Today is the day, everyone! Nintendo has officially released the new Pokémon games: Pokémon Sun and Moon. This marks the seventh generation of Pokémon since it’s first debut in 1995. The Pokémon franchise has gotten incredibly large in the passed 20 years, seemingly only increasing in popularity, as the children who grew up with it want more renditions of their childhood. So, why exactly is this release of just a couple video games so important to the public? The main reason is a simple and often overlooked one: nostalgia.
During this piece, I won’t really be going over the new mechanics of the games. Don’t worry; there won’t be any spoilers other than the official released news by the Pokémon Company (if you don’t want to know, I’d suggest leaving). The main thing that’ll be discussed, however, is the elephantine following of millennials that invest a lot of their memories and experiences with the game’s franchise. As the summer’s “Pokémon Go” phenomena illustrated, millennials have strong influence on the success of certain video games. What no one saw coming was the conformity of young adults who vaguely remembered watching the television show or playing the games thinking to themselves “Oh yeah! I remember how fun that was,” and participated in one of the biggest crazes of 2016. Believe it or not, this accidental audience targeting could very well tie to the success of the 7th generation.
To get into the emotion connectivity between young adults and Pokémon we first need to explore why exactly it exists. Do you remember being in elementary school, whichever grade you were in, joining a group of kids to watch a classmate battling some Pokémon trainer or showing you how to get passed a hard part? How about the times when you were sick staying at home but also was able to sit curled in a blanket with your thumbs tied to a gameboy? It’s these childhood memories that we, as adults, long for. While in the midst of paying tuition, finding a job, and seeing people leave our lives in one way or another, we can find solace in memories that will always be comforting. Growing up can definitely be a terrifying realization once we have to step up and take charge on our own (including making our own dentist appointments). However, having one thing that we constantly have the option to cling to for warm and happy memories may actually remind us millennials that growing up might not be all that bad.
Nostalgia is a funny thing. It creates a longing for the past and a commitment to return to a place in our lives where we find most consoling. It’s times like these where the children who grew up playing with such happy experiences need to be reminded that it’s important to revisit that six year-old self with bright eyes catching your first Pikachu. Perhaps this Pokémon game has more to it than just adding to the franchise to make more money. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll allow ourselves to let go of the stresses and anxieties we always hold so close to our hearts and instead relive the childhood that we gave up a little too quickly.
Cover Photo, 1, 2