Pokemon family makes Guinness Book of Records

January 3, 2011 (FRANKFORT, Ill.) (WLS) -- In 1996, Satoshi Tajiri invented the video game called Pokemon. It's still a very popular game, expecially for a Frankfort, Illinois, family.

The Arnold Family consists of 14-year-old twins David and Ryan, mom Linda and daughter Grace, 11, and of course the 'pokedad,' Glenn.

"You start with a creature and you train it and you level it off and it gathers more experience as you battle other Pokemon and other trainers in the game," said Glenn Arnold.

That's a simple explanation of a complicated game, but there's nothing complicated about how Pokemon brings the Arnold Family together day after day and year after year. They practice together, they compete and they learn.

"It's really helped them with the reading and math skills because they need to follow steps as far as being able to move on in the game," said Linda Arnold.

It may have helped the kids with school, but more than anything Pokemon has taken the Arnold family across America competing in tournaments, and they have won many prizes -- enough prizes to put them in the new 2012 edition of the Guinness Book of Records (see page 139).

Guinness calls them the "largest competitive Pokemon family." And to Grace, that's really neat.

"It means a lot, because I've never really done anything this great, and it's with my family," said Grace Arnold.

They say Pokemon is more than just a game. It's practicing for the future.

"This will help a lot because it really teaches me how to devote a lot to something and how to practice a lot," said Ryan Arnold.

Pokemon is not like many modern video games. It's not about killing.

"They really just faint," said David Arnold.

And that's just fine for this family that plays and stays together.

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