In Defense of Gen 1

Gotta Catch Em All

by Cassius Kent

You’ve heard of Pokémon. Everyone, in some shape or form, has heard of Pokémon. Be it from the massive success of Pokémon Go during 2016 Part 1, or the resurgent craze of vintage Pokémon cards in 2020, when everyone but me decided to (rightly) do a little bit of PPP loan scams: You have an idea of what Pokémon is.

You at the very least know what a Pikachu is. Just like how your parents would call EVERY Nintendo console, the ‘Nintendo.’ Pokémon is that ubiquitous.

It’s been almost twenty-nine years since the launch of the games that started it all; Red and Blue. The games that, for better or worse, did some serious brain damage to an entire generation of people. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Pokémon changed the world. Well, it might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but there is no denying the impact Pokémon has had on pop-culture.

From merchandise to movies, the Pokémon craze started off strong and has propelled the Pokémon Company into the stratosphere as owning one of the most successful IPs of all time. I’m not kidding about that.

It still blows my mind that Pokémon is so successful, it has outstripped: Star Wars, Harry Potter, the MCU, and Mickey Freaking Mouse, by large orders of magnitudes. Simply put, Pokémon is in a league all it’s own, with next to no chance of ever being rivaled. Unless some company comes out and makes a hoverboard that is affordable and can be mass produced, I don’t see how anyone can catch up.

The core strength of Pokémon’s massive success is nostalgia. All those kids who grew up on Pokémon now have kids of their own. Some of them might even have grandkids if they were into young adulthood when the Red and Blue first came out.

As with anything, Pokémon’s popularity has waxed and waned over the years, but given that’s it’s made close to a hundred billion dollars in thirty years, it has never been not successful. It might not have been insanely popular year to year, but it has always made money enough to make even the uber rich blush.

Generation One is a huge part of this success. Obviously, if Gen One had not been an instant hit, the Pokémon Company might not be in the position they are in today. They might still be a successful company yes, but not nearly to the heights they are now.

This is largely in part to the fierceness in which people hold on to the originals. Gen One holds a near mythical status in the hearts and minds of people who would argue that Generation One was THE best generation, and that the games, as well as designs, have been sliding downhill ever since.

Which, is nonsense, of course. Pokémon game may have gotten more convenient over the years, and sure, to an adult, they may have gotten easier too. But the video games specifically have been firing on mostly all cylinders in the last twenty odd years.

From HeartGold and SoulSilver to Platinum, Legends Arceus and beyond, Pokémon games have been excelling in terms of mechanics, Pokémon design, gameplay, and overall look of the series.

Sure, many may argue that the games have gotten too linear, at least up until Sword and Shield, where for some reason the GameFreak decided the best way for players to play the games were to lead them hand in hand down a straight corridor, with little to no challenge whatsoever, uninteresting plots and story beats, and battles that were like cutting paper with a buzzsaw.

They may also argue that back in the day we had to walk everywhere, slowly, navigate dark caves, fight our way tooth and claw through Victory Road, to challenge the Elite Four: the strongest Pokémon trainers in the region. Not to mention the champion, who at this point is a mystery to you.

Who can forget fighting Lance and his two Dragonairs with the same movepool? Or Agatha, and her double Gengar…with the same movepool? Or Bruno with his double Onix with the…same…movepool?

Okay maybe people who pine for the days of old have completely scrubbed these E4 teams from their memories, which fair, because they are not great.

At the very least Blue’s team was stacked, and fairly powerful.

Going up against Blue’s team would have been no easy task back in the day, compared to now. Not only were most of his Pokémon above level 60, his ace was also type effective against your starter. If you weren’t prepared for that, he could have sent you packing. It was entirely possible that either his Gyarados or Alakazam alone could sweep your team entirely if you weren’t ready for them.

And of course, there was always either a Charizard or Blastoise waiting in the wings to get you. Don’t even get me started on Venusaur T-posing on the bodies of your fainted party.

None of Gen One’s faults will ever stop it from being a driving force for the Pokémon franchise though. So long as people are in the grips of nostalgia, nothing will stop the Pokémon Company from slurping up Gen One like it’s the last day with your long distance boyfriend at the end of summer.

And that is completely fine.

We often derisively make fun of “genwunners” for their rose tinted glasses for the first generation of games.

It isn’t exactly fair to the people who cling on to Gen One, choosing to remember it fondly.

Memories are a devious thing. Your mind has a way of making things up, that may or may not have happened. You remember things more vividly if it had an impact on you.

Your first kiss, the first time you did something extraordinary, the last time your mother tells you she loves you. These are not things that will be easy to replace. They remind you of better days. Days when things were less complicated. Days where you had to run through an entire set of batteries on a cross country road trip in your dad’s old beat up station wagon.

Especially as we grow older. Especially when it becomes more and more difficult to remember better days. When we are forced to watch the state of the world. Either in horror or morbid fascination. Eggs might be more expensive, and you may be two dollars short on gas, but the one thing no one can take from you is your memories of quiet autumn evening playing Pokémon in your grandmother’s old rocking chair.

We cannot condemn the people who hold on to Gen One with such fervor without condemning ourselves. Are we so unhappy that tearing down things that bring others genuine joy is our only outlet to deal with that unhappiness?

Have we forgotten what the point of playing videogames is all about? So what if some of the people who cling to Gen One like a drowning man holding on to debris are a little annoying? I’ll let you in on a little secret: You probably are too with something your passionate about.

You might not even notice when your firm enthusiasm strays into the realm of overbearing insanity when its your turn to bat.

And yes, it can be eye rolling when Charizard gets yet another form, while your fave is all bit forgotten.

It’s important to remember that every Pokémon game, is the first for someone. There is no denying that Charizard is cool. There is no denying that Pikachu is cute and people go crazy whenever there’s a Pikachu involved.

Not only do we have to accept that the passage of time is inexorable, but we must accept that Pokémon isn’t made for us.

It isn’t made for the people who have moved on. For the people who have other memories they cling more tightly to. We all have our Gen One Pokémon. Be gentle with those who are holding on with a grip you may find too tight.

It might be all the have left.

So, the next time you’re tempted to roll your eyes at Generation One being in the spotlight again, remember that it’s easier to be kind. Remember that your blood pressure doesn’t need to sky rocket through the ceiling because something brings someone else joy in this otherwise bleak and joyless world.

There was a time where you, too, smiled and felt warm, about wanting to catch them all.

It is never too late to recapture those feelings.

You will feel warmth again.

Take care.