I started playing Pokémon Stadium before any other game, at the end of 2000. However, my first real game was Pokémon Silver on December 28, 2002. From then on, I was obsessed.

Pokemon was fun my mom showed me some cds of it it was awesome

*switchs lines*
I started playing at 1999 when i was little probaly it got me a charm to learn more soon when i watched my cousion and because i had to try atleast and there were some fun times i tell.

Pokemon Red was my first.
Don't quite know when it was, But I think somewhere around 3rd-4th grade.
First starter was bulbasaur
First wild was Paras (after brock, I know, I was never one to try to "catch them all", catching my team of 6 and legends always was good enough)
Then came Pokemon Stadium. which I no longer have...
lol

Really the cards is what started me though.

I got Blue and Red along with a free GameBoy Color I acquired probably around 2001-2002. I found the games to be pretty amusing, but they didn't really hold my interest that much. Then around 3 years ago I acquired a used copy of Gold. Between that and becoming good friends with the largest Pokénut I have seen *cough*Cat*cough* I have been addicted since.

I started in the first gen, with a Pokemon Blue cartridge. I believe I had an original game boy at that point. I don't exactly remember WHEN I got it, but I know I got it at the Topps Trading Center nearby. It was partially faded at the top. I started with Bulbasaur, and quickly learned the type advantages and disadvantages.
I was getting off topic. As to WHY I started playing, I'm not exactly sure... Come to think of it, I didn't have any channels that the Pokemon anime was on, so I'm not sure why I got into it. I think I may have had some of the original VHS tapes... Which are still about 20 feet from where I am right now.
To wrap up, I don't know why I started, or exactly when I started, all I know is that I am hooked now. I don't see any signs of stopping soon.

I started back in 1998. I actually started out by watching the anime and ended up getting hooked. Then on Christmas that year, I ended up getting Pokemon Red, and became even more hooked, and started getting cards, etc.

I was watching the anime (in 1999) way before I started playing the games - when I got back into Pokemon in 2003, I heard about the Gameboy Player for the Gamecube (as well Colusseum coming out) and was glad to see that I could play all the handheld games on the TV....I got all of them used, Red first (I miss my Charizard and Parasect!), and played them on the Gamecube until Xmas 2007, knowing I'd need a DS for Diamond & Pearl, Ranger, etc...when my hubby got me one as a gift and I was hooked on being able to take the games anywhere, including the GBA games!! And I can't wait for them to come out used anymore!!

My first pokemon game was Pokemon Stadium. It was 9 and it was my birthday and I wanted Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Yellow.My parents got me Pokemon Stadium but my aunt got me Pokemon Pinball instead. I didn't have a Game Boy at that time so i couldn't play Pinball on in Pokemon Stadium. So my aunt returned Pinball and got me Yellow so I could play it. and from that day on iwas HOOKED on Pokemon.

In 1999, I was in fifth grade and the anime was my first exposure to pokemon. Everyone was into it, and it wasn't hard to see why haha. It was also the first anime I watched while I was aware that it was from Japan (I had seen the original Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon and one episode of Gundam Wing beforehand) and got hooked. Later on, mom bought me the 'official pokemon handbook' (pretty much the list of all 151 + togepi in the book) and, for quite some time, I had them memorized by name and number. I even drew good looking fan-art, everyone wanted pictures of Mew and Pikachu! Someone even got a Moltres out of me at some point. Later on was the first booster pack, it was first edition and...

I know how many people claim this. But I swear upon my father's grave that it's true. I pulled a holographic Charizard from my first (and only) pokemon booster pack. It was later traded to my next door neighbour for a Zapdos.

I think the real hook happened in Christmas 1999, when my little brother and I both received gameboy colours and pokemon games; he had a blue GBC with Red Version, I had a red GBC with Blue Version. My very first starter was Bulbasaur (my fondness for fire types came later) and my first wild captured was a Pidgey. That really kicked off the addiction and made sure that I ended up playing games from every generation since.

