Why the Pokéwalker Was So Awesome
With pokéwalkers being so pricey on eBay these days, I'd guess that most of these little pedometers have gone missing since they debuted sixteen years ago. That may not seem like a big loss, but if you've ever spent time with one, you know how carrying a pokéwalker meant far more than just knowing the number of footsteps you'd taken in a day. I absolutely adore mine and spend a lot of time thinking about it, so let's reflect together on how special and surprisingly immersive these tiny devices were, both as an extension of the imagination and a brilliant blending of the game world with real life.
From left: Tamagotchi, Pokéwalker, Dinkie Dino/RakuRaku Dinokun, GigaPets CompuKitty
As a stand-alone device, the pokéwalker (second from left above) was similar in size to the handheld digital pets of the 90s. Disc-shaped and two inches in diameter, the steps you took with this in your pocket contributed to the happiness of whichever pokémon was housed inside, as well as built up a kind of currency ("watts") you could use to play simple minigames for uncovering items and other pokémon. Two pokéwalkers could also communicate directly with each other, allowing your pokémon to have a basic interaction with a friend's. These came packed in with copies of HeartGold and SoulSilver in 2009 and were compatible exclusively with those games.
The pokéwalker was not the first virtual pet device to support connections with other handhelds of the same type, nor was it the first to allow the transfer of unique and specific character data back and forth between itself and an associated video game; the Sega Dreamcast VMU did both in 1998 with the Chao of Sonic Adventure, for example.
What made it so special, however, was how every single detail about it 1) supported the immersive fantasy that each pokémon was a distinct individual with a unique personality and history, and 2) enriched your fictional bond with them by extending them, diegetically, into your real-world activities.
All of this was intentional and so, so clever.
A Nintendo DS screen prompt during a pokémon transfer to the pokéwalker.
In terms of supporting the fantasy that your pokémon are all unique individuals, your pokéwalker starts off vacant until you yourself choose a specific monster from your own game's save file to transfer into it. This means that it's not just some random rattata or anorith in there -- it's your anorith, that shiny one with the Sassy nature you still can't believe you got at Oreburgh Museum that one afternoon, whom you've named, thought up a backstory for, traded over from Pearl, and have had following your trainer in HeartGold ever since, etcetera.*
*Please note that it is also possible for a random pokémon to join you in your pokéwalker if you keep it empty for a while. That pokémon then walks with you and can be transferred into your cartridge later on, just as if they'd followed you home from some tall grass in the real world!
After you pick your special pokémon, you’re prompted to select the "route" you want to walk on -- usually a locale based on some combination of nature, weather, and habitat type -- which primarily affects which items and random encounters you'll come across in the two minigames. The Nintendo DS then transfers your pokémon’s data from the cartridge to the pokéwalker via infrared connection, and you’re off! (Your chosen partner even “disappears” from your game's storage boxes while they’re out and about with you, further adding to immersion that they’re a singular creature who's truly moved from one place to another.)
Selecting a pokémon and route for a pokéwalker stroll.
As soon as they've settled into their portable home, you can start checking in with your pokémon to see how they're doing in much the same way you do in the HeartGold/SoulSilver games themselves. If you wake your pokéwalker out of sleep mode while someone is traveling with you, they might weigh in with some thoughts on how they're feeling, look at you expectantly, or show you an item they've found.
The pokéwalker also displays a tiny image representing the route you're on, shows your pokémon moving as you walk, and provides several other small, thoughtful details that keep you invested in your buddy and your time together.
Cider is feeling good on the Warm Beach route! Just look at that cute face. 🤎
And in terms of imaginatively extending them into your real life, when you see your pokémon cheering happily on that LCD screen from all the walking you're doing or zoning out from boredom because you've been sitting still too long, it's almost impossible to keep yourself from pretending that they're right there with you as you go about your day.
There's nothing like imagining you're walking into your university library with a Ho-Oh in tow, or that your onix is curled up politely around your elliptical while you work out at the gym. I cannot overstate how fun this is.
And to top it all off, when you transfer your pokémon back into your cartridge, the game brings everything full circle by giving you a journal-style summary of your stroll together. In this way the distinction between you and your in-game trainer effectively dissolves. The journey you have in Johto with the pokémon in your party and the things you do in the real world with those same partners in your actual pocket, inside a perfect representation of a pokéball -- everything becomes one continuous narrative. Nothing contradicts the immersion or takes away from it. And your pokémon become even more special and distinct to you because of that.
Various journal entries recounting a stroll with my anorith. Even the times of day and terrain are reflected in these recaps, and any found items are transferred into your inventory!
It's nothing short of phenomenal how a device this simple was designed to be so imaginatively deep. I keep hoping we’ll see a low-tech reboot of them one day, or that someone out there will reverse-engineer the original hardware and create a bunch of physical clones (something slightly smaller and suited for a watchband would be a dream).
And now that I've been carrying mine for over a decade, I'm at the point where it feels weird if I'm ever anywhere without it. It's just a continuous part of my mental landscape, imagining my pokémon out in the world with me. And I just love it for that.
<3
