My first encounter with Pokémon was through the animated series. I must have been about eight years old, begging my mom every night to let me stay up an hour later just to catch the two episodes airing on Cartoon Network. There were TV channels playing cartoons 24/7, but Pokémon was different: Ash, the protagonist, sometimes lost. Without realizing it at the time, I identified with him. My story, however, isn’t about the fondness I still hold for the franchise. As it turns out, throughout much of my childhood and early adolescence, I had sporadic visions of what looked like a game. Menus, pixelated characters, 2D animations, everything in black and white, turn-based battles, and, specifically, an unbeatable Lapras. Frustrations, experiences. I searched for all that and more for years, until I finally gave up. It existed nowhere but in my head.
Ten years went by before I stumbled upon a downloadable Game Boy emulator on the internet. It was a console from the 90s. Beneath it was a very long list of games that, until then, could only be played on the original platform. Near the bottom, I found one that caught my eye: Pokémon Blue. I downloaded the files, followed the steps, and it booted up. There are no words in the Spanish language to explain what I felt when I started playing, but I like to say I experienced my own Aleph. Menus, pixelated characters. I was eight years old again. 2D animations, everything in black and white. It was the game from my visions. Turn-based battles and, after several hours, an unbeatable Lapras. I found myself in a state of transcendence I never wanted to leave. Over the years, I stopped asking myself how I knew the game and its rules if I had never actually owned a Game Boy.
Comments 1
Re: Community: Pokémon Turns 30 Soon - Send Us Your Pocket Monster Memories
My first encounter with Pokémon was through the animated series. I must have been about eight years old, begging my mom every night to let me stay up an hour later just to catch the two episodes airing on Cartoon Network. There were TV channels playing cartoons 24/7, but Pokémon was different: Ash, the protagonist, sometimes lost. Without realizing it at the time, I identified with him. My story, however, isn’t about the fondness I still hold for the franchise. As it turns out, throughout much of my childhood and early adolescence, I had sporadic visions of what looked like a game. Menus, pixelated characters, 2D animations, everything in black and white, turn-based battles, and, specifically, an unbeatable Lapras. Frustrations, experiences. I searched for all that and more for years, until I finally gave up. It existed nowhere but in my head.
Ten years went by before I stumbled upon a downloadable Game Boy emulator on the internet. It was a console from the 90s. Beneath it was a very long list of games that, until then, could only be played on the original platform. Near the bottom, I found one that caught my eye: Pokémon Blue. I downloaded the files, followed the steps, and it booted up. There are no words in the Spanish language to explain what I felt when I started playing, but I like to say I experienced my own Aleph. Menus, pixelated characters. I was eight years old again. 2D animations, everything in black and white. It was the game from my visions. Turn-based battles and, after several hours, an unbeatable Lapras. I found myself in a state of transcendence I never wanted to leave. Over the years, I stopped asking myself how I knew the game and its rules if I had never actually owned a Game Boy.