However, my favorite generation will always be GSC. I got Gold Version at another Christmas and that was A LOT of fun. This time Cyndaquil was my first starter and nothing will replace it as my favorite. And then Crystal came along, the first game where you could pick your friggin' gender. You have no idea just how relieved I was when that finally came along. xD

Bottom line, since the beginning I've been a nerd for pokemon, and was really sad when everyone stopped liking it because I was still so in love with it. You have no idea how amusing it was to me to find that everyone started picking it up again once Diamond and Pearl came along though because of this. But yeah, that's my story and how I eventually ended up here I guess. Hope that answered any/all questions about my history.

My first game was crystal version, the general concept was very appealing to me, so I continued playing, then I got yellow version, and it was pretty awesome too.

I got started with Yellow version. However, back then, I had no clue how to beat Brock with that measly little Pikachu, so I'd constantly play my brother's Red version. Of course, I had little luck with that, 'cuz he started with Charmander. I didn't know about all the weaknesses back then, But that's all in the past. I still go back and play my Yellow version occasionaly for the nostalgia.

I started liking Pokemon in 2006 when my friend told me about Pokemon. People started giving me not good cards, but the looked cool. So then I became a card collecter. Then I bought my first ever Pokemon game and that was Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. And now 3 years later I'm doing walkthrough's on Pokemon games on Youtube and now I have over 500 cards!

I know I'm completely ignoring that massive 'If you're under 16 you'll be banned for a week' thing, but I've been playing Pokémon since it was released in Europe (1998 sometime). My sister got a GBC and showed me Pokémon Red, which both later on became mine, and that's when I went crazy over Pokémon. I was only 2 or 3, but I was out buying cards, buying more games (even though I only got Stadium 1 & 2 and a transfer pak this year), and even phoning up someone to guide me to the 'exit' of Cerulean cave (My Pokémon Yellow Prima guide showed a map that clearly had an exit and an entrance). At one point I had every single handheld Pokémon game released (at the time when Fire Red and Leaf Green were just released). Including both Pinball games. Now I only get two games per generation (one of the two main games, then the third one).

Also, when it comes to Pokémon, I'm a glitch-a-holic. Or something like that. Using a glitch Pokemon called LM4, I deleted my Pokémon Blue save (The only Pokémon game that I completed the WHOLE Pokédex legit, using the Mew glitch. All you get is a virtual diploma. You can't use the Gameboy Printer to print it out.) when I levelled it up and then checked my trainer card. It froze, and bye-bye fully completed game. The last Pokemon I caught to completed the 'dex was a Chansey. I hate them so much.

I've thunk my brain to stupidity. Bye.

I was born in 1996 but I have been hooked on pokemon since I was 2 I would watch the tv series every day and never missed one lots of them I memorised but in about grade 5 pokemon disapeared from my school, I was so sad but I still love pokemon I may be young but I have every game from yellow to platinum (excluding pokemon box and other japanese games) and heartgold soon and ive almost beaten them all!

pokemon gold
forget when

beat it in a week and 1/2 (both elite fours)

lvled up my ho-oh to 100
my first lv100
good times

I was born in March 21st, 1995. I'm 14 now, and I started playing Pokémon games in late 1999. My first games were Red, Blue, and Yellow. My neighbor, which was also a family member, gave me the 3 Pokémon games because I have had no games for my Game Boy for a month. His name is David. Nowadays he keeps getting arrested

I started playing ever since the original red version. It was my first game for my gameboy color. I never had a gameboy. I completely went through the game with charizard all the way to the victory road. I distinctly remember that I thought i was so good at the game that I tried to go through the entire victory road with my lvl 60ish charizard and mid 50ish kingler. However, I got stuck in the victory road because I got lost lol. Both my pokemon were on the verge of fainting but letting them faint never crossed my mind and I started a new game later on after I started playing yellow. In yellow I didn't get that far but next was gold then crystal and so on 'till now.

