The biggest video games reach far beyond the screens upon which they're played. Find out about the history, pop culture influence, and future of one of the world's most popular gaming franchises: Pokmon.
Initially developed in Japan by Nintendo as a computer game, Pokémon swept the globe in the late 1990s. Based on a narrative in which a group of children capture, train, and do battle with over a hundred imaginary creatures, Pokémon quickly diversified into an array of popular products including comic books, a TV show, movies, trading cards, stickers, toys, and clothing. Pokémon eventually became the top grossing children's product of all time. Yet the phenomenon fizzled as quickly as it had ignited. By 2002, the Pokémon craze was mostly over. Pikachu’s Global Adventure describes the spectacular, complex, and unpredictable rise and fall of Pokémon in countries around the world. In analyzing the popularity of Pokémon, this innovative volume addresses core debates about the globalization of popular culture and about children’s consumption of mass-produced culture. Topics explored include the origins of Pokémon in Japan’s valorization of cuteness and traditions of insect collecting and anime; the efforts of Japanese producers and American marketers to localize it for foreign markets by muting its sex, violence, moral ambiguity, and general feeling of Japaneseness; debates about children’s vulnerability versus agency as consumers; and the contentious question of Pokémon’s educational value and place in school. The contributors include teachers as well as scholars from the fields of anthropology, media studies, sociology, and education. Tracking the reception of Pokémon in Japan, the United States, Great Britain, France, and Israel, they emphasize its significance as the first Japanese cultural product to enjoy substantial worldwide success and challenge western dominance in the global production and circulation of cultural goods. Contributors. Anne Allison, Linda-Renée Bloch, Helen Bromley, Gilles Brougere, David Buckingham, Koichi Iwabuchi, Hirofumi Katsuno, Dafna Lemish, Jeffrey Maret, Julian Sefton-Green, Joseph Tobin, Samuel Tobin, Rebekah Willet, Christine Yano
Brought to you by the writers and editors that created Pojo's Unofficial Ultimate Pokemon, Pojo's Unofficial Big Book of Pokemon features more of everything— more characters, more tv shows, more movie reviews, more video game history, and more tips for building the very best Pokemon team! Up to date for the 2016 holiday season, this collector's edition is packed with collector's information, toy history, puzzles pages, and more! It is the ultimate guide, touching on everything Pokemon enthusiasts could ever ask for.
From Big to Small, This Collection Shows Them All! Region by region and Pokémon by Pokémon, the Pokémon Size Chart Collection: Kanto to Alola is a visual exploration of Pokémon of all shapes and sizes, from the giant powerhouses to the tiny treasures! Compare the sizes of Pokémon originally discovered within seven different regions—Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola—and learn lots of fun facts along the way! The Pokémon Size Chart Collection: Kanto to Alola includes Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, Ultra Beasts, and special Alolan forms. Each region’s Pokémon appear on a multi-panel poster that unfolds for viewing or display and then folds back up neatly for safe storage. This is your ultimate guide to the incredible variety of Pokémon species—a comprehensive index makes it easy to find your favorites fast!
A Pokémon World Tour! This bigger than ever Activity Book contains 112 pages of full-color activities including Puzzles, Mazes, Trivia and more! Perfect bound, 8.5" x 11.5", 112 pages A Pokémon World Tour—Activities for Six Regions of the Pokémon World! The newest activity book for every Pokémon fan takes you from Kanto to Johto, from Hoenn to Sinnoh, and from Unova to Kalos—every region presents challenges for the young Trainer and the returning champ alike! Inside, you’ll find activities covering everything from the very first known Pokémon to the more than 700 Pokémon now recognized, including the most recently discovered Pokémon of the Kalos region. Puzzles * Mazes * Riddles * Who’s That Pokémon? * Word Scrambles * Type Matchups * Memory Games * Word Searches *and much more!
An unofficial reference book made for the educational and information purposes of all trainers and enthusiasts that aim to be the very best in their field of creature studies.
This sticker book contains every Pokémon ever: from Abomasnow to Zubat! That's over 480 Pokémon--all the classic characters, plus the most recent Sinnoh region Pokémon-- complete with basic stats and bonus info. It's the ultimate resource for every budding Pokémon expert.
From its humble beginnings as a video game launched in the mid-90s, Pokémon has become a global entertainment franchise, even reaching into the world via augmented reality with the mobile game Pokémon GO. In this book, the author argues that the Pokémon worldview is the best contemporary example of Claude Lévi-Strauss's "savage mind," suggesting that computer games can be viewed as attempts to reconnect the human unconscious with the true, hidden essence of nature. Video games are often thought to draw children out of nature and into isolated, closed spaces. However, the author asserts, the Pokémon series of games, far from standing in opposition to nature, actually seeks to represent the true, hidden essence of the natural world. As the natural environment is transformed around them, the author suggests, children that would once have directly observed and explored nature encounter it through technology instead. Video games and other digital narratives can often be viewed as attempts to reconnect the human unconscious with nature, undoing the separation effected by the scientific, rational thought of Western modernity. The author supports his argument through close analysis of the history and even prehistory of video games in Japanese culture. Drawing on mythology, Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, and other resources, he explores cultural touchstones like Space Invaders, Ultraman, and the RPG as a genre, showing how their rich, direct expression appeals directly to the urges and impulses within children themselves, helping them come to terms with their place in the world.--adapted from publisher's description.