Replacing Doomscrolling with Pokémon Adventures
Reducing time spent doomscrolling on social media is widely recognized as a challenging resolution to maintain. The habitual tapping on familiar apps embedded in our phone’s home screen is a reflex reinforced by significant investments in money and user data, designed to keep users engaged. These apps have become deeply integrated into our professional, leisure, and social routines. While many maintain a healthy relationship with their devices, I have recently found myself struggling with this habit.
This year, I have chosen to reduce my screen time in a unique way. Instead of the sleek, modern smartphone, I have opted for a device that evokes nostalgia and simplicity. To counteract my compulsive social media use, I have begun carrying a Game Boy Advance and playing Pokémon FireRed, a remake of the original Pokémon games, which celebrate their 30th anniversary this month. Despite being a refreshed version, FireRed remains over two decades old.
Improving digital wellbeing does not necessarily require eliminating screen time altogether. Different screens offer different experiences. My hope is that substituting one screen for another will not be akin to Indiana Jones swapping a golden idol for a bag of sand, only to be crushed by a booby trap boulder.
My engagement with Pokémon had been sporadic since first playing Pokémon Diamond on the Nintendo DS in 2006, which introduced me to the franchise. I also tried Pokémon Black on the DS and Pokémon Legends: Arceus on the Nintendo Switch, but neither captivated me long-term. I had convinced myself that playing one Pokémon game was much like playing them all. However, as Hollywood has demonstrated, a 20-year gap is enough to make something feel new again.
My initial Pokémon experience was set in the Sinnoh region, so the opportunity to explore the Kanto region from the original games and capture the first 151 Pokémon was exciting. However, I was reluctant to play the original Red or Blue versions on the bulky, monochrome Game Boy. While embracing a more analog lifestyle, I draw the line at gaming without color.
FireRed’s positive impact on my life was surprisingly swift. Within a few hours of exploring and encountering wild Pokémon, I found myself forgetting about my phone. Although it was nearby, it no longer beckoned me like Gollum’s ring. Typically, my phone would find its way into my hands during loading screens or cutscenes in narrative-driven modern PlayStation games.
Perhaps the appeal lies in FireRed’s open-ended storytelling and less overstimulating retro graphics. The design and dialogue, which leave much to the imagination, may have rekindled my creative faculties, which had been dulled by excessive doomscrolling. The Pokémon world is serene and charming, despite frequent trainer battles and challenging gym leader encounters, which remain relatively low stakes. I have not experienced such tranquility in a game since first playing it. Even Tom Nook’s escapism cannot compete.
Interestingly, although this journey is new to me, it evokes nostalgia. I have never before assembled a team exclusively from the original Pokédex, yet I am transported back to the late 1990s, when Pokémon mania was at its peak. I even named my rival after a childhood best friend. After all these years, it is gratifying to fully embrace this classic canon.
Pokémon is far from countercultural; it is the most profitable video game franchise in history. The franchise is preparing for its 30th anniversary with numerous promotions, including a McDonald’s Happy Meal campaign, a new theme park, a collaboration with the Pokémon Center, and a Uniqlo clothing line, among other initiatives. Despite this widespread presence, choosing to play on an old Game Boy instead of a smartphone feels rebellious. Taking time offline to enjoy a retro game is a form of resistance. This approach allows me to engage with technology on my own terms: free from microtransactions, mandatory firmware updates, and incessant prompts to like, comment, or .
Integrating an old video game into the natural pauses of my day has been beneficial, whether evolving my Psyduck while cooking dinner or challenging a gym leader while awaiting a package. Since starting this practice, my phone screen time has decreased by three hours per week. In a modest way, this helps me reduce comparisons with others and address the existential anxiety often fueled by doomscrolling. Playing Pokémon FireRed in 2026 is nourishing and refreshingly low stakes compared to the social media environment, where everything demands equal urgency and significance.
If you are attempting to reduce phone use to combat overthinking, insecurity, or exhaustion, consider a brief journey to the Kanto region or another offline gaming world.
The Game Boy Advance: A Nostalgic Companion
The Game Boy Advance, launched in May 2001, offers a tactile and nostalgic alternative to modern devices. Video game developer Shigeru Miyamoto famously held up the device during its launch, symbolizing a new era of portable gaming that remains beloved by many.