Well it all started around 2000, when my cousin introduced me to Pokemon Yellow, When i first played the game, i had no idea what to do, so i just pressed random buttons, and i ended up beating brock 0_o so i always came to my cousin's after school, one day i finished the game, i got very adddicted to the game, so i asked my mom too buy a GBC and a pokemon yellow cartridge. Then when i defeated THAT game, i went to my electronic retailer then i saw Pokemon Firered, of course, i bought it, then i started getting more pokemon games as it came out... then i saw one of cat's MPC videos , i then subcscribed , when i attended his first stream, I enjoyed it very much, then around Stream number 2 , i became Buizel456 (i actually named it this, because i knew this was cat's favorite pokemon) So then i started to meet people like Yoshi648,Ditto616,Pikaluv,Yoshisupport,Chaos-something. Then this got me started in all of this...

I got my copy of Pokemon Silver (along with a yellow Game Bot Color) in 2000. I absolutly loved that game, and I loved my Game Boy Color. Then I lost my Game Boy Color, and have not found it to this day. My Obaa-san got my GBC in Japan, so it's a Japanese model

In June, I bought a purple Game Boy Color and Pokemon Silver. Not the same, but I still played it non-stop 'til I got stuck at the Elite Four, like I do on every Pokemon game (except for Platinum).

Albeit, I'm not really a "hard core Pokemon fan", just someone who enjoys Pokemon games. I'm not a fan of the card game/anime, although the first two seasons are pretty good. I'm just to embarrassed to watch them anymore

I traded my friend my Super Mario Land cart for a Pokemon Blue in 2000. It turned out that the save function was broken . Then, in 2001, someone left a Gameboy Color with Pokemon Gold in it in my Mom's friend's car. He gave it to me , and I have been hooked ever since.

Yeah i was hooked on pokemon when red first came out, i then tried to get all of the games the only one im missing to this day is diamond, i'll probally get a coppy of all the new ones once they come out and i have the money, but i'll get heart gold first I have beat crystal which got after my gold and silver, its the only one i have beat out of the three kinda strage no

I really kan't remember, but it was most likely around the same time I began playing Mortal Kombat which was around age 4. I've played ever since... I'm a vet. ;D

Most of us older people are Vets when it comes to pokemon

yeah its redicuolus how parents don't read the ratting on the box, its quite bad

[quote=Cat333Pokémon]

Heheh, you're OLD!
I'm only in year 9 (probably the equivelant to 8th grade).

Though I've been into pokemon since I was 2 or 3 (97/8, which ever year Pokémon came out in the UK). You can blame my sister for getting me into video games and making me the most unpopular kid in school.

I first got Pokémon red, along with a 'red' (it was so pink) gameboy color, the christmas after it came out over here in England, so Christmas day 1999, as I'd first seen the anime that year and had since become obsessed with it.

I started playing when (or even before i forget) i was 5. I had blue, my brother had red. We had alot of pokemon games in the house. I can't remember why i started playing though. I have been a fan my whole life and thats all i remember

Yeah same thing for me not sure why i started but been a fan ever since

I got a crystal version from my grandparents about ten years ago, it was an amazing game, and I didn't put it down for weeks...

Playing general games in 1997 (i was 3 years old)... Pokémon in the 1999 (gool ol' 5th years) The Pokémon Blue. Seriously i dont know why but its was a good decission Pokémon fun the world, Pokémon 4ever?

I started playing etc back in the mid-late 90's when it first came out here in the UK. Everyone at school was collecting the cards and playing the games. Good times ^^.

yeah they were i still play the origonal game as some of you know i'm a freshman in college and i'm 18 years old lol, still have my cards lol

Bah, I can post here if I want to, I'm almost 15, I'm a mod, and a PokeVeteran to boot!

Around the time that Yellow came out, my mom got me a combo pack with a yellow GameBoy Color, Yellow, my first ever Nintendo Power magazine (an RBY strategy guide) and a bag embossed with Pikachu and the Pokemon logo, along with the signature catchphrase "Gotta Catch 'Em All!" It was my first handheld game on my first handheld console.

