What Pokémon can teach us about storytelling

Since 1996, the Poki(C)mon games have exerted a fascination for fans, telling imaginative stories and encouraging a generation of players to question everything they see

"This is it? This is the game?"

I am in Italy with my partner, and just like every beach holiday since 1999, I have booted up Poki(C)mon. This particular version is Poki(C)mon Sun for the Nintendo 3DS, but all the games are fundamentally the same: you're a child leaving home to catch and train tiny monsters so you can defeat various bosses and bad guys. My boyfriend, who has never played Poki(C)mon, has just watched me eviscerate a grunt trainer with my level 41 Mudsdale.