The video game medium has been able to bring people together to play and engage with each other in their favorite games. With so many video game properties out there, the biggest ones tend to have the most fan engagement, and one such large property is the Pokemon franchise.
The Pokemon franchise has a large fanbase that keeps growing with every new game and TV show that comes out over the years. Pokemon fans have engaged each other in Pokemon battles in the video games, trading card games, cosplay, and general discussions of the franchise. The Pokemon franchise has even served as inspiration for one Pokemon fan to ask for another fan’s hand in marriage.
A Reddit user by the name of JeskaCheska recently made a post on the Pokemon subreddit. They shared an image of a Pokemon card made by their boyfriend in the style of the Game Boy graphics of the original Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue games. The picture itself has a text box that is actually a marriage proposal to them saying, “Will you marry me?” and even has a side box with the options of “Yes” and “No” buttons for them to select like in the games.
The Pokemon card was delivered to JeskaCheska several days ago, and they shared the card on Reddit, where they confirmed that they said yes. The post's general reception was largely positive with some humorous comments here and there about the placement of the "Yes" and "No" buttons. The commenters mainly congratulated JeskaCheska on the big moment and wished them the best, with many thanking them for sharing the experience with the Pokemon subreddit. Surprisingly, this is not the first time that fans used video games as inspiration for marriage proposals in one way or another.
For example, an Overwatch fan made a marriage proposal to their significant other using a real-life loot box. Another example is when a fan of The Legend of Zelda proposed to their partner with a Zelda-themed ring box with the symbol of Hyrule carved on top. The inside of the box has a slightly modified famous quote from the NES Zelda game on the top that says, “It’s dangerous to go alone. Take me?” above the ring inside the box.
There was even a marriage proposal made by a Stardew Valley fan, where a Reddit user shared that their longtime boyfriend made a replica of the Mermaid’s Pendant to propose to them. In Stardew Valley, players can propose to marriageable characters in the game by giving them items like the Mermaid’s Pendant. What the latest marriage proposal by the Pokemon fan shows is that video games continue to play a part in people’s lives, even when it comes to marriage.