Developing a Line of Inquiry: Assignment Two Planning

Pokmons impact on the world- it has become such a large and successful

franchise from something so small. I want to find out more about its impact on the rest of the
world besides America and Japan.

Commented [FD1]: I honestly do not believe that the

inquiry part was a requirement. However, I do think it is a
great background resource section. You are rather detailed
in this section. D.R.
Commented [FD2]: I know in this section we were only
allowed to write a few sentences. However, perhaps you
could have added one more to give a brief description on
what effect Pokemon has actually had. An example would
suffice. D.R.

Pokmons impact on players- it has a strong impact on people who play the

game, it brings friends together. I would like to research this topic and see if Pokmon is really
capable of bringing people together in such stronger ways than playing a game. I would like to
see what change Pokmon can bring to ones life.

Pokmons encouragement- throughout the game, there is a lot of encouragement

given to the player. I want to research this and see if perhaps it was meant to reach the actual
player in their real life.

Pokmons originality- it is a very unique video game. I want to see where the

ideas come from and what copycats are out there.

Search Terms:

Pokmons impact on the world

Pokmon and its players

Pokmon encouragement

Pokmon originality

Search Terms
Pokmons World Impact

Sources I Can Access Based on These Search Terms

NPR, The Surprising Cultural Stamina of Pokmon,
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/11/19/246023215/thesurprising-cultural-stamina-of-pokemon

Commented [FD3]: YAY ANIME! I love anime myself and

heck yeah it can bring people together! of course they'd
have to be into it just as much or show a slight interest as
well. But I would love to see what you branch out to with
this thought. D.R.

Pokmons impact on
the world

Google Scholar, We All Live in a Pokmon World,

http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Daniel_Riha/publication/21554
0315_Gamespace_as_Knowledge_Space/links/00b4952f0e764335b
f000000.pdf#page=90

Pokmons impact on
the world

Google, Pokmon: How does one build a brand out of a kiddie

fad?, http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-0909/news/66363763_1_pokemon-tazos-pokemon-action-pokemoncompany

Pokmons impact on
the world

Google, Pokmon Case Study,

http://w3.salemstate.edu/~poehlkers/Emerson/Pokemon.html

Pokmon and its players

NPR,
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129210727,
Hundreds Go For The 'OHKO' At Pokmon Championships

Pokmon and its players

Google Scholar, Pokmon: A Culture of Learning?,

http://www.dbd.puc-rio.br/depto_administracao/TD11.pdf

Pokmon encouragement Google Scholar, COMPANION GAMING: IMPROVING THE

QUALITY OF GAMING
EXPERIENCES THROUGH INTERCONNECTED
GAMEPLAY,
http://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/151676/RO
SS-THESIS-2013.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Tentative Topic Proposal:

Every major franchise starts from somewhere small. But there are the few that can truly
wrap itself around the world. Pokmon is one of the most popular video game franchises that has
spread from the seas of Japan to the Americas and further onward until Pikachu became a
universal meaning of joy and togetherness. With six generations of video games, an on-going
anime, trading cards, and a variety of merchandise, Pokmon has become successful and

unforgettable. The goal of this paper is learn more about this success and how Pokmon has
made impact on various parts of the world and on individual players.
Introduction Draft:
Imagine that you are ten years old, you turn on your television and you are introduced to

Commented [FD4]: Your work above here is excellent,

but technically this paper starts here. Right now at the very
start of this paper you have "Assignment two planning" as
your title and none of your reader would know who wrote
this paper unless you fix it. (Sheng)

a world of these strange creatures and adventures alongside them. What is this world? The world
of Pokmon. How can you go to this world? By begging your parents to buy one of the two
video games; Pokmon: Red Version or Pokmon: Blue Version. This is just what happened
when the franchise phenomenon, Pokmon, released in the late nineties in various parts of the

Commented [FD5]: Just for the fun of it you could also

mention the trading cards that kids used to trade or play
with (and paint a picture of the excitement of the child's
reaction). Your other two examples are great but they are
both video games. The cool thing about pokemon
merchandise, was/is that its available to any and every
economic class. D.R.

