The latest Pokémon game was released in the UK on November 15, 2019, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

While there is always excitement for the Pokémon release, this time it hits a little closer to home for residents of the UK – especially because the new Pokémon region is based on Britain. The Galar region, home of the eighth generation of main Pokémon games is modelled on Britain, with Pokémon variants based around classic British tropes, and towns and cities reflecting the UK.

So, why do gamers in other countries have such as affinity with the United Kingdom?

With in-game town names such as Stow-on-Side, Hammerlocke, Glimwood Tangle, Circhester, Spikemuth, and Wyndon, it is clear how much of an influence Nintendo and Game Freak have taken from classic British tropes. Pokémon creature variants based on Britain include a poltergeist residing in a tea pot, a living lump of coal, and a dog that seems to have been inspired by a Corgi. Previous Pokémon also get a British update, with classic flame horse Pokémon Ponyta now resembling a unicorn, the national animal of Scotland, and living smog machine Weezing now adorned with a top hat chimney. Influence for the games has obviously come from the industrial revolution, the British countryside, and various other components that people in Japan and the USA might associate with Britain. Luckily, we haven’t gotten a host of people from TOWIE nor a return of happy slapping or a simulation of catching the rush hour tube in summer.

Britain has often influenced the rest of the world when it comes to gaming. Bingo is a huge deal in Britain and only really just taking off in the States. While we are known for bingo halls and personalised dabbers, the digital age means that you can play bingo at home, which has helped pass the tradition to a younger and more global audience. The board game Cluedo was invented in Leeds, spreading across to America to jazz it up – and replace the spanner with the wrench. Britain of the Medieval period also gives its influence to games like Age of Empires and Civilisation, which take place in the Britain of the past and reflect the feudal age. It isn’t just gaming that helps solidify British culture for those overseas, either. The Great British Bake Off is popular in the USA and has helped to showcase a modern side of the traditional village fetes and baking Britain that is leftover from the war. But the show achieves this in a modern way showcasing the diversity of Britain too.

There is nothing better than being immortalised in a game, and many in Britain would no doubt find it interesting to see how people might try to market Britain to a global audience. Many growing up in Japan will now see Britain through the rolling hills and green valleys of Pokémon Sword and Shield. British culture has long influenced games and will no doubt continue to be the focus and basis of global games in the years to come.