Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire were released in North America.

...

Just let that sink in for a moment.

God I feel like an old man now. ._. Can you hardly believe it's officially been a DECADE since R/S? It certainly doesn't feel that it's been that long to me.

I think I was in 2nd grade when I got Pokemon Sapphire, so it really does feel like forever. I remember level grinding until my Swampert and Gardevoir were level 100 (I used only those two in the first time playing through the game), killing Kyogre on accident, and wasting my Master Ball on a Relicanth. Even though we don't have RSE remakes yet, I'm still really glad I still have the original GBA games. :3

I was 4 years old at the time, so it actually feels like it's been that long for me. I hadn't even started playing Pokemon yet.

Sapphire was the first game I actually got on release day. Man, I was so excited.

I didn't get Pokemon Ruby until I was around 8 1/2, so it hadn't been ten years for me.

Hard to believe. The game really doesn't feel that old. And to think, the first time I played it was perhaps 7 years ago. First Pokémon game I ever played, too. I remember having a Level 88 Blaziken, and 5 or 4 other Pokémon, all Levels 23 to 43 which were not trained very much, either. Now I can get an entire team of Pokémon up to level 65 to 72. Looking back now, as someone who never had the patience to grind my team, I think I've improved rather well, I guess. Perhaps I should go back to my copy of Sapphire and put my new skills to the test? It's a possibility. Can't guarantee that it'll be done to celebrate it's anniversary. I've never really liked Sapphire or Ruby. Personally, I like Emerald better.

Pokemon Sapphire was my first game, but I think it was a couple of years old by then; I was at least 7 or 8, and I would've been 6 when it came out. My brother got it for Christmas that year, and he'd started it when I took a look at it. I remember thinking, "There's enough room on the menu for a second save file, right?"
Wrong. I overwrote the save file. Looking back on it, I'm just glad he hadn't gotten all that far; I felt bad enough back then as it was. I got my own copy a couple of weeks later, and things went pretty smoothly from there, even though I completely missed the Master ball and ended up KOing Kyogre because I was unable to catch him, and I hadn't learned that saving before encountering a Legendary was practically protocol. Following the Braille messages to get the Regi Trio was fun, though; I remember my Mom using the Braille alphabet later that year for an Easter hunt for me and my Brother, and that was when we got Emerald (Which I kinda liked better, though Sapphire will hold a place in my heart forever.)

I was 6, but I didn't even know about Pokemon at the time.