Pokémon are fictional creatures that inhabit a fictional world where they co-exist with humans. There are a large variety of these species endowed with special powers. Pokémon is a shortened version of their original name Pocket Monsters. Pokémon have been around since 1996 and the franchise now consists of video games, books, television series and films, trading cards, countless pieces of merchandise, and various other products.
The most notable Pokémon is a small electric type creature named Pikachu. However, there are over 1,000 Pokémon from various regions of the Pokémon world. Each of these creatures has a type, which determine certain features and the appearance of each creature. There are 18 different types of Pokémon: bug, dark, dragon, electric, fairy, fighting, fire, flying, ghost, grass, ground, ice, normal, poison, psychic, rock, steel, and water.
These are some of the basics of Pokémon. For more detailed information check out the below tabs.
- History
- Image
The first Pokémon game came out on February 7, 1996 in Japan.
Nintendo was a bit unsure about Pocket Monsters at first, but eventually accepted, and Satoshi Tajiri (the creator of Pokémon) spent the next six years working with legendary game maker Shigeru Miyamoto (the man behind Mario and The Legend of Zelda) to make Pocket Monsters a reality.
On Feb. 27, 1996, Pocket Monsters was released in a Red and Green version for the Gameboy, in Japan. The games were on a cartridge, and players could trade Pokémon using a cable to connect to each other's Gameboy. The games went on to sell millions of copies, and were later released to the US in 1998, and the UK a year later, as a Red and Blue version (instead of Green). The name was also shortened from Pocket Monsters to Pokémon.
Image
Since then, seven more generations of Pokémon games have been released, from Gold and Silver, to Ruby and Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl, Black and White, X and Y, Sun and Moon, Sword and Shield, and most recently Scarlet and Violet. With each new generation more Pokémon joined the games.
After the success of the first games, a company called Media Factory created the Pokémon Trading Card Game (or TCG for short). The first set of cards was released on October 20, 1996, containing 102 cards, with drawings by Ken Sugimori, Mitsuhiro Arita and Keiji Kinebuchi. The cards soon became very popular, and three years later in 1999, they were introduced to North America by Wizards of the Coast and shortly after the rest of the world. Pokémon card tournaments sprang up, where players could battle it out, and there is now even a world championship tournament. Since then, more than 30 billion cards have been printed, and some people will even pay hundreds of thousands of pounds for some of the more rare cards.
- Pokémon Go
- Image
Pokémon Go is a trans-reality game that combines the video game world of Pokémon and physical experiences of the real world. It uses mobile devices with GPS to locate, capture, train, and battle virtual creatures, called Pokémon, which appear as if they are in the player's real-world location.
The game was released on July 6, 2016 and by the end of that year it had been downloaded on iOS and Android devices over 500 million times worldwide. The massive popularity of the game has resulted in several positive effects. For example, a key component of the game is walking. Trainers (in game name for players) must walk to find Pokémon, to gain experience, to hatch Pokémon eggs, to reach battles, and basically everything else. This game makes players get outside and explore their neighborhoods and communities. It is a great way to meet new people who also play.
Businesses have also benefited from the nearby presence of PokéStops with the influx of visits. Exploration of communities has brought local history in focus for a lot of people. PokéStops are places in Pokémon Go that allow you to collect items such as eggs and Poké Balls to capture more Pokémon!
Pokémon Go is a free to play game that encourages players to exercise and explore their communities. It is an all ages game with players ranging from 5-90 that live all over the world. Though each day varies, the average number of players in one month is 79,270,880 as of June of 2023.
- Upcoming Library Events
Saturday Aug. 26, All Day event @ Headquarters Library
Image
Fandomonium is back! Join us at the Headquarters Library for the return of this free, all-ages fan convention. Come dressed as your favorite character and enter our cosplay contest. Rally your best and brightest to compete as a team at fandom trivia. Wander through an artist alley and peruse goods from local vendors. Into Pokémon? We'll have a Pokémon specific craft and other fun surprises. We’ll have special guest speakers, panels, games, and more!
Thursday Sept. 14, 3 - 4:30 p.m. @ Millhopper Library
Join us for a Pokémon themed event in the kids section. We will have trivia, button making, a craft, and a chance to learn how to play the Pokémon card game!
Check out some of the many Pokémon titles that the library has to offer.
Board Books: These books are perfect for little ones, generally in 2 and under age range. They rely heavily on pictures and illustrations to tell a story and are great for story time at the library or at home. These books are made out of a thick cardboard like material that is tougher than the average picture book make with paper pages.
Children's Early Readers: These books are considered the earliest chapter book a child can experience. Broken up into smaller chapters, early readers are a great way to boost confidence in young readers. While they are mostly read from the ages 5-9, early readers can be enjoyed by anyone!
Chapter Books or JFiction: These books are generally for children ages 9-12 and they are 4,000-15,000 words in length. These books have more content and more complex language than the children may have seen before. Therefore, they are broken into chapters to help the readers better comprehend the material.
JManga: These are comic books or graphic novels that originated in Japan. Traditionally, manga stories flow from top to bottom and from right to left. Most manga books will have a guide of how to read them in the front/back of the book.
JNonFiction: A nonfiction book is one that tells you facts and information about the world around you. It can cover almost any topic, from wild animals to Vikings. If it's about something that really happened or something that really exists, it is nonfiction.
Information gathered from various sources, including: Pokémon Wiki, Pokémon.com, and Game Press.