world such as Japan, North America, and Europe. Thus, Pokmon started its existence as a
billion-dollar franchise.
For those who may be surprisingly unfamiliar, Pokmon is a video game series that
eventually branched out to be an anime as well as a trading card game. Pokmon is one of the

Commented [FD6]: You could mention the manga as

well. D.R.

most popular video game series in the world. Pokmons outstanding popularity has become a
tool to make profit by being used in food products, toys, clothes, and even a theme park in Japan.
As of now, Pokmon has made over fifty billion dollars worldwide. The purpose of this paper is
to discuss this success and how Pokmon has made an impact on countless parts of the world and
individual players.
I myself have been playing Pokmon since the first game came out. However, I have only
fully played five out of the twenty-four games. There are twenty-four games if you count each
game as an individual and not as a different version of the same game. Otherwise, there is
technically only fourteen games. As it may be suggested, there were periods of my life where I
didnt enjoy Pokmon anymore and I stopped playing. However, I have to admit that my love for

Commented [FD7]: Where did you get this information

from? This would be a great place to add an intext citation
to show proof of your credibility . It's okay, I didn't put any
in mine either! D.R.

the series has been rekindled as I am currently playing the games and thoroughly enjoying them.
I own a variety of Pokmon merchandise such as clothes and toys. I am not particularly involved
in the fan base as I stopped watching the anime and collecting the trading cards. As a fan, I
appreciate Pokmons existence, concepts, and creativity. Therefore, I will particularly bring a
positive bias throughout my paper.
Annotated Bibliography

Commented [FD8]: I don't really agree with this sentence

since this is a research paper and writer is expected to
deliver a neutral review, excluding the part that you cite
yourself. Most importantly after reading your intro several
times, I can only find a lot of info about the game but not
your thesis! (Sheng)

Allison, A. (n.d.). The Cultural Politics of Pokmon Capitalism. Retrieved October 19,
2015.
Allison shares the intellect of Pokmon as it is constantly in production through goods
and new characters to adore. It has such a great appeal to children because there are so many
Pokmon that children will either pick favorites or demand to catch them all. Thus, sales
increase as more customers are satisfied with their ever growing collection.
Bainbridge, J. (2014). Gotta Catch Em All! Pokmon, Cultural Practice and Object
Networks. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
The economic success of Pokmon is mostly due to its integrated marketing and
multimedia franchise. There is an audience for every series of media that Pokmon distributes.
However, the extra pieces (the trading card game, anime, etc.) only suit as puzzle pieces and plot
to the main product: the video games.
Irani, D. (2015, September 9). Pokmon: How does one build a brand out of a kiddie fad?
Retrieved October 19, 2015.

Commented [FD9]: For the citations I would have tried to

use the annotations only to create this section. Using the
cites here isn't a good idea. Citations should go at the end in
order to avoid confusion. B.J.

Irani talks about how Pokmon has caused an economic craze to India as the franchise is
striving to appeal people of all ages, not just children. Pokmon became popular in India because
of its anime, not video games. A trip to Japan reveals just how popular this franchise is in its
homeland and it could may viewed as a religion.
Leet, S. (n.d.). Pokmon Consumer Culture. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
Leet describes the Pokmon phenomenon as an undying culture. Pokmon has succeeded
in being involved in the daily lives of its players and collectors. However, it is mentioned that
this can be read as a clever scheme to bring consumerism in its buyers and supporters. This is
especially apparent in its too-obvious motto Gotta Catch em All!
Nelson, N. (2013, November 19). The Surprising Cultural Stamina of Pokmon.
Retrieved October 19, 2015.
Nelson takes notes of a Pokmon Trading Card Game club that consists of members
between the ages of nine and thirty. He agrees that Pokmon is only becoming more evolved as
its fan base expands. It is also noted how the video game series is the core of the production
within the TCG and anime.
Pokmon Case Study. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2015.
A study is done on the beginning of Pokmons impact on America. There were many
aspects in the beginning that were viewed as obstacles such as mild action and lack of impressive
graphics. Translation was a huge factor in every aspect of Pokmon such as westernizing jokes
and translating/renaming Pokmon.