I remember, down at GAME you bought GB/C games in packs of 4. I was lucky enough to find one with Pokémon Red, Blue, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. This was awesome, because I was a massive Pokémon fan, as well as a Toy Story/Buzz Lightyear fan! (Yes, I'm psyched for Toy Story 3!). As for Bill and Ted, I'd never heard of it until a few years ago.

I started playing in 2004. I hadn't been allowed to play for awhile (my mom didn't want to pay for everything). But in 2003, I started to watch the anime (which I don't anymore because its gone down hill). A year later I got Fire Red with money I got with grades . After that I was OBSESSED* until I lost interest about a year ago, but now I love it again.

*I was really obsessed. Pokemon was all I talked about. You could show me a pokemon and I could tell you region of origin, moves it could learn, type, EVERYTHINg (I still can). Random person: GEEK!*throws rock*

I originally started playing pokemon in 1999. I dont even remember whether it was the game or the anime that started first, but it was one of the main things me and my dad did. I loved it so much, and i still do now. I even collected the entire first season of pokemon cards. It was intense. Pokemon will always have a place in my heart. A special one. With a throne.

I've posted this on another thread but; it was probably pure luck that got me into Pokemon. Back when I was little and had just gotten the intelligence to use a Game Boy, my brother got bored with the introduction to Pokemon Blue due to his short attention span and so he passed the Game Boy to me. I chose Charmander as my starter and since then I've been playing Pokemon. I can't remember the year though, however, I remember it was an April day.

i started with pokemon red in 1999
it sure was fun but i prefer the new games
btw platinum was cut in germany becous of gamble so there was no working game corner

I started with a Pokémon Yellow game I found on the bus (probably in 2002 or 2003). I didn't really even know what it was, but the graphics intrigued me (I found the simplistic, almost cartoony style to be really interesting).

I remember there was already a save in Cerulean. However, when I restarted, I couldn't figure out that I was supposed to go to the Pokemart adn deliver the parcel, so I was stuck with a crazy-looking sideways man blocking my way, and a series of barrel-like things. A couple weeks later, Pikachu learned Thunder after a battle with Giovanni in Celadon.

meh not official hook on pokemon was in 2001. i saw some episodes of the indigo league and started watching it every day at like 7:00.My real hook was years later in 2008, thats when my friends suggested Diamond/Pearl to me . I bought it on ebay and played the game. But then i wanted more fun. So i just got more of the games . Then i started playing pokemon wiff my friends. from 2:00pm - 8:00 pm was GAME TIME. every . single. frikkn. day. Then i heard about HGSS. it looked pretty cool to me. Then as i saw action replay, i just started using it. But then after a while u do have to update it . so i stopped with that and started EV Training. Now im obsessed with pokemon. I have over 200 cards and rising. And i just help ppl on their pkmn adventures. Thats it fer me.

I got my first GameBoy Advance along with Pokemon FireRed for Christmas... I believe it was 2001 or 2002.

I was hooked from that point on.


FW, your story is quite amusing.

I bet the guy who lost FW's Pokemon Yellow cried, I sure would especially if it was 7 or 8 years ago.

my first game was yellow in 2002 and then gold that same year

R/B Baby ahh great times

I started to watch the anime first when I was younger. I can't remember when though... then on one christmas my brother bought a gameboy Advance SP for me. It was really cool. I only had one game for the gameboy and after having the same game fovever and stuck on the same level. My brother gave me pokemon yellow. I liked the game but I never understood it. Like I didnt know know to beat brook. I remembered on the the show, that Ash's pikachu beat brook so I tried pikachu on the game. I failed. I end up beating brook by making pikachu use alot of quick attacks and potions. It took a while for me to learn that there was easier ways to defeat him. I loved pokemon after playing that game. I soon got the other games.

Those were good times.

Why? Well for staters,I have always been enamored with wildlife and nature. And the very concept of Pokemon brought that to an even further extent. My peers also had a particular fondness that made it even more enjoyable. But alas...as the years go by less and less of my friends have been involved with Pokemon. That is of course with the exception of a few.However this is one fan who will never abandon Pokemon I can assure you that.

