OVERVIEW

First there were video games, then the trading cards and the toys—now the movie has arrived, if only to forewarn of more video games, cards, and toys. For all that the movie has brought, including "Pokémon flu" (school excuse on the movie’s release date), poor reviews, and hate mail, it hasn’t brought a conclusion to the question as to the intrinsic value of Pokémon. Parents are still perplexed, if not more informed, as to what to do with this craze that has outlasted and outsold all its predecessors.

The video game was invented in the early 1990s by Satoshi Tajiri, "a young outcast who, as a boy living just outside Tokyo, collected insects, and other tiny creatures of field, pond, and forest." Unable to find his place in the world that had destroyed his childhood playfields and left him to raise himself at the video arcade, Tajiri and some friends turned to video games as a means of support. After playing and critiquing games created by others, he discovered Nintendo’s Game Boy system and came up with the idea of Pokémon. He sold the idea to Nintendo, but he wasn’t able to finish developing the game until Game Boy had passed its proported prime. Pokémon was released, and support grew by word-of-mouth and the secret 151^st character hidden in the game that could only be acquired by interacting with other players.

The video game spawned the television show, and the television show sent approximately 700 children into simultaneous seizures. Thus, America was introduced to Pokémon via the headline, "Cartoon Monster Attacks Kids." Before it could be reintroduced to the American audience, the now fully extended product line had to be revamped to "hide its ‘Japan-ness.’ " Once the names were changed and some scenes were cut from the cartoon, Pokémon was ready to play.

With its pervasiveness, Pokémon has many wondering if it will ever end. Warner Brothers has the rights to air the cartoon six days a week and distribute the first movie. A second movie has already been produced in Japan. There are four Pokémon videos on Billboard’s Top 10 "Kid Vid" chart. Even after toy maker Hasbro repeatedly expanded production, they have been unable to meet the demand for the toys they are marketing. Burger King paid $22 million to give away Pokémon cards, General Mills is selling fruit punch-flavored candy stripes with a free trading card in each package, and Quaker Cereals is giving away cameras and wristwatches to kids who purchase their products. They aren’t finished with video games, either. Coming soon are two new cartridges—silver and gold—for Game Boy and a Pokémon Stadium for Nintendo 64 that works with "trained" Pokémon from the Game Boy versions.

GOTTA CATCH ‘EM ALL

So what is it that has kids across the globe crying that they’ve "Gotta catch ‘em all"? Adults are wondering what is driving this desire. Three themes attempt to explain the phenomenon: identification with the monster within, pure American accumulation, and the pre-adolescent inclination towards mastery.

MONSTER WITHIN

One theme suggested by the article is that kids identify with the "monster within." At one point in the history of psychology, it was believed that children were afraid of monsters because they saw themselves, in some way, as a monster. Are these cute "pocket monsters" just another way for kids to identify with the monsters within them? Not likely.

ACCUMULATION

The article notes that a bigger problem is based on the fact that "the key principle of the Pokémon is acquisitiveness. The more Pokémon you have, the greater power you possess." In the video game, each player assumes the role of a Pokémon trainer whose job it is to put his or her well-trained Pokémon into battle—but not to the death—and travel the world acquiring more Pokémon. Digital Pokémon are traded via a cable link between Game Boy systems and the only way to win is to collect them all.

Not only are they collecting digital Pokémon, kids are also collecting the playing cards and toys. This shouldn’t be surprising, notes one child psychologist because " ‘you have to look at it in the context of our culture. We are all obsessed with acquiring things, and we can’t expect our children to rise above our culture.’ " Seemingly, kids are imitating their adult role models.

MASTERY

Pokémon is hitting a great number of kids ages six to seven, when they have a great deal of desire for mastery. Slowly feeling greater control over their lives, these middle childhood dwellers latch onto controlling something that their parents don’t understand. Most kids who play the game can recite a formidable lineup that would beat almost anyone else on the block. They can tell you their best cards, each Pokémon’s strengths, and which cards they need to complete their set.

CONCLUSION

Where does this leave parents and educators? Hopefully, a better understanding of Pokémon will give them some of the tools necessary to travel the maze that is the craze until it is replaced by the next bigger and better, new, and improved consumer item.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. What are kids being taught about accumulation by participating in Pokémon? What can be done to help them understand it?
2. What other adult-like behaviors are kids pretending to participate in when they play Pokémon? Which of these behaviors is healthy and which are unhealthy?

IMPLICATIONS

1. There are no easy answers when it comes to Pokémon. Perhaps we can glean something from the game itself. Just as you need to collect all the Pokémon to be able to win the game, maybe you need to collect all the Pokémon knowledge to understand it.
2. A game as pervasive as this—it is much more than just a game—can take on lifelike qualities. Careful attention should be paid as kids get more deeply involved in simulated worlds.
3. A strong desire for accumulation can lead to obsessive tendencies. In the adolescent world where small issues are exaggerated under the magnifying glass of peer relationships, obsessive tendencies should be addressed before they become addictions.

Lee Fletcher cCYS