Ramirez, D. (n.d.). Twitch Plays Pokmon: A Case Study in Big G Games. Retrieved
October 20, 2015.
This article focuses on one of the strangest yet outstanding events in Pokmon history as
thousands of people shared an online controller and played a game of Pokmon. This changed
the way Pokmon was played as players had to work with and against each other in order to
make any progress in the game. It took several days, gained vast media attention, and was
eventually a success. Events like this happen on occasion on the livestream site, Twitch.tv.
Tomei, P. (n.d.). Pokmon: A Culture of Living? Retrieved October 19, 2015.
Tomei describes Pokmon in general as a teaching method by teaching its fans about
evolution and working together. There are many Japan customs in Pokmon that can be gained
through gameplay such as the collectivist lifestyle of sticking with your group and sharing a
common goal. There are psychological learning elements that are ensued to teach players how to
get to the top of the food chain within the game which definitely plays into the lessons of
evolution and growth.
Entering the Conversation:
When thinking about such things that are so popular and successful, we may not take in
the efforts and stories that lead up to such success. There is so much more to the ideas and
money that contributes. There is also a much wider audience that we may not be aware of. For
example, we may not think about the home town or country where the product(s) originates from
and how this product has made a movement in such a place. Every action has a reaction, while it
may not be visible to us, its happening in the world right now to thousands, possibly millions of
people. So what exactly makes such an action strong enough to effect the whole world?

Commented [FD10]: I guess here's your thesis. You can

simply condense it then attach it to the end of your intro.
Thesis should be stated in intro first then restated here.
(Sheng)

In terms of Pokmon, a major game franchise that has branched into many different
products, the creators knew exactly what they were doing when producing this game; they took a
challenge to see if by producing a multimedia franchise, it would mean the beginning of their
riches. But is there more to their products than meets the eye? Did the creators really understand
the success of their own product?
As a psychology major, I want to deeply understand pretty much everything in the world.
Its impossible, but to understand the inner works of a major franchise and how it remains to
appeal to a variety of people despite age, criticism, and redundancy is a good start. I would like
to open the minds of buyers and fans to better explain the strong psychological workings of their
favorite video game.
Lit Review:
Imagine that you are ten years old, you turn on your television and you are introduced to
a world of these strange creatures and adventures alongside them. What is this world? The world
of Pokmon. How can you go to this world? By begging your parents to buy one of the two video
games; Pokmon: Red Version or Pokmon: Blue Version. This is just what happened when the
franchise phenomenon, Pokmon, released in the late nineties in various parts of the world such
as Japan, North America, and Europe. Thus, Pokmon started its existence as a billion-dollar
franchise.
For those who may be surprisingly unfamiliar, Pokmon is a video game series that
eventually branched out to be an anime as well as a trading card game. Pokmon is one of the
most popular video game series in the world. Pokmons outstanding popularity has become a
tool to make profit by being used in food products, toys, clothes, and even a theme park in Japan.

As of now, Pokmon has made over fifty billion dollars worldwide. The purpose of this paper is
to discuss this success and how Pokmon has made an impact on countless parts of the world and
individual players.
I myself have been playing Pokmon since the first game came out. However, I have only
fully played five out of the twenty-four games. There are twenty-four games if you count each
game as an individual and not as a different version of the same game. Otherwise, there is
technically only fourteen games. As it may be already assumed, there were periods of my life
where I didnt enjoy Pokmon anymore and I stopped playing. However, I have to admit that my
love for the series has been rekindled as I am currently playing the games and thoroughly
enjoying them. I own a variety of Pokmon merchandise such as clothes and toys. I am not
particularly involved in the fan base as I stopped watching the anime and collecting the trading
cards. As a fan, I appreciate Pokmons existence, concepts, and creativity. Therefore, I will
particularly bring a positive bias throughout my paper.
Although prominent in the video game series that started it all, the term Pokmon can
mean anything to anyone. Pokmon may refer to the trading card game or the anime. This is a
factor to success in the Pokmon franchise because its money comes from a range of products.
Because of its multimedia franchise, Pokmons audience overall grows larger. There is
something for everyone to enjoy, therefore more profit is guaranteed. Bainbridge (2014)
However, the extra forms of media do not compare to the sales of the core moneymaker, the
video game series. In Japan, the Pokmon anime and manga series are just as popular and
admired as the video games. This devotion in Japan is not as common in other parts of the world.
Pokemon has been a device to increase sales in a variety of business, both small and
large. Simply placing a few characters such as Pikachu or Gengar on cereal boxes and backpacks

is bound to attract children with willing parents. One example of this use is Japans ANA jets
which display a mass of Pokemon characters on the exterior and is a
Because it has been around for almost twenty years, Pokmon continues to appeal to its
first generation of fans as well as newcomers. The Pokmon video game series is constantly
incorporating new features and better graphics that are sure to tempt old fans who didnt get to

