Hi, I’m Andre Meadows and this is Crash Course Games.
Now that we’ve gotten this far along in the series, today we’re going to do something a little different and use everything we’ve learned to do a case study of sorts.
We’re going to take a detailed look at a single game that is actually a bit of a phenomenon.
It has crossed cultural borders, geographical borders, genres, and even found itself in a bunch of different types of games and even non-gaming spheres.
There’s probably only one game you can think of that has done all this:
we’re talking about Pokémon which you probably already figured out from the title.
Pokémon has done something that very few other games have done.
We’ve talked about the cultural impact of games like Pac-Man and Mario, and those games were and still are hugely influential to gaming and pop culture, but Pokémon has managed to do something a little different.
So let’s dive into the history of Pokémon and try to figure out how it became the book, magazine, television show, movie, video game,
card game, mobile game, dice game, board game, educational game, pc game, role-playing game, and toy line that it is today.
Did I miss anything?
[Theme Music]
So, 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of Pokémon.
The first initial games were released on February 27th, 1996.
It was then that the very first Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and the Japan-only Pokémon Green were set loose on the world.
In September of 1998, Pokémon would make it’s way to the United States with Pokémon Red and Blue.
So where did this idea of Pokémon come from?
Well it all started with game maker Satoshi Tajiri’s desire to recreate his childhood experiences catching bugs and exploring around his home in Tokyo.
He gained help from his artist friend Ken Sugimori who has been the official Pokémon artist this entire time.
The friends formed a company called Game Freak and later on a studio by the name of Creatures Inc.
Tajiri was greatly inspired by the Game Boy Link cable.
He imagined that the cable allowed bugs and small creatures to travel from one system to another.
And his second bit of inspiration came from the TV show Ultraman.
In this series large creatures were kept in small balls ready for battle.
This is why one of the original names for Pokémon was Capsule Monsters but was later changed to Pocket Monsters which in turn was shortened to Pokémon.
But Tajiri and Sugimori had a terrible time pitching the idea to Nintendo until they made a friend in legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto who was able to successfully lobby the company to make the game.
And the rest is now 20 years of history.
Pokémon was designed to be a simple turn-based, role playing game with a storyline that could be played continuously.
And while the style of game play doesn’t really change, the constant addition of new Pokémon manages to keep the game fresh and exciting.
And the game was able to turn what is usually a solitary experience – playing on a handheld console, into a social activity.
The game encouraged socialization by allowing Game Boys to be linked for multiplayer interactions within the game.
Because the games were separated into colors, players that wanted to catch all the Pokémon had to trade with other players making the social interaction a necessary game component.
And they have maintained that aspect since, utilizing wireless adapters and online connectivity.
And the game’s numerous monsters with their varying attributes is particularly well suited to the style of socializing that kids partake in – showing off what they know to other kids.
I know some adults like that too.
This is something the Pokémon franchise took advantage of in designing their games – understanding what kids enjoy.
Let’s go to the Thought Bubble.
One of the main reasons the Pokémon franchise is so successful is that it based their products on the play strategies and social life of children.
It is almost a reciprocal process.
The creators used the culture produced by children as inspiration for their storylines and game design.
This makes a product that children will take an active interest in and then manipulate for their own uses, providing even more fodder for producers to work with.
As psychology researchers Laven, Gelman, and Galotti put it,
“Pokémon is an excellent example of the type of learning and memory competencies that thrive in a cultural setting that feeds children's interest through a variety of media.”
In a study focusing on Pokémon’s effects on children, they found that kids are incredibly knowledgeable about Pokémon.
They are able to organize information about all the different characters in ways that are meaningful, like understanding how different characters might be linked.
The study also found that it wasn’t the parents teaching the children about Pokémon.
Parents often had no idea what the game was about or how it worked.
What happened is that children learned from other children as they socialized.
So Pokémon manages to tap into kids minds by focusing their games on activities that are appealing to kids already:
identification (of monsters), memorization (of monsters and moves), collection and trading (of Game Boy monsters and cards).
And just like Tajiri’s original inspiration for the game, it taps into kids desire to explore the world by learning about creatures and how they evolve from one form to another.
Of course, it helps that all of the Pokémon are super cool or super cute or like Pikachu – a nice mix of both.
Thanks Thought Bubble!
So, one year after the game was released the Pokémon television series was produced, bringing Pokémon to life through the story of Ash Ketchum and his quest to be the very best, like no one ever was, by catching them all.
The Pokémon TV series first aired in Japan in 1997, turning the plot of the Game Boy games into an original series.
But the series immediately diverged from the games by starting Ash out with Pikachu – a character not available to a new trainer in the games.
This along with some slight changes helped the series find its own voice apart from the game.
And the first season was well received.
So much that things would come full circle, with the series altering and inspiring future games.
For example: Pokémon Yellow was a special edition of the Red and Blue games which featured Pikachu as a trainer’s first Pokémon.
And just like in the animated series, little pikachu in the video game would follow you around while you were walking.
So, after the first season a sort of formula emerged connecting the games and the tv series.
