In the big scheme of things, I suppose that is the biggest question, the thing that drives us. On a much smaller and much less philosophical (unless you're with a very specific crowd) plane, I give you Pokemon Silver.
This series is a staple to so many people (including myself), but I've never stopped to question why. WHY would I sit in my recliner for days at a time wandering around after team rocket? WHY would I go through the Mystic Cave, sapping health away from my lineup just to be killed by a Caterpie trying to escape? The answer is simple- because it sucks you in! Pokemon proves that you don't need flashy graphics or complicated combos to make a good game. It's all about making the player part of the action. Moreover, it's about putting him/her straight in the game. Making video games immerse the player obviously takes more than an Insert your name here feature.
Now I will be the first to observe that each Pokemon game is terribly similar to its predecessor, but I love this game. I don't know if it's because this was the last step before the Pokemon roster jumped from 250 to like... 2,230,006.5 (Pichu). Unfortunately now (I refuse to believe this is why it was around when I was young) Pokemon has just become a company. More Pokemon, more cards, more things for kids to buy, more money. How sad.
All bias aside however I must see the game itself this way: about three hours into the game, I realized that all I had done, literally the whole time, was push A. That's it. Fight? A. Run? A. Pick nose? A. How can a game that consists of one command button be so addicting??
I suppose the first element is the customization. To me it's attractive to know that no matter how you play the game, how many times, it will NEVER be the same. The levels and attacks and TMs lead to infinite possibilities. The map is fairly open. I mean you have to fight the gym leaders in order, but theoretically, you could wander around raising your Pokemon as high as you can. Even if you can't find the way to go, tall grass is always present.
Ultimately though, Pokemon is far from perfect. There is a point, usually the point where you're stuck an no massive amount of pushing A will get you unstuck, that the game loses its charm and you began to ask the question that sends so many video games to their doom: WHY? Then something snaps and you scream "NO Old Man! I don't want you to tell me how good my Pokemon's nicknames are, why don't you do something USEFUL with your life??? Why don't you learn where the next gym is? Or maybe you should learn some more English other than "Hello, would you like me to rate your nicknames"? Or hey, take up a craft, like weaponry! Then you can sell me something that will make fights much shorter. Maybe you can let me press B to cut your f'n head off."
