Editing Pokémon (section)

===Origins===
<!-- Tajiri grows up, creates the Game Freak magazine, meets Sugimori -->
The main idea behind ''Pokémon'' was conceived by [[Satoshi Tajiri]]. Tajiri was born on 28 August 1965,<ref>{{Cite book | first1=Shoutarou | last1=Miya | first2=Satoshi | last2=Tajiri | title=Satoshi Tajiri: A Man Who Created Pokemon | date=12 March 2004 | pages=6 | publisher=[[Ohta Publishing]] | isbn=978-4872338331}}</ref> and grew up in [[Machida, Tokyo|Machida]], a suburb of Tokyo.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=142-143}}.</ref> As a child, he enjoyed discovering and catching insects and other small creatures in the various ponds and fields that surrounded his town.<ref>{{Cite web | title=スペシャル対談： 田尻智さん（ゲームフリーク）VS 石原恒和さん（クリーチャーズ）対談 — 4ページ目 | trans-title=Interview: Satoshi Tajiri (Game Freak) vs. Tsunekazu Ishihara (Creatures) — Page 4 | work=Nintendo Online Magazine | publisher=nintendo.co.jp | date=July 2000 | url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/taidan1/page04.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030205151333/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/taidan1/page04.html | archive-date=5 February 2003 | url-status=dead}} ([https://archive.today/20210118225356/http://lavacutcontent.com/satoshi-tajiri-ishihara-interview/ Translation])</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Simon | last=Parkin | title=Pokémon – from bugs to blockbuster | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=11 October 2013 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/oct/11/pokemon-blockbuster-game-technology | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011213837/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/oct/11/pokemon-blockbuster-game-technology | archive-date=11 October 2016 | url-status=live | quote=Satoshi Tajiri [was] obsessed with catching insects in his youth}}</ref> During [[Japanese economic miracle|Japan's economic miracle]], many cities, including Machida, were significantly expanded. [[Human impact on the environment|As a consequence]], Machida's nature was largely destroyed. In his second year of [[Secondary education in Japan#Junior high school|junior high school]],<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=133}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite book | first=Tetsurō | last=Sato | chapter=「ポケモン」誕生物語 | trans-chapter=The Birth of Pokemon | page=131 | title=ポケモンの魔力 | trans-title=The Magic of Pokemon | editor-first=Takahiro | editor-last=Ohtsuki | date=30 March 1998 | publisher=[[Mainichi Newspapers]] | isbn=978-4620312187 | ref={{harvid|Ohtsuki|1998}}}}</ref> an [[Amusement arcade|arcade hall]] opened in Tajiri's neighborhood, introducing him to video games. While studying electrical engineering at {{ill|Tokyo College of Technology|ja|東京工業高等専門学校}}, Tajiri began publishing a ''[[doujinshi]]'' magazine titled ''Game Freak''. The title was inspired by the 1932 film ''[[Freaks (1932 film)|Freaks]]'', which Tajiri was fascinated with at the time.<ref>{{Harvc | first=Tetsurō | last=Sato | year=1998 | chapter=The Birth of Pokemon | in=Ohtsuki | p=132-133}}</ref> He self-published the first issue of the magazine in March 1983, at the age of 17.<ref name="AMWC_p55-57">{{Harvp|Miya|Tajiri|2004|p=55-57}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite episode | title=Interview with Satoshi Tajiri | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwSSWGxgCwM | series=[[GameCenter CX]]| season=1 | number=SP | date=30 May 2004 | location=Japan | publisher=[[Fuji TV]] | time=10:40 – 11:46 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909075910/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwSSWGxgCwM | archive-date=9 September 2023 | url-status=dead | ref={{harvid|Interview with Satoshi Tajiri|2004}}}}</ref> At the time, magazines specializing in video games did not yet exist in Japan, allowing ''Game Freak'' to fill a [[gap in the market]].<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=168}}: "当時は、現在のようなゲー厶情報が掲載された専門の雑誌はまだ存在していなかった。