I only started playing a month ago.

You see one day I was on the chat, and asked a stupid pokemon question, and Jad was like "Jared what are you doing in this site if you're mentally-pokemon-challenged?"

Or something like that.

So I got to thinking: Really, what AM I doing here when I know nothing about pokemon?

So, I figured that the only way to learn was to play Emerald.


Then I got to the third badge, got pwned because I have a lot of grass, flying, and water type and heven't played it much since.

My first version was Yellow, and I got when it first came out...
Too bad I couldn't have Eevee as the starter

I got Blue as a christmas present in '98/'99 (I forget which), when I was 4/5.

So I pretty much liked Pokemon all my life

Just for kicks, here's my original receipt for Pokémon Silver:

1 attached image

The first Pokémon game I got was Pokémon Red around the eight of October '99, probably a few days after that though. I'll never forget all the good times I had with this game.

Pirated Reds and Blues my father got for me when I was about 5 or 6. He got those 10000 in 1 game cartridges as he thought it gave more value. In a sense it did, but the games could rarely save.

Got an original copy of Gold for my birthday in late 2000 or 2001. I remember playing so much that I got a fever on the same day I got it.

i saw a commercial for fire red and leaf green and asked my cousin (that didn't play his pokemon games) for his pokemon games, and he gave me red, blue, yellow, and gold. i played gold first and got hooked.

Story time

1999-2000: I was living in Italy at the time, and so were my cousins. We were both military families. My cousins had EVERYTHING. They had an NES, SNES, N64, GBC's, GBA's, and A GameCube. Plus SO MANY GAMES. I would love going over to their house and play. I played their Pokemon games and was hooked.

That Christmas, I got my own Gameboy Color and Pokemon Blue. I have loved Pokemon ever since then.

i started about 2005-2006.my brother was playing pokemon and he made me to watch pokemon.i loved them.i started with the red(broken now).now i made my friends to play..

why did red break?

Pokemon yellow

I was 5...

The rest is history

I'm not sure exactly when it was... 2004 maybe... My brother got Pokemon Saphire for Christmas. I got my own later (After saving over his file... Oops.).

Yellow

Because it was $5 at a garage sale (back in 2003) and I could beat Spongebob: The Movie (GBA) in one sitting on the most difficult level. Still have both the games.

Funny that Spongebob had no EEPROM.

Diamond! I got a ds and when that game came out I bought it. My friend encouraged me to buy it. I think I was 10.

I started playing in 2003, when my sister got Ruby Version. I was kinda interested in what on earth it was, so I tried playing it. I remember being a girl instead of a boy, not knowing how to save, and taking Torchic because I couldn't figure out how to select any of the other ones.

The first pokemon game I played was pokemon stadium. I first expose pokemon when I watched pokemon anime when it just came out. Ever since, I fell in love when pokemon.

I own my first game in 8th grade because I never own a portable game system. The first game I own is Firered on the game boy advance. (the old style with a purple design)

My uncle got me Crystal the Christmas of the year it came out... I didn't play until it was like... New Year's eve. I had been a fan for a while before, I loved the anime, and had some toys (I'm still into the toys, but now I like collecting them, back then I would take them on adventures). My dad actually started it up, (putting in the name, getting out of the house, and headed to the lab) and gave it to me to pick the starter and go from there. Since then, I was hooked. (he was interested too, so we got him his own game.. eventually his own gameboy. We still play the new games together :3)

That cartridge still has the save, iirc. About a year ago I moved my Typhlosion into Stadium 2's storage box just so I would never lose him completely /weird

I started playing pokemon in 2003 . I played Sapphire at a friend's house and after that I became extremely hooked with the series.

I watched the first episode of pokemon when it was aired, I was about 2 I think. This is the reason I play Pokemon today. Around 2002-2003 I got Pokemon yellow and I played it on a GameBoy Advance. I was glad that my first game was a 1st gen game so I could go on to experience the other gens in order. I don't know how I got the game though.

