Pokemon
Pokémon: The Game That Bent My Game Boy Pocket
Long before Pokémon GO Fest took over Chicago, before the cards became impossible to find on store shelves, before the anime exploded across television screens, there was a little Game Boy cartridge that changed everything.
Back in 1998, two years after Pokémon launched in Japan as Red and Green, North America got introduced to the phenomenon through Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. At the time, nobody knew they were about to witness the birth of one of the biggest entertainment franchises in history.
You started with only three choices: Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. There was no Pikachu starter. No giant media empire. No movies. No global events. Just a Game Boy, a link cable, and a world full of creatures waiting to be discovered.
I remember getting Pokémon Blue while my brother got Pokémon Red. I had a clear Game Boy Pocket and played that game so much that I carried it everywhere. It lived in my back pocket at school every day. Eventually the Game Boy Pocket and Pokémon cartridge literally curved to fit my ass cheek. At that point the console and game belonged together forever.
What made Pokémon special wasn’t just collecting monsters. It was timing.
Only two years earlier, kids were obsessed with Tamagotchi virtual pets. Then came Digimon, essentially the Tamagotchi for boys, where we’d connect devices together in school bathrooms during breaks and battle our digital monsters against each other.
Pokémon took that idea and expanded it into an entire world.
Instead of staring at a tiny creature on a keychain, you could explore towns, travel routes, challenge gym leaders, trade with friends, build a team, and discover hundreds of secrets. It felt massive. It felt alive.
Then came everything else.
The trading card game.
The television series. Pokémon
The movies.
The toys.
The tournaments.
The endless stream of new regions and generations.
The franchise evolved from a handheld RPG into a worldwide cultural phenomenon spanning video games, television, movies, merchandise, competitive gaming, museums, conventions, and live events. Jake Paul spending millions to wear a Charizard card on his neck.
Even Hollywood got involved with Pokémon Detective Pikachu, featuring Ryan Reynolds bringing the beloved electric mascot to life in a completely new way.
Today Pokémon is bigger than ever.
This weekend Chicago hosts one of the franchise’s largest annual celebrations as Pokémon GO Fest transforms Grant Park into a playground for trainers from around the world.
Pokémon GO Fest Chicago 2026
Dates: June 5–7
Location: Grant Park
Ticket Price: $33 for a one-day ticket
Attendees can participate in exclusive gameplay, rare Pokémon encounters, special research, community activities, and citywide adventures stretching far beyond the park itself. Additional add-ons allow trainers to extend their experience throughout the weekend.
The celebration doesn’t stop there.
Chicago is also hosting the incredible Pokémon fossil exhibition at the Field Museum, where visitors can compare real prehistoric fossils with imaginative fossil Pokémon designs, blending science, paleontology, and pop culture in a way only Pokémon can.
Collectors can also check out TCG Tradezone Rosemont near O’Hare, while younger trainers can participate in Pokémon-themed activities hosted by local Chicago Public Library branches.
Few franchises have successfully evolved across generations the way Pokémon has.
From a kid carrying a curved Game Boy Pocket in his back pocket to thousands of trainers gathering in Grant Park with smartphones hunting Pokémon across an entire city, the journey has been remarkable.
What started with Pokémon Red and Blue has grown into a global phenomenon spanning video games, anime, movies, collectibles, museums, conventions, mobile gaming, and live events.
And somehow, nearly thirty years later, we’re all still trying to catch ’em all.
Other than Mario, Pokemon was one of the greatest things Nintendo ever launched.
pokemon.com
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