What's the enduring power of 'Pokémon'? A newbie and expert discuss over 'Shield' and 'Sword'
About two years ago I was in the presence of royalty.
Junichi Masuda, long instrumental in driving the development of the "Pokemon" franchise, stood up at the end of our 45-minute interview at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. After goodbyes, via a translator, there was a brief awkward moment as no one appeared to be moving. A Nintendo rep noticed the tension and quietly asked if I wanted a photograph with the master game developer.
Nintendo and Masuda were so accustomed to accommodating requests for a picture that it was practically an anomaly when there wasn't one, even in this professional setting. Masuda has been with the "Pokemon" series since its mid-1990s beginnings and is therefore a key figure in one of the most prominent cultural mainstays of the past two decades, an interactive creator who has had a major hand in generation-defining pop-art.
And I missed it all.
When the early wave of the "Pokemon" craze hit in 1996, I was nearing the end of high school; my interests were more "Trainspotting" and "Quake" rather than Pikachu
