I Want to be the Very Best,

Like no one ever was.
To catch them is my real test,
To train them is my cause!

I play Pokémon.  I admit it.  It’s great too.  It seems like each summer for the last 6 or 7 years I have played heaps of Pokémon.  Mainly because the wise folks at Nintendo have decided that it’s the perfect time to put out a new iteration of the game.

(Side note, apparently Pokémon is actually part of the dictionary for Microsoft! If i type Pokemon, is says it’s spelled wrong and gives me the version with the accent.)

I believe it is the perception that Pokémon is a kids game, simple, repetitive and pointless.  Look at this chart.

Without playing the game I challenge you to understand that.  It’s obviously not impossible, but not all that simple either, now take into account that many Pokémon have two type attributes and figure it out, are things 4x as effective, or is the effect cancelled out? Will they destroy the Pokémon you have out in battle, and then consider that each individual Pokémon within each of those type has their own abilities!  It could make you go insane.

It is a game that you can play watching TV or a movie though as there is a lot of time spend doing random battles to build the strength of your team, as there is in any RPG (that’s Role Playing Game).  The point of these battles? To take these…

Cuddly little creatures and turn them into this!

Instruments of Death.

It’s great fun.  You also collect them and trade them, build teams of six Pokémon that you think can withstand any battle and try them out against other people, it’s great!  It is definitely one of those games that is easy to play, but hard to master.  To understand every nuance of the game is the furthest thing possible from a kids game.

Personally my favourite Pokémon is Charizard.

I have one (actually I have a couple), that is level 100, the highest.  He’s awesome.  It’s the closest I’ll get to owning a pet dragon, that actually flies and shoots fire.  If any of you readers out there play Pokémon trade your Friend Code with me! My Pokémon White FC is 1420-7873-0270

Anyone that owns a handheld system today can thank Pokémon Red/Blue for turning Nintendo’s GameBoy into a major, unbelievable success.