Satoshi Tajiri

Profession: Video Game Designer

Biography: Satoshi Tajiri is the creator of Pokémon, one of the most successful video game franchises in the world.

As a child, Tajiri enjoyed collecting insects, a hobby that later inspired the concept of Pokémon. In his teenage years, he became fascinated with arcade games, particularly Space Invaders. This interest led him to start Game Freak, a magazine about video games, in 1981.

Game Freak later evolved from a magazine into a game development company with Tajiri's first games created for Nintendo systems. In 1990, he conceived the idea for Pokémon, inspired by the Game Boy's link cable which let players connect their devices and allowed them to trade collectibles.

The development of Pokémon took six years and nearly caused Game Freak to go bankrupt. During this time, Tajiri was mentored by Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and Zelda. Miyamoto's support was crucial in helping Tajiri complete the project.

"Pokémon Red and Green" (1996) were released in Japan to great success. The games featured creatures that players could catch, train, and trade. Pokémon quickly grew into a global phenomenon, spawning an animated series, movies, and merchandise.

Tajiri designed the games to recreate his childhood experiences of insect collecting. His design philosophy emphasizes non-violent gameplay, with creatures fainting rather than dying when defeated.

Today Tajiri continues to work on Pokémon games as an executive producer.

Born: August 28, 1965
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Age: 58 years old

Generation: Generation X
Chinese Zodiac: Snake
Star Sign: Virgo