Pokemon, oh Pokemon, the years that I have loved you. I first heard about the brand new Pokemon games from a friend of a friend from Japan. 6 degrees of separation, I know way to many people in “the know” (like the Queen of England!). But the first time I played Pokemon myself was Pokemon Blue from my god brother’s brand new Gameboy console (which I then destroyed the summer of ’98, but we don’t talk about that. Sorry Alex!). The first time I won a match against Gary Oak with Alex’s Charmander, I was hooked!

The first Pokemon game I owned myself with my shiny lime green Gameboy Color was Pokemon Red, preceded by Pokemon Yellow, and Pokemon Crystal. With Pokemon Crystal, my Pokediction evolved into a love that would last the next 20 years. With each new game, I had new Pokemon to gush over and new story lines to draw me in even as the game stayed true to it’s roots. My list of favorite Pokemon grew to where I decided that it was impossible to have true favorites (I’m lying, Umbreon has my heart forever) and that continues to be the case with each new generation.

I’ll end my short moment of nostalgia with a thank you to the creators for giving me a game and creations to love for almost my entire life. I can truly say that it is a joy to have such a fantastic game that grows with me.