Last Tuesday, UNC Asheville students celebrated the 28th anniversary of Pokémon with a trivia night in the Grotto put on by the Asheville Campus Entertainment group.
“I loved it as a kid, and I’ve continued to love it more and more, “said Guillermo Hernandez, 18-year-old political science major.
According to Hernandez, Pokémon played an integral part of his childhood and continues to help him foster a better relationship with his younger brother.
“We had a lot of fun playing Scarlet and Violet together. Even now since I’m far away and I can’t play with him in person, the fact that I can still play online with him is really nice,” Hernandez said.
According to Ettie Lyles, an anthropology student and ACE member, they chose the trivia night theme due to the anniversary, and the universal appeal of Pokémon.
“I think people just love funny little animals. I feel like a lot of people are into the idea of going on an adventure and having a little companion,” Lyles said.
On February 26th, 1996, the first Pokémon games were released in Japan and the creature catching game became a world-wide success according to 29-year-old card collector Zackary Hall.
“I honestly cannot remember what got me into Pokémon as a kid. However, what brought me back into Pokémon after many years of not collecting was the nostalgia and excitement of pulling a cool card. It was just an awesome moment that I hadn’t felt in a long time,” Hall said.
Since its debut, Pokémon expanded from video games into the realm of animated shows and collectable cards. The latter, Hall said, is what keeps him interested in the franchise.
“My favorite thing about this hobby is helping people learn and helping them reach their collecting goals. It genuinely makes me happy and I’m glad I got back into the hobby,” Hall said.
As much nostalgia as people have for Pokémon, some fans say they wouldn’t mind if Pokémon kept their older fans in mind from time to time.
“The games still try to be accessible to new people, so many of the games start out with introducing the concept of what Pokémon is to someone who’s already bought the game,” Lyles said.
Hall said despite Pokémon being primarily geared to a younger audience, the company should keep in mind those who were children when it first began as well.
“Pokémon should learn their audience isn’t just little kids anymore. It’s adults ages 25 years and older because it was our childhood, we grew up along with the company,” Hall said.
According to Lyles, catering to a younger audience is also one of the reasons Pokémon continues to be such a big name in the entertainment industry 28 years after its initial release.
“I have younger siblings who are also into it and the games are very welcoming to people who are just getting into it, which I think is one of the reasons it’s stayed so popular,” Lyles said.
Despite some older fans being underwhelmed with some of the newer games, Hernandez said he is excited for the future of the series.
“We’re coming up on a new era of Pokémon soon, which could bring some good and some bad. I’m really excited to see what happens during the 30th anniversary two years from now,” Hernandez said.
According to Hall, despite being disappointed with the quality of the latest games in the series, he hopes the feedback from fans will cause the franchise to think about its audience more going forward.
“I think Pokémon is great, it’s a wonderful series. I’m really hopeful that Pokémon keeps doing weird and new stuff. I have high hopes it’s going to end up being amazing,” Hernandez said.
