Pokémon Blue came into my possession along with my Green Game Boy Pocket on Christmas day 1999. This was the first game that got me addicted to video games. Now the only reason I received this gift was because I was a fan of the anime series (like most other kids) that was airing on TV in North America, even though it was the show that was based off of the game.
Pokémon Blue is an RPG game that has you catch wild monsters, use them in battle and raise them on your big adventure. It was the collection portion of the game that was the main addiction for me. There were 151 different monsters to catch, trade and evolve. You feel compelled to come back each day to try and collect each one. Even to this day it is a valid reason to play games like Pokémon Diamond or Pearl versions.
And of course collecting all 151 monsters was not easy, and it brings me to another very important and addicting feature of this game. Linking up two Game Boys, with the link cable you could trade and battle your monsters with anyone else that owned a Game Boy and a Pokémon game. Having friends, or having both Red and Blue versions was necessary for collecting all 151 monsters to complete your Pokédex (the in game Pokémon encyclopedia). Luckily for me my brothers also got a Game Boy with copies of Pokémon Red and Yellow versions on the same day, so collecting all the monsters eventually became doable.
I had a lot of friends at school that owned a Pokémon game. I would bring my Game Boy and link cable to school sometimes and have a blast at lunch beating everyone with my superior team of monsters. The joy you feel when your team that you raised wins was a grand feeling as a kid. Another thing we would do was trade rare Pokémon with strange attributes that were caused by in game glitches.
Yes, this game had amazing glitches if you were addicted to the game. A notable one includes the ability to duplicate the items. Rare items like Rare Candies (and item that if given to a Pokémon would increase it level by one) and the Master Ball (an item that can catch any Pokémon regardless of its strength) could be duplicated up to well over 100. Another amazing glitch is the ability to catch rare Pokémon with interesting attacks and levels, such as the level 145 Snorlaxs and Mewtwos, and a level 7 Mew (rarest monster in the game).
Finally the overall length and vastness of the game made it very addicting. It could take you anywhere from 50 to 70 hours just to finish the main story. And to me this was the first game I ever got into that had a large country like setting to go on an adventure in. Beyond these aspects you still had many hours left to collect the 151 monsters, battle friends and do many other things.
Even though Pokémon Blue Version had seemingly simple tasks like collecting, this game was a very addictive and notable in my life. And though it was not the first game I had ever played, Pokémon Blue Version definitely helped make me into the gamer I am today.
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