Putting the “Pocket” in Pocket Monsters: The Game Boy’s Technical and Ludic Impacts on Pokémon Red and Blue

Abstract

When Pokémon Red and Blue (Game Freak, 1998) arrived in North America and Europe, Pokémon fever swept across the (gaming) world. However, little scholarly work focuses on how the Game Boy was intrinsic to that success and popularity. This article contributes to the growing field of platform studies through an analysis of the Game Boy as groundbreaking, albeit limited, hardware before examining how those limitations and technical apparatuses defined the ludic and social experience of Pokémon Red and Blue. The article offers a new perspective on Pokémon’s origins that both complicates and complements various approaches from previous scholars, collectively reframes those who engage Pokémon as active knowledge-seekers, and more broadly contributes to the growing understanding of our past mediascapes, centred upon the Game Boy’s presence and legacy across the biggest game franchise in the world.