Finding Fun #5: Pokémon Red

A World of Possibilities

From the first moment of the title screen, the game presents a world filled with creatures waiting to be discovered. As you progress, each new area promises fresh encounters and potential additions to your team, creating a constant sense of anticipation and discovery. The games layout and environments are good about doing this as well. For instance, one of the first areas you pass through actually ends up being the last area you progress through in the game.

A Vast Soundscape

The game's soundtrack and sound effects are so well matched to each moment. Each town, cave, or route has a melody which gives it a distinct personality. Victory themes feel triumphant, battle music creates tension, and not to mention each Pokémon has a unique sound when they speak!

Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle?

Choosing your starter Pokémon is the beginning of your journey. Your starter becomes your trusted partner and this early decision primes you for the types of trade-off decisions you'll make throughout the game. This is just the first of many strategic choices you'll face — from managing your limited party size of 6 Pokémon to selecting just 4 moves for each team member. These constraints offer a constant source of tension where you can't really make a wrong choice it's more about what figuring out your play style is.

Strategic Depth in Battle

The battle system is rock paper scissors with more dimensionality. Not only are there type advantages, but that in concert with move selection and team composition creates engaging tactical decisions that often reward intuition, experimentation, and careful planning.

Gotta Catch 'Em All

The popularity of collecting things reaches far beyond video games. Pokémon is a great example of tapping into this natural desire in a digital way. Each captured Pokémon serves to fill a gap in your team or adds another entry to your collection to try get them all.

The overarching goal of completing your Pokédex is a critical driver in the social aspect of the game. You know from the very beginning that whichever Pokémon your rival chose you won't have access to. The only way to get that one then is to work with someone else to trade with them. For some games I imagine this isn't fun when you can't 100% it on your own, but if there's enough confidence in a player population then I think the social angles make it a lot more fun.

I Wonder What the Final Evolution Will Be

Evolution moments are pure satisfaction. Watching your companion transform and grow stronger creates genuine excitement about what you're about to discover. These transformations reward your training investments and mark significant milestones in your journey that help remind you of how far you've come every time you pull up your party list.

The Thrill of the Hunt

Rare Pokémon encounters create natural high points in the experience. Pursuing and finally catching a rare creature gives a different sense of accomplishment than winning a battle. The randomness of the stats and many of the encounters also makes this a highly personal experience compared to moments like getting your next badge which is universal in how it plays out.

Personal Connections To Your Team

You naturally gravitate towards certain Pokémon based on design, personality, or experiences. These bonds transform simple game avatars into cherished partners, adding emotional weight to every battle and evolution. It gives you an identity within both your game and the community at large.

Cheating Thanks to MissingNo.

Discoveries like the MissingNo. glitch created an entire meta-game of cheating to duplicate for experience, money, and items. The cheat required enough steps that it felt like you were still doing something worth a reward. The fact that you could duplicate experience items meant it unlocked a much greater ability to experiment with other Pokémon instead of having to grind for hours on end just to test out a new team.

Move Selection Trade-offs

From the very beginning players are presented with move selection decisions: both in battle and as they exceed the cap of 4 moves they decide which moves to keep. Many support moves feel too subtle and short-lived to be worth keeping over direct damage options. This problem is compounded by HM moves, which are required for world navigation but take up precious move slots. The result is a system that frequently forces players to sacrifice their preferred strategic choices for utility, creating a somewhat uninteresting friction between combat effectiveness, personal preference, and world exploration.

Evolution Trade-offs

The straightforward power increase of evolved forms can make favorite early-game Pokémon feel obsolete. This linear progression limits endgame variety and emotional attachment to certain creatures.