Today— Friday, November 15— marks the worldwide release of the new Pokemon games, Pokemon Sword and Shield! Yay! Unless you live under a rock, you know that Pokemon is a video game in which you journey through a world populated by magical creatures that you can catch and become friends with. The main goal is to assemble a team of Pokemon, battle them against other Pokemon to make them stronger, and eventually face off against the most powerful Pokemon trainer in the land to become the new Champion.
Seeing my friends hyped about the games has gotten me thinking about what makes Pokemon so special in the first place. Here are the top reasons why I love this silly game about catching, battling, and trading pocket monsters:
- The cute character designs
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Every time a new Pokemon character is revealed, I find myself reaching for my sketchbook to draw fan art because the character designs are so charming, cute, and unique.
- So many cool Pokemon!
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I think it’s interesting how so many different types of Pokemon can be appealing for different reasons. Cute Pokemon are, well, cute. Graceful Pokemon are beautiful. Badass Pokemon are inspiring. Even ugly Pokemon are kind of charming in their own way. It’s cool knowing that there are over 800 Pokemon now, and each one of them is loved by different people for different reasons.
- The sense of discovery and exploration
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For me, there are two forces that drive me to continue playing a Pokemon game. The first is the desire to build up and bond with my very own Pokemon team. The second is the desire to explore and become immersed in the game’s world. The most special thing of all about Pokemon is that every player has their own unique experience in doing these two things!
Okay, so maybe I won’t be playing Pokemon Sword and Shield until Christmas, but I guess that just gives me a little motivation to make it through the semester. The release of a new Pokemon game is always exciting because it means a whole new region to explore and all-new Pokemon to meet!