>>27202013The steady decline can be explained in a number of ways. Other key factors include a lot of social and technological changes. The biggest thing though, is that the first generation was a social phenomenon that was probably the biggest and most financially successful fad of the 1990s. I remember the lines wrapping around the malls for fucking POKEMON CARDS. Cardboard cutouts of creatures from the game we all were playing while standing around.
Compare the amount of entertainment options in 1999 to now. Pokemon Red/Blue didn't have the internet and smartphones to compete with at the time. Nowadays, kids have cheap mobile games, social media, streaming, youtube, emulated games, and so on and so forth.
Furthermore, Computers and TVs weren't as cheap and mass-produced as they are now, and a console system requires that to operate. The Game Boy was a popular and cheap handheld option and served as the first "electronic babysitter" in an era without many other options.
Fun Fact: Pokemon Red/Blue/Green sold AS MANY COPIES of the game as entire SYSTEMS of the N64.
