Pokémon at 30: Fans explain what the series means to them

Pokémon at 30: Fans explain what the series means to them Have you caught 'em all?

It's 30 years since a little game called Pocket Monsters launched in Japan - marking the start of a phenomenon that would evolve into a behemoth.

An animated TV series, movies, a trading card game and the mega-hit mobile game Pokémon Go! have all helped to win fans across the globe.

Reportedly the highest-grossing media franchise in history, Pokémon is still a cultural phenomenon today, reaching new generations of fans across the world.

BBC Newsbeat has been asking some of them why they love the series so much, why it appeals to so many people, and why it continues to prove so popular. Pokémon has always been about playing the part of a trainer, catching and collecting monsters before battling them against others.

When the first games were released on Nintendo's Game Boy handheld in 1996, they weren't expected to be a huge hit.

But strong word-of-mouth and the console's low price helped it to sell more than one million copies in its first year on sale. A popular animated series and the spin-off Trading Card Game (TCG) helped to turn it into a full-on craze so huge the press gave it a name - "Pokémania". It became such a sensation that schools started to ban children from bringing the cards to the playground.

The brand sparked a second global trend with the launch of mobile phone game Pokémon GO, which used a device's GPS and camera to place monsters in the real world, in 2016.

That app has since been downloaded more than a billion times.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, there was an explosion in Pokémon-related content, and Pokémon TCG in particular saw a big increase in interest.

Pokémon streamer Josh Rosenberg, better known as Jrose11, believes the franchise's accessibility is one of the keys to its enduring success.

The video game fan tells BBC Newsbeat it's stayed relevant for so many years because it's so "unique in that there's not just one way to play it".

"I think what's magical about Pokemon is that not only do you have thousands of creatures, all of whom are memorable and well-designed, but you have a game that can be played in so many different ways, and none of those ways are incorrect," he says.

Drew Stephenson, a European Pokémon TCG finalist, is a good example of this.

Although he's an expert at card battles, the 17-year-old tells Newsbeat he rarely plays the video games these days.

But he agrees with Josh that "there is a huge amount to do" for fans.

He says TCG events bring "people from all different kinds of places, communities, all different kinds of aspects and specialties", from students to parents. Drew says they're all involved in a different corner of the community, which he describes "like seeing an old friend".

"It is really fun and it's extremely friendly," he says.

Like any fandom, Pokémon is not free from scandals, controversies and complaints from long-time lovers of the series. A recent focus has been the trading card scene, which has received increased attention thanks to YouTuber and wrestler Logan Paul. His splashy, multimillion-dollar purchases of ultra-rare cards have been credited with alerting others to the potential value of the hobby.

Now, when new cards are released, fans complain it is increasingly hard to get them due to scalpers and resellers attempting to buy in bulk and sell for a profit.

Pokémon company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara previously told the BBC it couldn't do much to control the resale market. And on video games, recent entries in the main Pokémon series, still produced by original developers Game Freak, have been criticised for failing to innovate - particularly when it comes to graphics.

But the latest release, Pokémon Legends Z-A, was praised by some reviewers for its gameplay and, according to Nintendo, has already sold more than 12 million copies.

Pokémon also attracts a diverse audience, in contrast to some fandoms, which can skew male or be suspicious of newcomers.

Collector and content creator Monique Budden, 32, says her experience of the community is very inclusive.

"I think they accept all different types of people, if you know loads about it, or if you don't know anything about it," she tells Newsbeat.

Monique says she has been a fan since childhood and in the last few years started to collect cards.

She says Pokémon is a "feeling, it's that nostalgia".

"People love Pokémon for different reasons, but really kind of boils down to that you get comfort from it, it's enjoyable, it's just a bit of fun," she says.

Ariana Stidham, president of University College London's (UCL) Pokémon Society, says the community around the game has helped her to forge real-life connections.

The 20-year-old joined the society in her first year, worried about making friends.

"It really means a lot to me to have found that community and those people that I can really call my best friends through life," she says.

"The community has made me feel not as alone as I initially thought that I was growing up.

"It's a very passionate community of people, and I feel like they've helped me out in ways that I can't even put into words. " "As long as they keep making games, I can't see why I wouldn't at least play them," he says. "It's everything, it's literally given me a job. " Josh adds that he is just like millions of others, whose days are made brighter by Pokémon. "There's not enough words to express how grateful I am for this to exist," he says. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here