Bonus Stage - Pokemon

For the second of my narrative/game-play studies I have decided to take a look at one of my all-time favourite game series, Pokemon. I think that given the similarity in story within each new instalment in the series it is appropriate to study the games as a series rather than one particular iteration.

The reason I chose Pokemon is because it’s a series many would say has little in the way of story, however I think there is something more to Pokemon which returns to the intrinsic/extrinsic narrative theory. The usual formula for a Pokemon story is catching and training Pokemon and battling your way through 8 ‘Gym Leaders’ until you reach the Elite 4, while stopping the machinations of an evil gang of criminals. It is true this cycle is repeated through each generation but to me the ‘story’ of Pokemon comes from the Pokemon you catch and raise by your side.

The Pokemon you catch are individual to you they appear in the same locations in everyone’s game but only you know how difficult they were to catch, what moves you’ve taught them and how they battle. This may seem a sentimental reading of the game but I believe it’s the one the creators intended to put across. Everything from the tone of dialogue in-game to the themes in the cartoon show which aired with its release , emphasis was always put onto the relationship between you and your Pokemon. When Pokemon first came out it started a world-wide craze for kids everywhere, those kids are now young adults most of whom regardless of their dedication to the current series still hold onto their nostalgic views of the Pokemon themselves. I think the main reason for this is the variety Pokemon presents right from the beginning players we’re presented with 150 Pokemon to choose from, within which everyone had their best and worst Pokemon. Few people don’t have any add to the infamous discussion of which ‘starter’ Pokemon people chose out of Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbasaur. What especially intrigues me about Pokemon is the fact that it almost contradicts a regular paradigm of video games, in that the player character isn’t really the main focus of the game it is the titular Pokemon which are .

Pokemon is a series which evolves only slightly in terms of narrative and gameplay throughout generations, though the core of the game remains the same. The main difference in each generation is the addition of more Pokemon, which provides an even greater scope for players.