Follow me back in time for a moment. To 1996. The world of gaming was steadily growing by the year. Arcades were all the rage. And home entertainment systems were starting to become more widespread. Less than ten years prior Nintendo released the Game Boy. While this wasn’t the first handheld console, it was definitely the most popular and culturally significant one. But there is one title that was released in 1996 that really launched the world of handheld gaming into the stratosphere. Pokemon!

Pokemon has become one of the most iconic franchises on the planet. With characters like Pikachu being recognizable even to people who have never played a video game before. From humble beginnings the franchise has become a worldwide phenomenon that has spawned numerous mainline games and many spinoff titles, animated shows, comics, mangas, and an endless stream of merchandise.

Next year will be the 30th birthday of Pokemon. And we have no doubt that Nintendo will pull out all the stops to make it a year to remember. But before that happens we want to take a look back at the best Pokemon titles of the last decade. And with so many to choose from this was not an easy list to compile.

Sword And Shield

Pokemon is an odd franchise in that every mainline game release is actually split into two titles. Both titles are identical in almost every aspect. The main difference between them is the available Pokemon pool. And, most importantly, which legendary Pokemon you can capture.

Sword and Shield were released back in 2019 and they were unique in that they were the first mainline Pokemon titles to be released for the Nintendo Switch. Previously mainline titles were reserved for handheld systems like the DS or Game Boy. And this upgrade in regards to technological strength shone through. The game’s graphics were a huge step up from previous titles and the world map was sprawling and beautifully designed.

These titles also made it so that you could see Pokemon within the tall grass. Allowing you to better decide which Pokemon you wanted to fight. But it also served to make the world feel more genuine. The level of immersion offered by Sword and Shield is a big reason why we believe they are some of the strongest titles of the last decade.

Pokemon Go!

Released back in 2016, Pokemon Go was a slight departure from the traditional Pokemon format. It is an augmented reality title that uses real world maps rather than being set in a fictional location. Various landmarks and locations within every city are designated as Gyms and PokeStops. Players join one of three teams when they create an account and work with their team to control different territories.

Unlike other titles, Pokemon Go forces you to go out and about to catch and level up your Pokemon. The game uses your phone camera with an AR overlay to show you where the pokemon are. When the game was released thousands of people took to the streets to start catching and battling Pokemon. And it is still going strong to this day.

One of the main issues new players face when joining Pokemon Go now is that they are likely going to be too far behind the veteran players to make any significant impact on their teams territorial efforts. But, unlike other Pokemon titles, players can get a strong Pokemon roster with these accounts available from sites like Mysticmisery.com or GameBoost.com.

One of the main issues with many of the mainline Pokemon games is that the available roster of Pokemon is limited due to the fictional region the game is set in. Whereas Pokemon go has a staggering 884 Pokemon available for players to catch. And considering there are only 1025 Pokemon in the entire franchise, this is an impressive amount. And it will likely continue to grow as the app receives more updates.

Pokemon: Let’s Go

Let’s Go Eevee and Let’s Go Pikachu were released back in 2018 to thunderous applause. They were remakes of the classic title Pokemon Yellow and served as a way to introduce new fans to the series while also providing a solid nostalgia hit to veterans.

The game features all 151 original Pokemon and utilises a similar Pokemon capture system to Pokemon Go. Players have to use the motion control systems in the Switch’s Joycons to throw Pokeballs. Depending on which version of the game you bought you would have either a Pikachu or an Eevee sat on your shoulders as you roamed around the overworld.

Gaming is the next big thing, both career-wise and otherwise. Gone are the days when gaming was mostly seen as a hobby. In today’s world, you can earn a lot from pro Gaming, and the best part is that you have fun while at it.

Gaming has changed over the years. It currently involves advanced tech and is no longer limited to a particular option. You can focus on cloud gaming, console gaming, or handheld gaming.

Are you looking to go into pro Gaming? Read on to learn about the most essential steps to get you started.

Have a budget

Deciding to go into programming is one thing, and getting the needed gear is another. Gaming gear can be quite expensive, and if you do not have a plan, you can end up buying unimportant items. Drawing up a budget after proper research will help you know how much to spend and what to buy.

Go for beginner-friendly games

Start with user-friendly games. This will give you the needed experience to take on more challenging games with time. Starting with more challenging games has advantages and disadvantages. You can easily get discouraged or frustrated, hence the need to start with easy games.

