I started playing Pokémon when I was about 8 years old when my friend let me "borrow" his Pokémon Red Version, that was my first ever video game that I had played, (so you can see why Pokémon has a special place in my heart). I became hooked onto Pokémon immediately after that, even to the point where I would sneak my Gameboy Colour to school just to trade and battle with friends (My parents never allowed me to take my GBC to school). After a while though, I stopped playing Pokémon because it got a bit repetitive and I had already beaten the Elite Four and caught all the legendaries available at the time (Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and Mewtwo for you non Generation I-ers! (Mew was part of Generation I, but you could never "legally" obtain it!)).
A few years later Gold and Silver came out but I didn't know about their existence because I was still really young back then and didn't really have access to the internet and I never went to gaming shops because my parents would never let me. It wasn't until my friend gave me his Crystal Version that I realized that Gold and Silver existed because another friend had told me (I was probably about 10 by this time). I played it every day after school and even before bed occasionally, however, on a ski trip I ended up losing the game. (I had over 100+ Pokémon from trading and evolution and had all the legendaries in the game you could legitimately obtain up to that point (with the obvious exception of Celebi as the GS ball was never made available outside of Japan)).
When the GameBoy Advanced SP was released in Australia, my parents promised me they would buy Pokémon Emerald for me (I didn't know about Ruby and Sapphire because I was about 12 years old and stuff happened in my life). Which they ended up buying for me. I've completed Pokémon Emerald probably over 50+ times, and it's become my favorite game of all time for several reasons which I will not go into details about. (Fun Fact. I have over 3 boxes of Feebas on Emerald. (But that's nothing compared to the almost 11 boxes (+ another 5 or so in Pokémon Bank) on Pokémon Y version).
I knew of the existence of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl but my parents always refused to get it for me (partly because they thought I was "too old" to be playing Pokémon and because we didn't really have the money (as my mum and dad worked their asses off to provide for my brother and I). Eventually though, when Pokémon Platinum came out, I asked for it for my birthday, to which they agreed. I would consider Pokémon Platinum a close second in terms of favorite Pokémon games.
I think I turned 16 when Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver came out and I understood the "mechanics" of gaming a WHOLE lot more. Pokémon SoulSilver was a breeze for me as I had previously played Crystal version (In fact it should've been for anyone that played ANY of the Generation II games). It was in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver where I eventually caught my first ever shiny. It was a Shiny Poliwag. (Funny thing Poliwag, its evolved form Poliwhirl was my favorite Pokémon until Generation III when it became Tyranitar, however, Poliwhirl will always have a special place in my heart).
When Pokémon Black and White version came out, I went for White version as everyone else I knew had either gone for Black version or were going to wait for Pokémon Gray version (which never happened as that eventually turned into Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2). To be honest. I don't really like any of the Generation V Pokémon, but that's just me. I felt like Nintendo and Gamefreak really rushed the game just to get it out in time. However, the same cannot be said for Pokémon White Version 2, I felt that Pokémon White Version 2 was a step up from its predecessor on many levels, it had better graphics (albeit you probably wouldn't be able to notice the difference), I felt it had a much better storyline and I was glad to see that you were now able to catch pre-Generation V Pokémon.
I bought Pokémon X and Y on release date! Completed Pokémon Y within twenty-four hours of purchasing it! Of course I started with Fennekin, mainly because I thought Froakie was overrated. Bought Pokémon X version over a month later and finished that almost two weeks after purchasing it. Mainly because NONE of the stores I went to had ANY stock. (PS. I'm still waiting for Pokémon Z version!)
This user has a Shiny Poliwag. 