だからこそ、それを豆本なり小冊子なりにまとめてやれば、ゲー厶プレイヤーたちからの大きな需要があるだろう、と考えたのだ。" ["At that time, magazines specializing in gaming did not yet exist as they do today. Therefore, he figured there would be a great demand among gamers for a kind of pamphlet or small book with gaming information."]</ref><ref>{{Harvc | first=Tetsurō | last=Sato | year=1998 | chapter=The Birth of Pokemon | in=Ohtsuki | p=133}} "当時はTVゲームの攻略法を解説した雑誌など皆無だった。『ゲームフリーク』は全国のTVゲームファンに口コミで拡がり、定期購読者を増やしていった。読者からの攻略法のリクエストも殺到した。" ["At that time, there were no magazines that explained video game strategies. "Game Freak" spread by word of mouth among video game fans nationwide, and the number of subscribers grew. Requests for game strategies from readers also started pouring in."]</ref> Sometime later, Tajiri was contacted by aspiring [[manga]] artist [[Ken Sugimori]], who became ''Game Freak'''s illustrator.<ref>{{Harvp|Miya|Tajiri|2004|p=146-148}}.</ref> ''Game Freak'' folded in the late 1980s,<ref name="AMWC_p55-57" /> by which point Tajiri had become a respected [[Video game journalism|game journalist]] in Japan's fledgling video game industry.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=198-200}}.</ref>

<!-- Tajiri meets Ishihara. Ishihara co-creates the first gaming encyclopedia. This is notable because Ishihara came up with the Pokédex, a portable encyclopedia. Ishihara was also fond of card games. -->
Tajiri's knowledge of video games brought him into contact with [[Tsunekazu Ishihara]]. Ishihara had studied Arts and Science at [[Tsukuba University]], and was trained in [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]]. After working in advertising for two years, Ishihara joined a company named Sedic in 1983, which created video graphics and software,<ref name="Hatakeyama_Kubo_(2000)_p82">{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=82}}.</ref> including one video game, ''[[Otocky]]'' (1987).<ref>{{MobyGames|/61185/otocky/credits/nes/|Otocky}}.</ref><ref>[https://www.mobygames.com/company/20165/sedic/ Sedic] at [[MobyGames]].</ref> As video games grew in popularity, Sedic also produced a number of game-related television shows for [[Fuji Television]]'s late-night slot.<ref name="Hatakeyama_Kubo_(2000)_p82" /> In his job as a TV producer, Ishihara befriended Tajiri, as well as [[Shigesato Itoi]], who would later become CEO of Ape, Inc.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=82-83}}.</ref><ref name="Tomisawa_(2000)_p30">{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=30}}.</ref> Ishihara was also the general director of the world's first gaming encyclopedia: {{nihongo|''TV Games: Encyclopedia of Video Games''|テレビゲーム—電視遊戯大全|Terebigēmu — Denshi Yūgi Taizen}}.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=83}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite book | title=テレビゲーム—電視遊戯大全 | trans-title=TV Games: Encyclopedia of Video Games | url=https://archive.org/details/tv-games | date=1 June 1988 | publisher=Kawade Kosan Co., Ltd. | isbn=978-4946432316}}</ref> Journalist Kenji Hatakeyama wrote that, at the time, Ishihara was probably the most well-connected man in the industry.<ref name="Hatakeyama_Kubo_(2000)_p97-98">{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=97-98}}.</ref> {{ill|Masakazu Kubo|ja|久保雅一}}, who would later play a vital role in ''Pokemon'', wrote that Ishihara possessed a knowledge of games that was "beyond comparison".<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=80}}.</ref> Ishihara was also interested in [[playing card]]s,<ref name="Kawaguchi_interview">{{Cite web | title=ポケモン誕生秘話大公開!! 川口孝司さん（任天堂）インタビュー | trans-title=The secret story of Pokemon's birth is revealed!! Interview with Takashi Kawaguchi (Nintendo) | work=Nintendo Online Magazine | publisher=nintendo.co.jp | date=July 2000 | url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/kawaguti/page01.