Determine whether you are gaming as a hobby or a career

Choose a path from the beginning. You may choose to take a different path later, but it is essential to know what you want from the beginning, as this helps you build focus. If you intend to take up gaming as a career, you need exposure. You can easily gain recognition on platforms like Reddit. To make it easier, you can go through platforms like rUPVOTE, which offer instant exposure services. This service will help you boost your presence online and give you relevant exposure. With this, you can gain massive recognition as a gamer, making it easier for you to start earning.

Join the gaming community

You can’t go into pro Gaming without joining the gaming community. The gaming community consists of many experienced pro gamers who can help teach you all you need to know. You can also join gaming teams to enhance your overall gaming experience

Choose the best gaming option for you

We mentioned earlier that there are different gaming options: handheld gaming, console gaming, and cloud gaming. Based on your gaming gear and the game you choose, choose the perfect gaming option for you. Each option has advantages and disadvantages. So, ensure that you do proper research on which option suits you before choosing anyone.

Level up in competitions

Play as many games as possible and try to win. Get into a lot of competition, this won’t be so difficult if you join the gaming community. The more competitions you win, the closer you get to becoming a gaming pro. Put a lot of focus on leveling up in games, as this will get you the recognition you need in the gaming community.

Conclusion

There are different types of gamers. Some do it as a hobby, some play to earn a living, and others do both. Gaming as a hobby or a source of income doesn’t determine whether a gamer is a pro or not. How well a gamer plays determines the gamer’s status.

Following the steps in this article will ease your transition into the pro gaming world.

As we see a huge shift towards fairer working conditions for our many workforces all over the world that put the hours in for many of their companies to provide us with the majority of the services and products that we buy on a daily basis. It seems that some companies are wanting to push this idea further by providing their staff with high-end social spaces and gaming rooms where they can really take some time to themselves when they are on breaks or before and after a shift.  

It is so nice to see so many big industry names taking these steps to ensure that their workforce is looked after properly and that any time they spend working hard for their company is properly rewarded. Gaming rooms are just the start of this battle to create positive spaces in the workplace, with pay rates increasing to become more acceptable and to help provide so many hard-working individuals with the rate of pay and the work experience that they deserve. In recent news there have been a number of cases where workers have appealed for compensation regarding their treatment and their pay rate, suggesting that it is not appropriate for the level of work that they do. 

As the appeal continues and workers compensation leads are being searched for it is nice to see some companies going the extra mile for their staff during these times where negative staff treatment is no longer being tolerated. Below are a number of companies who have made this effort and the one thing that I can say is that I hope more companies follow suit with this new initiative.  

Sony

Sony was one of the first tech companies to unveil their new social spaces and gaming rooms dedicated to their hard-working head forces within many of their worldwide headquarters. It makes sense for Sony to do something like this as gaming and technology are a huge part of their enterprise, so it is likely that while they are doing a nice thing for their staff there is also an element of product testing to this initiative and its implementation.  

However, this doesn’t take away from the sentiment and in a general statement from a select few members of Sony’s staff, the unveiling of these new relaxation spaces was very well received. It has been a mantra of Sony that the happiness of the workforce is paramount to the business success and the fact that Sony is doing so well within the technology industry just shows how effective it can be to treat your staff with respect and to give them the rewards they deserve when they work so hard to maintain a business.  

Google

Another company that has implemented high-end gaming and relaxation spaces within their business premises are Google, this should come as no surprise but Google is a very technologically advanced business and the tech they implement within their offices is no exception. Google recently revealed a few pictures of their new gaming rooms and the futuristic lighting and design quality that has been used is exceptionally done. The fact that Google has gone above and beyond in terms of the design and quality of the gaming rooms they want to give to their staff just shows how much the company cares about the hard-working individuals who dedicate their time every day to building such a huge company.

Microsoft

The final company on this list that has also taken the time to give their staff the gift of some luxury social spaces and gaming rooms within their premises would have to be Microsoft. Microsoft is known for their proper treatment of their workforce from their yearly charity donations on behalf of each staff member to their high-quality insurance and pension schemes, Microsoft really knows how to keep their workers happy so that they can keep up the hard work with growing Microsoft into the huge industry giant that it is today. The gaming rooms, in particular, are very advanced and equipped with the latest consoles and plenty of controllers so that each staff member can join in for some huge group gaming sessions whenever they want to.