It was in the IT lab of my primary school that I first had contact with the game and played Red on an emulator cause someone had left it there. The year was... 2001 I believe. As my first contact with RPGs, it was very intriguing.

I started playing them in 1998 or early 1999 (I can't quite remember). I don't remember why I wanted to play the games, but I do remember getting the game quite clearly. My mother took my younger brother and I to EB Games one day and bought us a each a copy of Red and Blue. I got Blue, he got Red.

I was really excited. As soon as I got home I ran downstairs, plopped myself onto the couch and began playing. Except the batteries in my Gameboy Pocket were dead! D<

So I had to run upstairs and get new batteries. Not a big deal. I picked Squirtle for my first playthrough. It took me forever to figure out that I had to buy Pokeballs to catch Pokemon. I guess I just wasn't reading while I was playing the game... I didn't have a second Pokemon until after Mt. Moon when I got frustrated and gave the game to my dad. He figured out how to catch other Pokemon for me.

When I was old enough to hold and understand how to play a Game Boy Color. I'm not sure how long ago that was, but I know it was a long time ago. I do believe I was playing Crystal. Not too sure. But yeah, probably when I was old enough to play and understand video games was when I started playing.

I started on red. my mom and step-dad bought it for me because we were going to visit my grandma, a trip from Arizona to Pennsylvania. First starter was squirtle. i think this was 1998 or '99.

I started with Sapphire when I was 8 or 9. I was at the YMCA with all of my friends and I found Sapphire under a table and put it in my Gameboy and started playing it and from then on I was hooked to Pokemon and I will be for a long time! I still have that Sapphire too!

I started playing Pokemon when it came out in '97 or '98. I was about 8 years old and I got my Blue Version along with my Red Gameboy Color. :3

I started playing them when I was old enough to read and get a GameBoy Color. I can't tell you the year though, for I have forgot.
I started off with a Silver version I stole from my cousin. C:
Never really played it, though. Then for Christmas my mom got me Crystal, which I LOVED.

I wasn't into the games at first though. The TCG and Anime appealed more for me. But that's changed now, dude to me growing apart from them. </3

This thread is in need of a bump for new faces to see.

I apparently don't have a post, so I'll put in my dull story.

Me and my group of friends in the ~4th grade were having a grand old time on the bus joking around and doing whatever it was we used to do. Then for some reason we started having this weird argumentative discussions about Yu-Gi-Oh vs Pokémon and other card game related things. I wanted to be a part of the argument but on a different side, so I chose Pokémon while pretty much all my friends chose YGO. I didn't know a thing about the series. I first bought Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Trozei because I saw commercials for them and thought they'd be good, and that's when Diamond came out. "Better late than never," I said, and that's when I bought my first main series game.

From then my love for the series only grew and grew as I played and collected more games. But Mystery Dungeon will always be extra special, being my first ever Pokémon series.

December 2007 I had just gotten my first Nintendo DS and I had enough money to get a new game it would either be New Super Mario Bros or Pokemon Diamond. Of course I settled for Pokemon Diamond.

Looking back I have no idea why I didn't start during Gen III because I actually did have GBA when it was first released.

I started playing Pokemon when I was six, so nine years ago. Wow.. didn't know it was that long! My first game was Pokemon Sapphire because I had just gotten my Gameboy. This is the whole reason why in my opinion, Hoenn is the best

I guess I haven't made a post here either. I started when my parents bought me a Gameboy Color along with a few GBC games; including Blue version. This was in 1999, and not long after that, my parents got me Gold version. So I started playing about...14 years ago? I'm 19 and I still love the series. :3

I started playing Pokémon about eleven years after most people. I didn't really know Pokémon was a thing until I joined YouTube in 2010. Unfortunately I didn't have a DS, so I couldn't do much with it for a while. I finally got a (3)DS for Christmas in 2011, and you can guess what the franchise first game I got for it was from.

It sort of exploded after that.

Edit: the last post here before Cat's is older than most active Internet forums themselves. Nice.