Satoshi Tajiri may not be a familiar name, but the game he had created will forever hold a special place in many of people’s childhoods. Tajiri create Pokemon. He also has autism, or more specifically Asperger’s Syndrome.

Due to heightened public awareness, people on the autism spectrum are more readily hired today, and their skill sets are much more appreciated.

Tajiri is just one of many examples of how success is bolstered by talents and skill sets.

As a child, Tajiri was fascinated with collecting insects, so much that he was nicknamed Mr. Bug. Gaming later captured his attention.

“[Arcade games] captured so much of his time and attention that he actually cut classes and wound up flunking high school,” said Colin Eldred-Cohen in his article featuring Tajiri.

Eventually, Tajiri was able to secure a high school diploma and attended a two-year technical school in Tokyo, leaning computer science and electronics. Meanwhile, he started his own gaming magazine called “Game Freak,” whose name would later be shared by Tajiri’s future company.

“Pretty soon I had some contributors, and we’d all get together and talk about games. The more I learned about games, the more frustrated I became because the games weren’t very good.

“I could tell a good game from a bad game. My conclusion was: let’s make our own games,” said Tajiri in a TIME Magazine interview.

Pokemon would soon go on to become a successful franchise and Nintendo’s saving grace. With an abundance of toys, shows, and cards inspired by Pokemon, there is no downplaying the sweeping popularity and large fanbase of Tajiri’s creation.