Commented [FD11]: You have used Pokemon a lot

already. After establishing what the paper was going to be
about, you only then have to reference it as to whether or
not it is the anime or manga. It isn't too bad though. B.J.

experience such things in the beginning of this franchise. The TCG suits as a drive to collecting
as it has been around just as long. Over time, cards become more valuable and rare which
increases sales and trades. There happens to be an annual trading card event that welcomes
Pokmon TCG players of all ages. NPRs Noah Nelson takes a look into a smaller Pokmon
TCG event and notes the variety of contestants; it ranges from children to adults, girls to boys.
What is really outstanding, however, is the extensive knowledge that each of the players happens
to behold. Nelson, along with a much older contestant, was instructed by a nine-year old
contestant the basics of this game (2015).
Within Pokmon, I believe that there are psychological factors which play into players
involvement in the franchise. One factor is the action of collecting within the video game.
Pokmons long-lived motto, Gotta catch em all! essentially encourages children to collect all
of the virtual monsters within the games and upcoming titles. Anderson (2012) Collecting is seen
as a strong hobby, specifically with children. Collecting provides many things for children such
as being able to group similarities and notice diversity within their collection. Because a
collection is hardly ever complete, the events of a new member arriving into ones collection
brings a sense of completeness and achievement. However, collecting Pokmon can be just as
compelling for older players, especially outside the game. As mentioned earlier, Pokmon is a
growing franchise with many things to collect such as video games, toys, cards, etc. By

Commented [FD12]: I like the in text citation. It is a very

smooth read and easily noticed. I like this a lot. B.J.

establishing a material collection in Pokmon, such a persons reputation will boost and their
collection becomes much more valuable with age as any other possession would. For example,
during their initial release, the first Pokmon games costed thirty dollars, more or less. Today,
the games cost just the same. However, owners have taken advantage of the nostalgia of gamers
and auction their boxed, mint-condition video games for up to hundreds of dollars.

Commented [FD13]: Very detailed and accurate review

so far. One possible mistake is "Anderson (2012)", I can't
find either the start or end of this citation. (Sheng)

Another smaller, yet significant, aspect that may be a psychological factor to the appeal
of Pokmon to children is the fact that the protagonist is a child of age ten or perhaps eleven.
Because of this element, children are more drawn to play as it creates the concept that the young
players are really taking a role in the Pokmon world. In the first Pokmon game, the protagonist
was set as a young boy. The most freedom in character customization was picking your name.
Later in the second video game, the option to play as a girl was available. This exhibits that
Pokmon recognizes its female players and know how to represent them. Later in the newest
addition to the Pokmon series, the option to choose the skin tone of your character was an
option. Although only with three shades, the representation of Pokmons multiracial audience
was clear.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, it is apparent that a franchise that may be disregarded by some, is admired
and perhaps even worshipped by a silent majority. A franchise can even be viewed as a
psychological tool for profit and popularity within a desired audience. All of these statements
can relate to Pokemon as a whole. In order to make this more obvious, we must explore deep into
such a topic and see what makes it tick, or rather sell so well. By understanding the inner
works of our favorite brands and series, we can being to realize what keeps our bonds so strong.
This can be important to learn so that we can think before becoming too involved in a franchise

Commented [FD14]: Well written conclusion. You had

almost everything required, besides just a few more
sentences for raising more questions. (Sheng)

and its products; we will be aware of our contribution to sales and how we ended up so obsessed
by a franchise. This insight can even inspire future business owners to different techniques to
ensure sales and popularity of their own products. By walking in the steps of Pokemon, one is
bound to find just the same kind of success. But the question remains as to whether Pokemon
was fully aware of the aspects that played into their success.