MARKETING A NEW LIFESTYLE

The Pokemon mania supports a financial conglomerate that knows how to feed the frenzy. The television series is free, but it drives the multi-billion dollar business. It also inspires the obsessive new games that disrupt schools and families by giving the children -- a seductive vision: to become Pokemon masters a tempting promise: supernatural power a new objective: keep collecting Pokemon an urgent command: "gotta catch them all."

These enticements are drilled into young minds through clever ads, snappy slogans, and the "Pokemon rap" at the end of each TV episode:

"I will travel across the land
Searching far and wide Each Pokemon to understand
The power that's inside.
Gotta catch them all!"

The last line, the Pokemon mantra, fuels the craving for more occult cards, games, toys, gadgets, and comic books. There's no end to the supply, for where the Pokemon world ends, there beckons an ever-growing empire of new, more thrilling, occult, and violent products. Each can transport the child into a fantasy world that eventually seems far more normal and exciting than the real world. Here, evil looks good and good is dismissed as boring. Family, relationships, and responsibilities diminish in the wake of the social and media pressures to master the powers unleashed by the massive global entertainment industry.

No wonder children caught up in the Pokemon craze beg for more games and gadgets. The Japanese makers count on it. Since the means often justify the economic ends in the entertainment industry, the Pokemon website is full of tips, explanations, and ads that encourage the urge to splurge and to express the darker side of human nature. Ponder their influence:

"You can catch a Mew by cheating with a Gameshark."

Ahhh. The Gameshark. . . Cheating is not honourable. But many of you have requested and sent me this information, so I have put it up for all you cheaters."

"The Moon Stone evolves certain Pokemon, such as Clefairy."

"Select your desired attack. Hold down the button until your opponent's life stops draining."

"Once you have captured Zapados, you can use it to quickly lower the health level of Articuno. "

"Super Smash Brothers. . . . This unique fighting game features all of Nintendo's biggest stars in a bruising brawl-fest . . . ."

While children delight in these mysterious realms, concerned parents worry and wonder. What kinds of beliefs and values does the Pokemon world and its links teach? Why the emphasis on evolution, supernatural power, and poisoning your opponent?