Stories of Hope: Autism, Pokémon, and Satoshi Tajiri
His name is arguably lesser known than Elon Musk, but Satoshi Tajiri shares at least two things in common with the owner of Tesla: they’re both on the autism spectrum, and they’ve both leveraged the different way their brains work to achieve great success in their lives.
For Tajiri, however, his “vehicle” to success was creating the worldwide phenomenon of Pokémon in the mid-1990s, which today is a multi-billion-dollar franchise comprised of video games, a trading card game, animated films, and more.
So, how did a boy with autism, growing up in Japan in the ’60s and ’70s and almost dropping out of high school, reach such great heights? Let’s look at his story and take inspiration from his journey, creativity, and perseverance.
An insect obsession
Tajiri grew up in what was then a small town in rural Japan, exploring nature, especially all the creepy crawlers under rocks and vegetation. He became so singularly focused on catching and collecting insects from the surrounding local parks and forests that other kids nicknamed him Dr. Bug. His obsession with insects could have been the result of the difficulties he had with social interaction and communication with others.
Nature, though, had its own language that spoke to Tajiri. In a Time magazine interview, he said the idea of collecting things and the way that his mind works are connected, and that when it comes to video games, he likes the idea of catching things and growing them.
As time went on, his rural Japan began to modernize and his interests migrated from insects to arcade video games that were capturing the attention of teenagers around the world at the time. One source reports that his favorite game was the classic Space Invaders, which is funny because the “invaders” in the game look a lot like insects.
Like with his insect collection, he became obsessed with video games to the point that he almost didn’t graduate high school. As one source puts it, the rigid structures of school felt confining for Tajiri, leaving him feeling isolated and misunderstood. Through video games, he could connect to other worlds.
His new obsession led him to start a video gaming magazine. The first issue was handwritten by Tajiri himself. With the help of a friend that shared his interest in video games, the magazine grew on a small scale, but his interest in the video games and the technology behind them had no bounds.
From Player to Creator
In 1989, Tajiri founded his own video game company called Game Freak, the same name of his magazine that had come to an end. The first major game release from the company was called Quinty. In the U.S., it was known as Mendel Palace. More importantly, the game’s success inspired him to keep going and eventually create Pokémon.
It’s reported that his vision for Pokémon was to create a game that would allow players to collect and battle creatures in a world that felt alive and full of wonder, not unlike the insect world of his youth in rural Japan.
Apparently, the idea for Pokémon was not well received originally by many in the industry, because it was innovative and seen to be too ambitious. Except for Nintendo. They saw a natural alignment with the game and its Game Boy device.
It took six years before the game was released. According to Tariji from this article, Nintendo did not expect how popular Pokémon would become. “They didn’t expect much from the game. Game Boy’s popularity was declining. Just when I finished the game and took it to Nintendo, I felt like a baseball player who slides into second base even though you know you’re going to be out, but then it turns out you are safe.”
And safe he was, along with Pokémon’s millions of fans, including the ones on the autism spectrum. Interestingly, the game has quite the following with kids and adults on the spectrum. Some say they like the repetition of the game, the collection aspect, and that the main character is non-verbal. Others like the adventure that still has structure to it.
One thing is for sure, Tajiri has created a legacy few can match in the video game world. He saw the world through a different lens, and now we all can enjoy it with him through his games.
If you’re looking for hope and a brighter future for your child with autism, contact the autism and ABA therapy experts at The Behavior Exchange. Early intervention ABA therapy is the gold standard for helping children learn, grow, and reach their full potential in life
