>>52447670I used to live in the third world. Not all of us had gameboys and mostly who did have had saved for months to buy one. Most people had just 1-2 games, one of course being RBY.
I went to school in the school bus early in the morning, and the 30 min trip was enough to trade / battle with other kids, also in the breaks between classes. We had information from the tv and magazines and we'd discuss it like the most important thing. There were rumours, like how to catch mew, the pikablu, and the epic bugs like missingno.
Everyone was into into, our friends, brothers, sisters, even some parents. My grandparents knew the names of pikachu + starters.
There were local, regional and national tournments for RBY and TCG and you could win badges or special mons/cards. At school, the best trainers would create their own badges and stay at fixed places - their gyms. I had my own place and gym.
All in all, and yes that will sound like old man bias, today there's so much information and fast access. As a kid, I had to wait a week sometimes for some info on some pokemon, out of 151. Today we get instantly info on all 1000+ mons. That sure makes a difference. There's just no room for imagination, creativity, or free time anymore, and I'm sad my kids won't have it like I did.
