I think I heard all of the Pokemon fans of the world rise up in glory for the unveiling of the new games to be released in November. Pokemon Sun and Moon, developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokemon Company, are set to be released on November 18, 2016, which will introduce the seventh generation of the game series. While this fact has been known since February, the company revealed in early May the new starter Pokemon that will be available for play at the beginning of the game: the water-type, Popplio, the fire-type, Litten, and the grass/flying-type, Rowlet.
So why is this Pokemon hullabaloo so important? Well, it may seem insignificant to some, but it is very important to me, and here's why.
Video games, including but not limited to Pokemon, were my first taste of breaking the "little girl" archetype that is forced upon so many others. From birth, young girls are force-fed Barbies and dress-up clothes wrapped in a hot pink bow, and often times, they are scolded for getting "down and dirty" with the boys.
Never would you see a girl playing football in the rain, getting soaked in mud, with her brother and cousins... but I did.
Never would you see a girl outside with heavy equipment and tools learning how to landscape... but I did.
Never would you see a 6-year-old girl excitedly holding her Game Boy Advance, playing Pokemon... but I did.
I used to fit the description of a stereotypical girl to a tee. That is, until my older brother decided that he no longer wanted his handheld and gave it to me instead. He sat with me, teaching me how to use the buttons and controls, and over time, I got good. I played and replayed Pokemon Crystal up until the day I beat Red himself. Roll Credits.
But it did not end there. Once all of my time had been turned to results, my attention switched to Super Mario Advance 2, and then to Yoshi's Island, Spyro 2, Kirby: Nightmare In Dream Land. All of these games led up to the day that my grandmother bought me a Nintendo DS, and the door was opened to countless new video games. The expansion of my interest only progressed with the releases of the newest PlayStation or Xbox, where a young female was introduced to a first-person shooter, and life has been fantastic ever since.
Through this long-winded anecdote, I have recapped a belief that I hold very dear to me— interests should not be gender-specific. Girls should not be forced to play with dolls, and boys should be free to step away from the footballs and controllers and wear a tiara instead. The point here is choice. Children should have the liberty of choosing how they spend their younger years, and above all, they should be happy.
My parents gave me the freedom to choose how I spent my time, and they had no complaints when I decided to play baseball barefoot or curl up with my gaming consoles. I believe that it is necessary for all of us to deny this misconception that gender defines interests, and instead allow our younger generations to pave their own path.
As it stands today, I am thrilled by the short distance between myself and Pokemon Sun/Moon, because to me, this is not just another game. This franchise as a whole is the foundation for who I am today. It is the basis of many fond memories, and I am sure that with these next two installments, many more positive experiences will follow.
Try not to disturb me on November 18th, because I'll be locked away in my bedroom, playing Pokemon on my bright pink 3DS.
