Pokemon

This is Part 1 of a series about popular youth culture in Thailand

Pokemon have always been very popular with young people here in Thailand, especially the anime cartoon TV series. The Pokemon trading card game and the Nintendo GameBoy video games are also popular at the moment.

There are some very interesting collectors shops on the top floor of the MBK shopping center in Bangkok (near the BTS Skytrain "National Stadium" station) that buy and sell Pokemon trading cards, and also Pokemon video games and collectible figures. It is even possible to buy secondhand video game consoles in the MBK center, such as the 1997 Nintendo 64 console with the classic Pokemon Stadium game included.

Online games are becoming increasingly popular with Thai children, as more and more Thai families can now afford to buy PCs and have the internet at home. Video game consoles such as the Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox are also becoming very popular now, again as a result of Thai families having more disposable income nowadays. But unfortunately a lot of the console games are quite violent by traditional Thai standards, and this is a cause of great concern for parents and authorities here.

Here are some great non-violent Pokemon online games that you can play for free (from the Dan-Dare.org fun and games site):

  Pokemon: Breakdown Blast

  Pokemon: Towering Legends

  Pokemon Match

  Pokemon: Trading Card Match-Up

  Pokemon: Chikorita's Adventure

  Pokemon Trainer Dress Up

  Pokemon Shooting Gallery

  Pokemon Shoot 2

  Pokemon: The Revolution

The games also include Pokemon wallpaper pictures for you to use as your computer background if you wish.

(See also here and here)