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021216011425/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/kawaguti/page01.html | archive-date=16 December 2002 | url-status=dead | ref={{harvid|Kawaguchi interview|2000}}}}</ref><ref name="Masuda_2019_interview">{{Cite magazine | title=増田氏が語る、ゲームフリークが世界で通じる会社になるまで | trans-title=Game Freak's Path to Worldwide Fame, As Told By Masuda | magazine=[[Shūkan Famitsū]] | date=23 May 2019 | pages=82–86 | url=https://lavacutcontent.com/masuda-game-freak-history/ | archive-url=https://archive.today/20250207170813/https://lavacutcontent.com/masuda-game-freak-history/ | archive-date=7 February 2025 | url-status=live | quote=Ishihara in particular was fond of card games and used that insight to advise on how to add more depth to the battle system. To be honest, things like the Pokemon types, the link cable battles, and the Pokedex were all added later in development based on his suggestions. (...) Ishihara also gave us some pointers on the story and setting.}}</ref> and contributed to the development of at least three simple [[card game]]s designed by Itoi and published by Ape.{{efn|name=cardgames|Four<ref>{{Cite web | title=デザイナー別 ゲームリスト ： 糸井 重里 | trans-title=Game list by designer: Shigesato Itoi | website=gamers-jp.com | url=https://www.gamers-jp.com/playgame/db_searchlist.php?mode=2&search_str=561&order=1 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514204726/https://www.gamers-jp.com/playgame/db_searchlist.php?mode=2&search_str=561&order=1 | archive-date=14 May 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> original card games are known to have been designed by Itoi: ''Slot Brothers'',<ref>{{Cite web | title=APE 糸井重里 スロットブラザーズ | trans-title=APE Shigesato Itoi Slot Brothers | website=[[Mandarake]] | url=https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1052117728 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514205504/https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1052117728 | archive-date=14 May 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> ''Edoka'',<ref>{{Cite web | title=エイプ 糸井重里 痛快カード時代劇 エドカ | trans-title=Ape Shigesato Itoi Edka card game | website=Mandarake | url=https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1169338910 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514210420/https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1169338910 | archive-date=14 May 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> ''Hanamaru'',<ref>{{Cite web | title=はなまる作文ゲーム | trans-title=Hanamaru composition game | website=[[Mercari]] | url=https://jp.mercari.com/item/m15364262459 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20220622201508/https://jp.mercari.com/item/m15364262459 | archive-date=22 June 2022 | url-status=dead}}</ref> and ''Rameka''.<ref>{{Cite web | title=ラメカ 糸井重里 | trans-title=Rameka Shigesato Itoi | website=Mercari | url=https://jp.mercari.com/item/m66913545673 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20220623203341/https://jp.mercari.com/item/m66913545673 | archive-date=23 June 2022 | url-status=dead}}</ref> The 1998 book ''The Secrets of Pokemon'' states that the last three games were contributed to by Ishihara.<ref>{{Cite book | author=((Pokemon Business Study Group)) | title=ポケモンの秘密 | trans-title=The Secrets of Pokemon | date=1 June 1998 | publisher=Shogakukan | page=113}}</ref>}}

<!-- Game Freak indie dev team formed, Masuda joins, Quinty is made -->
In 1986, Tajiri, Sugimori, and a few other enthusiasts started an informal development team called Game Freak, named after the magazine it grew out of. Over the next few years, they [[Indie game|independently developed]] the puzzle game ''[[Mendel Palace|Quinty]]'', working on it alongside school or their regular jobs.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=226}}.</ref> However, no one within the group knew how to make the [[Video game music|game's music]]. After consulting all his contacts, Tajiri got in touch with [[Junichi Masuda]], who became the group's composer.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=225}}.</ref> ''Quinty'' was finished in 1989, and published by [[Namco]].<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=248-254}}.</ref> Tajiri officially incorporated [[Game Freak|Game Freak Co., Ltd.]] on 26 April 1989.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Company Profile | website=gamefreak.co.jp | url=http://www.gamefreak.co.jp/company/about.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819115442/http://www.gamefreak.co.jp/company/about.html | archive-date=19 August 2017 | url-status=dead}}</ref>