Like many others, I’ve loved Pokemon since it first became popular back in the late 90s. Between the cards, shows, movies, and video games, I simply could not get enough of it. Being able to fill a Pokedex with all the different types of Pokemon, setting out on an adventure to get all your favorite ones for your own team, and doing Pokemon battles to become the best Pokemon trainer in all the land has grabbed the hearts of millions.
More than twenty years later, this seems to still be the case. But why? Yes, this was all great in the beginning, but to keep almost all the games exactly the same for that many years and still have the franchise be as popular? You’d think by now they would have changed things up a bit more. In some ways, they have, such as the new(er) concept of Dynamaxing your Pokemon during battle. But for the most part, the structure and plot of the games and shows have been the same.
There is a saying, “don’t fix what isn’t broken,” which seems to apply well here. But there are reasons that Pokemon can remain almost exactly the same for so many years and not be “broken,” so to speak.
People Enjoy Constants In An Ever-Changing Society
Our world, in comparison to how it was in the 90s, is… worse, in my opinion. But taking opinions out of it, it is at least different. As the world continues to change in a myriad of ways, almost everything changes with it. You can go back and play your old video games that will still be the same, but you always have in mind, “this is from back then.” Pokemon continues to be relevant today while maintaining the familiarity of what we all had back then. Yes, there are new Pokemon, types, locations, and more, but the general structure of the games is mostly the same. It’s comforting for many to be able to play something that they know they can rely on to stay the way it’s always been.
It’s The Perfect Blend Of New And Familiarity
It's important to note that they don’t release the exact same stuff over and over. Pokemon is the perfect combination of everything we know and love and fresh material. Many consider it ideal that the gameplay stays similar, but includes new characters, Pokemon, locations, and more. Fire Emblem, for example, is another franchise that has been releasing games for many years that function the exact same way but also have new aspects to them each time. This seems to be a formula that works well for players.
It’s Become Competitive Over Time
A major aspect that has caused Pokemon to stay popular is its development into competitive gameplay. While “back in the day” you could battle your friends or play the card game competitively, there weren’t the huge competitions that there are now. There are all sorts of different tournaments and competitions held around the world for Pokemon, providing players with the motivation to become the best at the games.
They Continuously Add To The Knowledge Base You Already Have
If you’ve been playing Pokemon for many years, you have a solid grasp on many of the type strategies and Pokemon that are “good to use.” What’s cool is that this knowledge still helps you in the newer games, but they build upon that with new releases. This way, there is still some challenge and freshness to it so the gameplay does not have to get stale, and the player still has to learn new material. You might know a lot of types that are good to use against others, but you'll still have to familiarize yourself with the newer types.