As new games were released, the series would advance the storyline to match so that Ash went to the same locations that the newly released games existed in.
Ah cross marketing.
This formula seems to be working out for the Pokémon series, because it’s currently in its 19th season and still going, having produced over 1000 episodes.
It’s like an animated soap opera.
It’s been licensed in 160 countries and in 30 languages.
And it’s important to note that the Pokémon names are translated across languages in a way that ensures they reflect that specific language and cultural appropriately.
There have even been 19 different movies, the first one being in 1998 and aptly titled Pokémon: the First Movie.
That’s pretty bold.
Now, there is even talk of a live-action Detective Pikachu movie in the works.
But the series has come under some criticism.
Producers of Pokémon were accused of creating a series that effectively functions as a weekly, 20 minute long commercial.
But instead of denying this, the folks at the Pokémon Company openly acknowledged it, saying,
"We consciously launched the TV show for the intention of selling our products."
Now another arm in Pokémon’s franchise is their Pokémon Trading Card Game.
The game first debuted in 1996 in Japan.
And while there were other versions previous to this, it was the first to be branded Pokémon.
The trading card game was inspired by the Red, Green, and Blue video games with the actual gameplay being based on the same mechanics as Magic: the Gathering, but simplified.
Yet again, Pokémon had a success on their hands, having sold over 20 Billion cards over the last 20 years.
The trading card game was received so well, that they created digital versions of the game:
the Pokémon Trading Card Game on the Game Boy Color (and now for the 3DS) and Pokémon TCG Online for the computer.
And while the rules for game play was simple enough for older kids and adults to master, younger kids found them complicated and often played by their own rules.
But that’s the thing about the card game.
It could be played by the rules, played by house rules, or even just collected for the pretty pictures.
So, the video games, television series, movies and card games are all closely linked. Coincidence?
No. This was a calculated approach by its creators.
J.C. Smith, marketing director for the Pokémon Company International points out that"
“One of the reasons is the richness of its world.
There are more than 640 Pokémon now, so everyone has a favorite or a team of favorites.
The principle tenet of ‘Pokémon’ is collect, trade and battle: Now you have 640 options.
You can collect them, trade them with your friends, or train them for battle in the trading card or video games.
People want to complete their collections or find that one new Pokémon that helps their battle strategy.”
And I’m assuming there’s more than 640 now, or there will be by the time this airs.
So unlike traditional venues, there really is no end to the Pokémon experience.
You can watch the TV show and when it ends you can continue in the world by picking up the video game or trading cards with your friends.
And unlike Nintendo’s other first party titles, Pokémon are part of a privately held company, the Pokémon Company.
Which gives them the flexibility to explore other venues for connecting players to Pokémon.
For example, in 2003, Play! Pokémon was established as a division of the Pokémon Company that hosted official leagues.
Players could compete against each other in both trading card and video game formats in local, prerelease, or premiere tournaments.
And if players were good enough they could even compete in the world championships.
It’s like trying to become a Pokémon Master in real life.
And speaking of which:
We now have PokémonGo, the AR mobile app addition to the franchise, which has so far proven a successful one.
The game peaked at close to 45 million Daily Active Users around the middle of July 2016 and during the Sunday of its first release it accounted for around 47% of the US games market.
Good luck getting your servers to work on that day.
And it’s being played in over 65 countries.
And in true Pokémon fashion, the game encourages social interaction between players – this time adding real world exploration.
It also capitalizes on the nostalgia of the franchises oldest players, who are excited to once more immerse themselves into the Pokémon world or rather bring the Pokémon to our world.
But it also introduces Pokémon to 2nd generation players who were too young to be there at the beginning.
And just like the television show and card game, PokémonGo has found ways to even intersect with non-players lives.
Local animal shelters have seen their adoption rates go up as they allow people to walk dogs and cats while they play.
Shops of all kinds have seen an increase in business as they lure nearby PokeStops and attract not just Pokémon but new customers.
And PokémonGo has also had a huge effect on peoples’ mental health by providing motivation to go outside and interact with people.
There are probably people who never played Pokémon before who are now playing Pokémon Go.
So Pokémon transcendence into a global phenomenon really comes down to carefully orchestrated planning.
Pokémon managed to infiltrate itself into numerous the markets, merging them seamlessly into what the Centre on Japanese Economy and Business describe as a
“comprehensive entertainment package, which includes the elements of illustration, game program, sound effects, digital visual effects, and card trading.”
It’s not just that the Pokémon franchise was hugely successful, but that each arm of the franchise was an incredibly well implemented, orchestrated and successful piece of the Pokémon world.
The creators of the game understood their target audience, and apparently still do by the looks of parents and children out there chasing Weedles and Pidgeys at your local park.
Thanks for watching and we’ll see you next time!
By the way, is it weird that the first Pokémon game I ever played was Pokémon Pinball?
Pokémon are everywhere, you can’t escape them.
Crash Course Games is filmed in the Chad and Stacey Emigholz Studio in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it's made with the help of all these nice people.
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