By Steven Smeall
Andres Cutillas has no idea what made him buy his first Pokémon game.
“But I’ve been hooked ever since,” he said while taking part in the Ottawa Pokémon Gathering held at Algonquin Oct. 11.
The event hosted approximately 300 people and took place in T102A from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Participants were told to come with their Nintendo DS or 3DS system along with their favourite copy of the Pokémon video game series to meet other players from around the area.
Cutillas’ brother Mark was equally enthusiastic about the franchise.
“It’s the nostalgia of looking back on something from my early childhood,” said the first year Carleton student.
The gathering was held to celebrate the release of Pokémon X and Y for the 3DS. These games mark the sixth generation in the series that started back in 1998.
The age range of the participants at the event varied greatly with some new fans to the franchise as well as fans who grew up with the franchise since the first release.
As Pokémon fans arrived, they were given gifts from Nintendo for partaking in the event. They ranged from game-carrying cases to bookmarks.
Apart from getting to meet fellow fans, there was nothing else planned for the event. That left some fans there disappointed.
“I expected a nice presentation on the new games, for someone to go in-depth about the game and possibly a demo to play,” said Andres.
Other fans seemed more than happy with the event however, having the chance to meet people who enjoyed the games as much as they did.
“I came here in hopes of battling other Pokémon fans in the game and to meet other players,” said first-year Algonquin photography student Troy Cabrales.
Some fans took it as an opportunity to get dressed up as their favourite characters to show their passion for the franchise.
The event was expected to host approximately 100 fans, so the turnout was shocking. With not enough space for everyone to sit, groups formed along the walls of the room.
“I was taken aback at the turnout of the people at the event, this is more than I ever expected,” said Mark Cutillas.
The event proved that many fans could not wait for the release of these new games to continue on with their Pokémon adventures. Nintendo confirmed that four million copies of the game were sold within the first 48 hours of its release.