Sometimes in those brief periods—most likely half-seconds for some of us—when we can actually take a breath from schoolwork, our mind drifts back to our childhood: when life simply entailed school, at most 30 minutes of homework and several hours of free time.

It was a time when the most important decisions would have been what TV channel to watch or what snack to eat.

For some of us, video games filled up that time. Before the time of first person shooters and online multiplayer gaming came the simple days of “Pokemon” and “Neopets”.

Just the mention of these games brings back fond memories of sitting on a couch with a Gameboy Color for hours, struggling to beat the Elite Four.

Despite, or because of, the simplistic gameplay and childish drawings, these games pulled us in like nothing had ever could do before. Entertaining yet engaging, they were our first glimpse into alternate virtual worlds where, unlike books or television, we played an active role. Whether trying to assemble an elite team of Pokemon or struggling to make riches off of the Neopian stock market, here, we got to experience independence and taste the meaning of success and failure.

These games were also filled with small learning experiences. One particularly humiliating experience was being duped by an in-game trainer who trades you a fish called “Magikarp”, which turned out to be literally the most useless Pokemon in the game. But those who were persistent in training it found that it evolved into Gyarados, an awesome flying water-snake that is one of the strongest Pokemon.

With the remakes of “Pokemon Red” and “Pokemon Blue” into “Pokemon FireRed” and “Pokemon LeafGreen” in 2004, it became evident that improved technology has allowed the player to further immerse themselves into the fantasy worlds. When placed side by side, the remakes boast smoother images, a wider and more vibrant color palette, and even more animations.

In today’s gaming world, stunningly detailed environments are almost a requirement for successful games. The plethora of video game genres has allowed even the most esoteric players to find their favorite game. Although video games are often looked down on now, we harbor no regrets from the time spent playing those first games. Back in the days before homework, they offered an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable experience in a new world. Although we have all grown up and, unfortunately, left behind our simplistic childhood, it will be hard to forget those first adventures.