The year was 1998.  I was twelve years old, in middle school, and the Pokemon games debuted in the United States for the very first time.  A game so simple and yet at the very same time: So complex.  Nothing was more addictive, nothing was more fun than playing Pokemon.  If you remember the craze (the REAL craze, presently it isn't nearly as strong as it was back then), then you remember what it was like to go to school back in those days.  Suddenly EVERYONE had a Gameboy.  Suddenly even those who didn't normally play games or even know what the hell a Gameboy was, had it.  And you'd go up to your friends and you'd trade Pokemon, you'd taunt each other about who was the better champion when you battled.  You got in arguments over who the best starter was.  Then you learned of those glitches to get all your Pokemon to level 100 by duplicating the Rare Candies.  You caught Missingno and M-Block and caught Safari Zone Pokemon by exploiting what may very well be one of the most widely known glitches in video game history.  And of course, you went to catch them all, and you probably had that ONE friend who you deemed your rival and you had to catch 'em all before he did.  If you remember all this, you're a true Pokemon fan.  This isn't a myth, this game debuted, sold gazillions of copies and started a craze that--while it isn't as strong--still exists today.  This was one of the heights of gaming period.