By Andy Fenneman 2.5.10 Pokémon played a huge role in the childhoods of the children of our generation. From the Game Boy games to the trading cards, it had everything that children loved.

Children look for mystique in fantasy. Pokémon introduced a whole new world filled with unique creatures that you could befriend. What little boy wouldn’t want to be best friends with a fire breathing monster?

Friendship and trust was the foundation of the Pokémon television show. It showed kids how to work together and love and fight for justice. Evil never prevailed, as the infamous Team Rocket would get “blasted off again”.

The role playing video games instilled in the children hard work, patience and persistence. Kids had to work hard to train their Pokémon to become strong and powerful enough to defeat their foes. Yet, many times a player would have to be patient while in search of a rare Pokémon, or lost inside a dark cave without the move “flash”.

As the games took over the lives of children, so did the trading card game. Children loved to collect their favorite Pokémon and then trade them with their friends. Pokémon even found its way to the playground as children would play games of pretend. As Pokémon trainers, they would act out their battles as their Pokémon and defeat evil enemies.

Such nostalgia continues to infect high schoolers today. Many still are avid fans of the Pokémon video games.

“They were there when your friends weren’t around,” said Fred Meraz, ‘11, “And Charmander was so cute, you just melted every time.”

Has the Pokémon saga dragged on too far? Some believe that Pokémon has stretched its limits, increasing its original creature total to 493 different Pokémon.

Yet, its intentions still remain the same. It continues to represent adventure and good morals, many of which it instilled long ago in us high schoolers.