5 lessons Pokemon games have taught me

I was nine when I was first introduced to Pokemon. I remember playing the games feverishly, videotaping every anime episode until I had to reuse my limited VHS tapes, and buying booster packs with friends after school. The Pokemon franchise wiggled its way into my mind and burrowed there and despite lapses over the years, I’ve never been able to let go of out.

Here are some lessons I’ve learned from Pokemon over the years.

Hard work pays off

Sure, you get your first Pokemon for absolutely nothing, but what happens after that? You couldn’t coast through Kanto with just one Pokemon, and you certainly couldn’t do the same without leveling it up. Grinding on Caterpie in Viridian Forest was a drag, but it all paid off when you one-shot Brock’s Rock type Pokemon. The same goes for life, as I found out. You might have been born with a talent, but if you don’t keep working on it, it counts for nothing.

You can always do better

If there’s one thing I’ve always loved the Pokemon game series for, it has been GameFreak’s commitment to excellence. Each generation of games has always managed to outdo the previous, and not just with one or two features. Every new Pokemon game has a graphical overhaul, brand new features that give the game even more playtime, and of course, never-before-seen Pokemon. Pokemon X & Y, launching tomorrow, has completely broken the barrier, but I’m sure GameFreak will do even better come the next release.

Victory is sweeter when it’s experienced with people you care for

Back in school, there were always two choices when it came to group work. Work with the kids who would get you good grades but who were boring, or work with your friends, which meant you would invariably get a poor grade, or possibly fail, but have fun. I never had trouble making that choice.

Working with people you care for makes any achievement all the sweeter, and the same goes for building a team with which to face the Elite Four. Should you pick the team that lets you coast through effortlessly, but that you don’t care for, or should you build a team of Pokemon you love? Just like in school, the answer is obvious.