Tuesday, April 13, 2021
No Result
View All Result
Lew Lew Media
  • Home
  • News
  • LLM News Room
  • Politics
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Fitness
  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Nails & Hair
  • Men’s Fitness
  • Men’s fitness & Health
  • Men’s Fashion
  • Music
  • Marijuana
  • Latina/Spanish
  • World Business
  • Money and Personal Finance
  • Cars on Display
  • Caribbean News
  • Models
  • Health & Wellness
  • Weight Loss & Personal Growth
  • Holistic Health
  • Real Estate
  • LGBTQ
  • Medical News
  • Food /Cake and Recipes
  • Home
  • News
  • LLM News Room
  • Politics
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Fitness
  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Nails & Hair
  • Men’s Fitness
  • Men’s fitness & Health
  • Men’s Fashion
  • Music
  • Marijuana
  • Latina/Spanish
  • World Business
  • Money and Personal Finance
  • Cars on Display
  • Caribbean News
  • Models
  • Health & Wellness
  • Weight Loss & Personal Growth
  • Holistic Health
  • Real Estate
  • LGBTQ
  • Medical News
  • Food /Cake and Recipes
No Result
View All Result
Lew Lew Media
No Result
View All Result
Home World Business

I Choose You! Pokemon Turns 25

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Twenty-five years after Pokemon first began delighting children and adults alike, the phenomenon is still capturing hearts, with smartphone craze Pokemon Go enjoying record success in virus-hit 2020.

The augmented-reality game raked in $1 billion in just the first 10 months of last year — its most lucrative yet — according to market tracker Sensor Tower, and experts see no sign that interest is flagging as the world’s highest-grossing media franchise evolves.

“The characters themselves are so appealing, and the mechanics of the actual video and card games are so well executed that it has this very timeless quality,” said Brian Ashcraft, an author who writes about Japanese pop culture.

Dan Ryan, a 29-year-old who works in London’s finance sector, has been a fan nearly his whole life and is not shy about his hobby, even with colleagues.



Red-cheeked Pikachu is instantly recognisable around the world as one of the best-known Pokemon


Red-cheeked Pikachu is instantly recognisable around the world as one of the best-known Pokemon
 AFP / KAZUHIRO NOGI

“They know I disappear every Thursday to go and play Pokemon cards, they see me come in with my Pikachu jacket, and they see my Pokemon mugs,” he told AFP.

He admits he spends “too much money” on rare Pokemon cards, whose prices have boomed as virus lockdowns push people towards indoor pursuits, with some in mint condition going for over $500,000 in recent weeks.

Pokemon is inspired by the childhood tradition of collecting bugs — popular during Japan’s hot and humid summer holidays — and part of its enduring appeal is its simple goal: to catch them all.

Hundreds of round-eyed “pocket monsters” inspired by everything from mice to dragons can be caught and trained to full strength in battles.



The pocket monsters or Pokemon are captured with Pokeballs and can be trained through battles


The pocket monsters or Pokemon are captured with Pokeballs and can be trained through battles
 AFP / Behrouz MEHRI

The winning concept has sold countless toys, film tickets and more than 30 billion Pokemon cards since the first black-and-white Game Boy titles were released in Japan in 1996.

Atsuko Nishida, who designed the electric mouse Pikachu, once said she modelled it on a round Japanese sweet called a daifuku.



A quarter century after it launched, the Pokemon franchise shows no signs of losing steam


A quarter century after it launched, the Pokemon franchise shows no signs of losing steam
 AFP / Kazuhiro NOGI

Her fellow designers, who had asked Nishida to draw a cute monster, liked the creature and urged her to make it even more adorable.

“I thought it would be nice to have it store electricity in its cheek pouches. At the time I was really into squirrels, (which) store food in their cheeks,” she told a Japanese newspaper.

The character’s signature pronouncement “pika-pika” — meaning shiny and sparkly in Japanese — only added to the bright yellow creature’s powers of attraction.

For ZoeTwoDots, a Pokemon Go vlogger and livestreamer with nearly 200,000 YouTube subscribers, a childhood obsession has become her full-time job.



Augmented reality game Pokemon Go helped reinvigorate the franchise despite leading to some real world mishaps


Augmented reality game Pokemon Go helped reinvigorate the franchise despite leading to some real world mishaps
 AFP / INA FASSBENDER

The 27-year-old Australian finds other fans mostly supportive, “which I think is incredibly rare, especially because gaming has that toxic stereotype”.

Her favourite Pokemon? “Togepi. It’s just a happy little egg. It’s quite literally, nothing can bother this.”

