https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/3k9kp5/pokemon-lets-go-pikachu-is-the-console-rpg-i-desperately-wanted-in-1998

One of the first times I can remember being disappointed with this cruel, cruel world was the day Pokémon Snap was announced sometime in 1998. I was 10 years old.

At the time, I was already a Pokémon megafan, having begged my mom to buy me Pokémon Red at a Toys R Us because I liked the dragon (Charizard) on the cover. I played the game incessantly, sneaking my Game Boy to school and playing it under my desk and at recess. I eventually caught all 150 Pokémon (on a second save file—my friend accidentally erased my first save then erased his game in solidarity. Another formative moment.) I had a First Edition Charizard in the trading card game. I went to tournaments at my local card shop, and another, regional tournament at the Washington DC Convention Center.