Pokemon - A Brief History of a Global Cultural Phenomenon

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past two decades, you must have already heard of the global phenomenon, Pokeman. Pokeman, a brand owned by Nintendo (the makers of Wii, and another famous video game brand - Mario), was launched in 1996. It was originally a set of role playing games for GameBoy, but soon morphed into an entire industry of video games, playing cards, collectibles, toys and other merchandize. Today, it is arguably one of the most recognizable brands in the world with followers in every country of every age group. From six year olds in Sweden to thirty somethings in Turkey, Pokeman is known and loved the world over.

The name Pokeman is derived from the Japanese 'Poketto Monsuta', which means "pocket monsters". Pocket monsters, of course, refers to the wide variety of 'monster' species that populate the Pokeman world. Originally, there were 649 such species and the list has been growing longer every year.

Pokeman is based around collecting, training and battling your own monster species. In this Universe, the trainer can collect monster species by using a specially designed ball called the 'Poke Ball'. Maybe you've even see this 'Poke Ball' - a red, white and black contraption that is a common sight around the world. Once collected, the monster species are trained and battled against each other. Each monster has special attacks and defenses, and winning a battle allows them to 'level up' to gain even more power.

Initially released as a role playing game, Pokeman soon evolved to include a very popular anime series. This series followed a trainer called Ash Ketchum collecting and battling monsters in a fictional world. Ash's first Pokeman is called 'Pikachu' - a furry, yellow creature that soon became the symbol of the Pokeman brand. Even today, most people associate Pokeman with Pikachu.

Besides anime, a number of full length feature films have also been made on the Pokeman Universe. A set of trading cards and manga comics further strengthened the brand's appeal. The cute, cuddly monsters appeal a lot to kids, who are the primary consumers of toys and merchandize related to this brand.

The popularity of Pokeman has been declining over the past few years. Nevertheless, many of the monsters - especially Pikachu - remain cultural icons throughout the world. In Japan, for instance, you can find everything from airplanes to theme parks dedicated to this brand.

Pokeman as a global phenomenon has left a significant impact on pop culture. It has been featured in everything from South Park and The Simpsons to VH1 and even a live action show ("Pokeman Live!") in the US. Despite controversies over the brand glorifying occult and violent themes, Pokeman continues to remain well loved throughout the world.

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History of the Video Game Awards

In 2003, the Spike TV Video Game Awards (or VGAs) became the first of such honors to focus on honoring recognition of excellence within the growing computer and video game industries. Each year, the best of the games are rewarded, interspersed with live musical performances, film and television celebrity appearances, and preview trailers for soon-to-release video games. The awards ceremony has taken place in various locations in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Las Vegas, and has been hosted by Samuel L. Jackson on multiple occasions. In 2009, for the first time, the awards show did not have any host at all. Musical performers have included Snoop Dogg and The Bravery, and celebrity guests in the past have included Jack Black, the cast of MTV's Jersey Shore, Green Bay, and Stevie Wonder.

Among the shows honors are categories featuring the coveted Game of the Year, along with best of honors for hottest video action and adventure, innovative graphics, and technology. Categories include separate honors for best Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC games; separate honors for best handheld, shooter, action adventure, RPG, multiplayer, fighting, individual sports, team sports, driving, and music games; Game of the Year; Studio of the Year; Best Soundtrack, Best Original Score, Best Graphics, Best Game Based On a Movie/TV Show, Best Performance By a Human Male/Female, Best Cast, Best Voice, Best Downloadable Game, Best DLC, and Most Anticipated Game.

Critics of the awards disapprove of its selection processes for determining both nominees and winners, which they are concerned reflect bias toward specific products and platforms, with video console games being more likely to come out as winners of the crystal awards over PC games. Since winners are determined by online polls, critics accuse the program of awarding popularity only, rather than true advancement or innovation in the grand scheme of the industry. Additionally, concerns arise from the show's tendency to misappropriate awards or refer to games incorrectly. For instance, during the first Video Game Awards show, Halo won an award in the category of best shooter even though it should have been deemed ineligible, since it was technically a two year old game by then.

During the second awards ceremony, the host, Samuel L. Jackson, referred to the fifth installment of the Grand Theft Auto series, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, as "Grand Theft Auto 2." In addition, later on the same year's show, the game was mistakenly displayed with the label of "Grand Theft Auto 3." When video games King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie and 50 Cent: Bulletproof were nominated in categories despite having not even been released by the time the awards program had been filmed - in fact only being released just in time for the award show's broadcast - critics immediately took their nominations as nothing more than components of advertising and publicity campaigns for both games. It did not help that the video game Bulletproof, had actually even been nominated for the most highly sought after honor of the awards show, Game of the Year, in spite of negative reception by critics as well as gamers upon its release. Another sore spot for critics of the awards program is that they feel the ceremony dedicates too much time and emphasis to celebrities, musical performances, and aspects of pop culture that have nothing to do with the video game industry, just to draw a larger audience and boost ratings for the show.

The author of this article is 10 year veteran in the crystal awards and recognition gifts industry.

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