The game’s nature imagery, varied characters and focus on building a collection are central to its success, said Jason Bainbridge, executive dean of the University of Canberra’s arts and design faculty, who has written extensively about Pokemon.

But there have also been controversies along the way.

An anime episode in the 90s caused several seizures among Japanese children — which some deemed a case of mass hysteria.

And magician Uri Geller recently dropped a 20-year legal battle against Nintendo, which partly owns Pokemon. He had accused it of using his likeness to create Kadabra, a psychic Pokemon holding a spoon.

While real-life 25th-anniversary celebrations are off the cards due to the coronavirus pandemic, a virtual concert featuring US rapper Post Malone — described as a lifelong Pokemon fan — is planned.

And Bainbridge says Pokemon could be around for another 25 years if it keeps adapting.

“Pokemon Go really revived the franchise, at a point when we all knew what Pokemon was, but all of a sudden… we all wanted to do it again,” he said of the game released in 2016.

The game allows players to roam the outside world throwing Pokeballs to capture monsters that pop up on their phone screens.

It has caused real-life mishaps from car crashes to clifftop falls, but it’s still easy to find players on Tokyo’s streets waiting for “wild” Pokemon to appear.

“It feels like you are catching the Pokemon, for real,” said Tsuyoshi Aihori, 22, who was on the hunt in Tokyo’s Akihabara gaming district on a weekday afternoon.

He plays around five hours a week and at a recent promotional event, “I played from dawn to dusk and caught 400 or 500 Pokemon,” he told AFP.

“I ran out of Pokeballs.”





Source link

Related Posts

World Business

China’s robust exports, surging imports boost economic recovery; outlook still challenging By Reuters

April 13, 2021
World Business

China’s Imports Pick Up Further, Exports Strong In March

April 13, 2021
World Business

Login | Business News

April 13, 2021
Next Post

Airbnb predicts 'significant' travel rebound

Here's how much cameras influence your phone purchase

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent News

Bay Area Expert Says Michigan’s Surge From UK Variant Not Likely In California – CBS San Francisco

April 13, 2021

China’s robust exports, surging imports boost economic recovery; outlook still challenging By Reuters

April 13, 2021

Minnesota police chief says he believes officer meant to grab Taser before shooting Black man during traffic stop

April 13, 2021

3 women shot, 2 fatally, in DC apartment that was set on fire

April 13, 2021

Marrying Soon? – Hollywood Life

April 13, 2021

The Viking Raiders return to Monday Night RAW

April 13, 2021

Watch an ‘Earthrise’ from the perspective of the moon

April 13, 2021

Revlon lenders petition judge to release frozen funds

April 13, 2021
Lew Lew Media

All latest Breaking news on Lew Lew Media. Browse The Independent's complete collection of articles and commentary on Lew Lew Media.

Follow us

Category

  • Beauty
  • Business
  • Caribbean News
  • Cars on Display
  • Entertainment
  • Fashion
  • Fitness
  • Food /Cake and Recipes
  • Health & Wellness
  • Holistic Health
  • Latina/Spanish
  • Lew Lew media News Room.
  • LGBTQ
  • LLM News Room
  • Marijuana
  • Medical News
  • Men's Fashion
  • Men's Fitness
  • Men's fitness & Health
  • Models
  • Money and Personal Finance
  • Music
  • Nails & Hair
  • News
  • Politics
  • Real Estate
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Travel
  • Weight Loss & Personal Growth
  • World Business

Recent News

Bay Area Expert Says Michigan’s Surge From UK Variant Not Likely In California – CBS San Francisco

April 13, 2021

China’s robust exports, surging imports boost economic recovery; outlook still challenging By Reuters

April 13, 2021
  • Disclaimer
  • DMCA
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact us

© 2020 -THE MIRROR OF MEDIA - Lew Lew Media .

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • LLM News Room
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Beauty
  • Nails & Hair
  • Fashion
  • World Business
  • Money and Personal Finance
  • Entertainment
  • Tech
  • Models
  • Fitness
  • Holistic Health
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Music
  • Latina/Spanish
  • Marijuana
  • Men’s Fashion
  • Caribbean News
  • Health & Wellness
  • Weight Loss & Personal Growth
  • Food /Cake and Recipes
  • Medical News
  • Men’s fitness & Health
  • Men’s Fitness
  • LGBTQ
  • Cars on Display

© 2020 -THE MIRROR OF MEDIA - Lew Lew Media .

Visit Us On TwitterVisit Us On FacebookVisit Us On PinterestVisit Us On YoutubeCheck Our FeedVisit Us On Instagram