[dropcap size=small]P[/dropcap]okémon is one of the most enduring and beloved video game franchises of all time. I still remember countless hours of my childhood (and more than enough of my adulthood) hunched over my GameBoy trying to become the greatest trainer in Kanto. The school cafeteria became a battleground not only fought with link cables, but trading cards as well. The trading card game (that no one ever seemed to know how to play properly) ate away at our parent’s wallets and was one more addition to the behemoth that Pokemon was to become.
For what’s basically a game that taught us how to be miniature Michael Vicks in a fantasy world based around Japanese culture, it became wildly popular. Not only did the video game series spawn the trading card game, but it also gave way to a TV series, movies and additional games on later consoles. Try not to forget the countless toys, stickers and other random s—-t we forced our parents to buy, I’m sure they have’t.
But just how popular is Pokemon? The stats, as of March 2014, are as follows:
- The video game series alone has sold over 260 million copies worldwide.
- The trading card game is printed in 10 languages and has shipped 21.5 billion cards to 74 countries around the world.
- The animated series is in its 17th season and contains more than 800 episodes.
- There are 17 feature films.
- The newest games in the series, Pokemon X and Y, sold 12 million copies in just 4 months.
Pokemon is one of those rare instances of something that could have been just another fad, but because it had the ability to not only cross cultural but also generational boundaries, it endures.
Pokemon is a video game, a card game, a TV series and a whole bunch of movies; its awesome and you should just play it already.
