First Pokemon

[Cyndadile]

When and how did you start playing pokemon? How were you introduced to the series? What was your first starter, and in what order have you played the games? What are you doing in Pokemon now?

Me:
I found out about the TV series first. A (female) friend of mine introduced me to it. I was hooked.
Then I got Red. I started with Charmander.
After that, it was Crystal (Cyndaquil), Yellow (Pikachu), Sapphire (Mudkip), LeafGreen (Bulbasaur), FireRed (Charmander), Diamond(Turtwig), (re-purchased Crystal after losing it [Cyndaquil again]), Platinum(Chimchar), Emerald (Mudkip), SoulSilver (Cyndaquil), and White (Oshawott).
The first E4 I beat was in Sapphire, then Red, Leafgreen, Diamond, Soulsilver, and White. (Still lots of lose ends.)
I have lost my Crystal (only one of them), Red, and Leafgreen cartriges.
I've recently embarked on a quest to defeat the E4 in Yellow and complete my Pokedex with all 151 Pokemon, using only Yellow and Crystal. I've already gotten Mew (using a glich).

How about you guys?

[NyteFyre]

I don't remember how I got into it. I think a friend was playing it. I also watched the Anime, but it turned me off sometimes, with how much it focuses on little kids, and the censored episodes. Plus it was so sporadic with it's time slots that I have never seen a full season. After Hoenn, I stopped caring for the TV show. Probably still won't pick it up.

I got Blue Version, don't remember what I started with. Probably Charmander.
Later traded that game for Yellow Version with it's automatic Pikachu. :3
Then, I ordered Crystal thru the mail. Probably was Cyndaquil, though I also love Totodile.
Ruby came next, started with Torchic, got it to lv 100, then had the file accidentally erased.
Following after that, I got Pearl Version, Chimchar, followed by Diamond, and later Platinum, though I didn't care too much to remember them.
I later got Sapphire Version, used, hacked by previous owner, didn't really play.
Then I got Soul Silver, starting with Cyndaquil again!
Then I played a Crystal Rom, since I lost my original, and started with...Cynda.
I also played a Leaf Green Rom, though only a little, starting with Charmander. Gave up on it, twas only for a Nuzlocke Challenge.
And now I have Black Version. I started with Tepig, but said screw him as soon as I got my Zorua :3

At the moment, all I'm really doing is just waiting for WI-FI events in Black, still need to get Landorus, and am playing several online Pokemon sites.

The only games I still own are my Yellow Version (that hasn't died yet), My Soul Silver, and my already mentioned Black Version. I lost my Crystal Version, traded away my Blue, and lost all of my Gen 4 games. All the rest were sold that weren't mentioned. I'm not a completionist/masochist, so I don't feel inclined to finish the pokedexes. And the GTS is full of nothing but Troll Trades, so no real reason to use that.

I have nothing better to do with the actual games, until the new ones come out, so I spend most of my Pokemon time on sites like this, and V Dex and such. I'm such a sad excuse for a Pokemon fan. >.>''

[Silver]

my moms friends son introduced me into the games when I was 3, he gave me his Yellow, (ah... memories of GBC...)
then my cousin Raymond gave me his Ruby(treecko) and Silver(cyndaquil) games (in that order)
as of then i have bought ALL my other games with my own money
Emerald(treecko)
sapphire(torchic)
ranger
firered(charmander)
pearl(turtwig)
PMD: EoT(mudkip)
diamond(piplup) (then i realized the internet existed,)
heartgold(cyndaquil)
soulsilver(cyndaquil)
platinum(piplup)
ranger 3
and white(oshawott)

Been watching anime for as long as I can remember, and I grew up with pokemon toys and teddies
also can recite pokedex off by heart (up to 493)

So in Other words...






POKÉMANZ IS MAH PASSION!!!

[Noog]

The first Pokémon games I was introduced to was Ruby (Torchic) and Sapphire (Torchic for normal run, Mudkip for speedrun, Treecko for Nuzlocke) simultaneously. Shortly afterward, I got FireRed (Squirtle) [Lost] and LeafGreen (Squirtle, though I've started with all three of them as I restarted that game so much), then Gold and Silver (both Totodile) [Both lost and broken], then XD (Eevee --> Umbreon at first, though I've played with all but Flareon). Then got Emerald (Torchic), PMD Red (Mudkip/Cyndaquil), Red (Squirtle), Pearl (Piplup), Platinum (Turtwig), SoulSilver (Cyndaquil first, then Totodile), and finally Black (Oshawott).

I started watching the anime in its DPP season, and have (relatively) recently started competitive battling on a simulator.

As you can probably see, I favor Water-types over other starters for the canon games, and actually have a reason for that. I've gotten into the (probably bad) habit of completing games in the least time possible without outright speedrunning the game on the first attempt of doing so. Thus, I tend to not spend much (if any) time in actually catching wild Pokémon, and since I'm starting with a Water-type, I don't need to catch a random Tentacool or Tympole just for Surf and Waterfall (and Dive in the case of 3rd Gen).

[Reliability]

I first had silver and started with Cyndaquil the first time. However, I couldn't get past the Farfetch'd puzzle so I did up to the second gym many, MANY times with all three starters before figuring it out and going through the entire game. I played the remaining games as they came out, only getting one of each series (Sapphire, Fire Red, Pearl, Heart Gold, Black). I never focus on doing anything particular other than playing through the games and raising Pokemon that I like. I recently re-started Black at the E4 because I didn't really like the Pokemon I had gotten there with.
In terms of starters, I usually just go for the design I like best:
Silver and Heart Gold: Cyndaquil almost always
Sapphire: I rotate pretty equally, with probably Torchic most often
Fire Red: Bulbasaur most often, but at least one playthrough with each
Pearl: Turtwig. Always Turtwig.
Black: I did Oshawott twice, but I'm trying out Snivy this time through.

I play usually in spurts, not picking up a game for a few months, then going crazy playing as much as I can. I don't know if I'm going to get any games past Black, but I guess we'll see. It was a great part of my childhoon, so I don't regret any of it.