it eventually. I can’t say I’m as hardcore with the newer games with some 500+ monsters for you to catch (but I could tell you the names of the original 150), yet this title has some appeal to my youth that keeps bringing me back for more. Perhaps it’s because I always grew up with pets, and the romantic vision that there could be more to them than meets the eye. Daydreaming with my brothers, watching the birds fly above us wondering if they too could be taught to tackle, fly us places, or gather energy for one full turn and use hyper beam on that annoying terrier across the street. I can’t give you any solid reason why Pokemon is so close to my heart, but I can tell you that for me it is not a fad. Pokemon is a treasure, something I’ll share with my own kids, something I’ll never shy away from admitting I play. And perhaps one day, I will teach my dog Winston how to use Leer…
