How a simple marketing ploy led to years of Pokemon obsession.
This article originally appeared in the Den of Geek New York Comic Con special edition print magazine.
you could find the digital copyhere.
In 1996, Satoshi Tajiri faced a dilemma.
However, he had also nearly bankrupted Game Freak, the company he formed to develop the game.
The studios future was now dependent on the success ofPokemon.
The problem was thatPokemonwasnt selling well.
Mew was only meant to be released as an in case of emergency publicity grab.
As part of a promotion withCoroCoromagazine, Game Freak would give Mew to 20 lucky contest winners.
What had started as a joke among the programmers had now become the studios Hail Mary.
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The gamble worked.
The hype surrounding this mysterious Pokemon caused the games sales to skyrocket.
1 spot on the Japanese sales charts for the first time.
Soon after, those sales figures quadrupled.
It kept the interest alive.
He was a wink disguised as a rumor.
At least, thats what the team thought.
As it turned out, Game Freak had severely underestimated what opening the door to secrets withinPokemonwould lead to.
In the short term, it led to an increase in playground gossip regarding the secrets ofPokemon.
In a way, the biggest contributor to all this misinformation was actually the developer Game Freak.
The Rosetta Stone of these glitches was undoubtedly the games unofficial 152nd Pokemon, MissingNo.
With this knowledge in hand, players started unraveling the games code line by line.
MissingNos other effect onPokemonfandom was a bit more mythical.
To some, the existence of MissingNo made it so that noPokemontale could be immediately dismissed.
How did these myths spread?
Today, there are still those who work to preserve the fan history ofPokemons myths and master their retelling.
Ron Sroor is one such raconteur.
It made me believe that there was more than just what was on the surface.
ButSrooralso remembers the warnings that came with hunting down MissingNo and the games other myths.
Rather than risk corrupting his game, Ron focused on a different aspect of the urban legends.
I was obsessed with theories more than myths, saysSroor.
Of course,Sroorwasnt completely immune to the charms of in-game exploits.
He recalls pursuing nearly every legend that involved the use of certain button combinations which would guarantee a successfulPokemoncatch.
Some otherPokemonplayers, however, did pursue the more outlandish in-game rumors for themselves.
Samuel Jahangir, a lifetimePokemonfan and regularPokemoncommunity contributor, recalls one myth that became an obsession.
For me, the myths first arose on the playground, Jahangir says.
One myth I was particularly fascinated by was accessing Giovanni and Team Rockets Secret Lab.
More importantly, deep within the lab would be none other than Mewthree.
These myths were a way for the blind to lead the blind, Jahangir says.
Except, the fun didnt come from finding out a myth was true or false.
Rather, the fun was in the journey and the discussions they would promote.
Jahangirs sentiment is echoed by Sroor, as well.
The real world is full of mysteries and unknown locations.
Pokemonwas immersive because you never felt like you were at the end of your journey.
These myths made it feel likePokemonwas real and ever expanding, and that still holds true.
Both of thesePokemonfans also acknowledge that the days of myth hunting are long gone.
Like many, they attribute the fall ofPokemonurban legend culture to the rise of the internet.
It was a unique time in gaming history when urban legends existed to be enjoyed rather than debunked.
There is no secret laboratory inPokemon.
It doesnt unlock if youve beaten the Elite Four 100 times or 1000 times.
Yet, these myths are a very real part of what makesPokemonone of gamings greatest franchises.
Pokemons Tallest Tales
There are almost as many Pokemon urban legends as there are Pokemon.
To acquire him, you either needed to push the truck out of the way or slash its tires.
Magikarps seemingly useless splash attack had a 0.00001% chance of instantly defeating any Pokemon.
Every starter Pokemon could be evolved into a fourth form through a series of elaborate methods.
The music in Lavender Town was reportedly changed after it caused some Japanese players to commit suicide.
Every stone in the game could be used to evolve Eevee into different Pokemon types.
Nintendo liked this one so much that they added it into later games.
Matthew Byrd is a staff writer.
