I read an interview on the excellet Johto Times Pokémon site with “Blue Articuno,’ the creator of a Pokémon fan-site called Mount Moon. I liked one of the questions:
You were one of the many kids who grew up with Pokémon from the very beginning, when it launched internationally back in 1998. What are some of your earliest memories of the franchise?
Blue Articuno had a great answer:
The awe of turning on Pokémon Red for the first time and hearing that startup jingle. I loved the classic Sugimori art and the GB Games and the sprite art from that era as well.
Blue Articuno
The answer continued, but I like that first part. I received my copy of Pokémon Red red for Christmas in 1998 after having already become a fan of the TV show and cards. It has an all-time opening. You feel like you are about to go on a grand adventure.
I will offer my own little take-away. I appreciate that the Pokémon phenomenon as it was could have only existed when it did. I published a fun piece a couple of years ago on Pokémon urban legends of the day. Many strange rumors about the Pokémon games and universe spread due largely to incomplete information about the second generation Pokémon games, Gold and Silver, making there way to the internet and being misinterpreted on internet fora and warped by kids with vivid imaginations. Let us not forget how the many glitches in Pokémon Red and Blue added fuel to the fire. Had Pokémon made its way to the United States earlier, the rumors may not have taken off in the way they did. If it came later, better information on the internet and about the Pokémon series generally would have nipped them in the bud.