A world of Pokémon

Created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996 as a game for the Nintendo Game Boy, Pokémon quickly became a global phenomenon spanning video games, animated movies and television shows, trading cards, books and mobile games.

Across these platforms, the aim of the game remains the same: Players or “trainers” search to catch all 1,025 pocket monsters or Pokémon, such as popular characters like Pikachu — a yellow creature known for harnessing electricity — or Squirtle, a turtle-like water creature.

Pokémon fans show off their new cards outside the Richmond Library during a Pokémon Celebration Day event in San Francisco on April 13, 2024. (Aryk Copley/KQED)

In 2016, the franchise expanded further with the launch of the mobile-based Pokémon Go in July. Launching four months before the November election of President Donald Trump, the game has become a symbol of a different time for some.

Receiving a reported 15 million downloads in the U.S. in its first week alone, Pokémon Go created headlines around the sheer numbers of people who went outside to play it — and some of the dangerous situations that inattentive players contributed to. The game went so viral that politicians and 2016 presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton tried to use Pokémon Go as a vehicle to reach voters.

But the number of active Pokémon Go users sharply dropped in the following years. The COVID-19 pandemic also placed logistical constraints on players’ ability to play the game outside their homes — however, some players told KQED that Pokémon Go helped them socialize and get outdoors during school closures and other shelter-in-place measures.

In the intervening years, the game has developed new visuals and maps to keep fans playing. And play they do.

Mitchel Ng (right) plays the mobile game, Pokémon Go, with other children at the Richmond Library during their Pokémon Celebration Day event in San Francisco on April 13, 2024. (Aryk Copley/KQED)

At a handful of San Francisco Public Library branch locations that day, fans marking Pokémon Celebration Day could come together to trade cards, pick up free Pokémon books and stickers — and make personalized buttons of their favorite characters.

The event started back in 2022, but this year was the first time city leaders recognized it through a resolution marking the day of celebration.

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