I was six-years-old. I'm not certain of the exact year, but I'm sixteen now, so it was probably 2002. I was a little late to Pokémon, but it didn't stop me from becoming interested in the franchise. I'd watched the show for as long as I can remember, but this time it was different. From this point on, my entire life would be based on this small, but important event. My mom took me into Toys R Us to browse. I browsed the GameBoy Advanced games because that's the system I had. At the time, I also had a PlayStation 2, but was completely uninterested in everything non-Nintendo. (This changes drastically in my teenage years, but not until then.) I couldn't find any GBA games to be appealing at the time. I knew what I wanted. I wanted Pokémon Silver. The box art displayed a glimmering Lugia, my favorite Pokémon (thanks to the film, Pokémon 2000). But what's this? Pokémon Silver Version is only for GameBoy Color!? Is GameBoy Advance backwards compatible with GBC games? Do I even know what any of that means because I'm six!? No, I have no idea what that means.
My mom and I leave the store. I'm disappointed. My mom asks me what's the matter, and I respond with the truth. My mom, the strong woman she is, marches back into the store and asks the question everyone wants the answer to. "Can this game play on a GameBoy Advance?" she asks, referring to Pokémon Silver Version. The man answers, "Yes." The suspense is killing me as I'm waiting in the car. My mom exits the store, a small bag at her side. She takes something out of the bag. Is it the game? What could it be? It's Pokémon Silver Version. My first Pokémon game. I insert the plastic cartridge into my GameBoy Advance, its end sticking out awkwardly.
"Now, what did you say your name was?" Professor Oak asks. I choose to enter a "New Name". I enter: POOP. Fast forward ten years. The other day I went searching for this game, and it was no where to be seen. It took me roughly twenty minutes, but I found it. I booted up my GBA SP, backlight and all, then chose to continue my game from where I previously left off. My name is Poop. I've owned this game for ten years, and I've never restarted it. Never will.
The point I'm trying to make in all of this is a good question, really: how on earth do I remember this short segment of my life in such vivid quality, but often have difficulty remembering that I have homework when I was told that I have homework only hours before I forget. Many would respond to this by saying that it's because I actually care about this memory far more than I'm concerned with my homework, but I disagree. This wasn't actually as big a deal as I made it out to be in my life. It's effect on me is minimal, but somehow I'll never forget it, but I forget what I learn in AP US History, a class that explains important things that have happened in the past and how they affect the modern-day United States.
While I still don't understand this conflict, I try to sit here and play a new Pokémon game with updated graphics, more Pokémon, a new story, and many new memories, but no matter what I do, it's not the same as what I grew up with. As we grow up, we find that reality has taken away from the simple fun we had as kids, and the complexity that comes with new technology spoils this simple fun. While it's great to make new friends, let's not forget to revisit our childhood friends every now and then, just for the memories.
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