Why is Pokemon considered to be something so dorky, it makes any fan "undesirable"?

[C2Ultima]

It seems that, at my school, saying you like Pokemon is the fastest way to instantly cause nearly everyone to automatically alienate you as a weird freak with no life, and I'm not sure why.

Personally, I love the Pokemon games (mainly the ones developed by Game Freak), but not so much the cards, or the cartoon show. The cards seem a bit gimmicky to me (apologies to all hardcore Pokemon Trading Card fans), and the show is obviously directed towards young kids (unless you are an older hardcore fan), but, if I ever attempted to discuss this with anyone at my school, or even video games at all, they would hurriedly walk away with the hopes of never seeing me, or anyone of my sort ever again.

Can anyone explain these harsh feelings, and why they seem to be directed especially at Pokemon (or if that's not the case, and it only seems like it to me)?

 

[SimuLord]

Assuming that you're older than eleven, you run into the problem of something that's very clearly built for and marketed to young children. It's almost like saying "I'm a pedophile".

 

[Erana]

Its because so many people played pokemon as children. They assume that if they enjoyed something fictional as a child and no characters grow up and start having romantic relations with other major protagonists, its a kid's thing.

Assuming that you're older than eleven, you run into the problem of something that's very clearly built for and marketed to young children. It's almost like saying "I'm a pedophile".

How is it built for and marketed towards children? OK, so it is marketed more towards kids in the US, but that's a result of people's perception, not because of the creator's intent.

 

[C2Ultima]

I see, it's less about Pokemon, and more about the idea that growing up means that you cannot possibly be allowed to like anything you liked as a child.

 

[pulse2]

I think its because its kind of a dead fad thats been dragged out so long that it's not funny anymore. I can't believe I was in my 1st year of secondary scholl when that released and the cards were explosivly popular, thats been what....10 years? Good lord, I feel old .

Yeah, well the idea of liking pokemon if you are grown up is kind of sad, for kids its fine I guess.

Is the TV series still going??????

 

[Solo-Wing]

Hey I'm a Pokemon fan and I don't hide it. I just say that it is something to do when I'm bored. Which it is. Most girls understand and I even found one who liked pokemon as well.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

It's just people being the morons that they are. If they even looked into it, they'd know that the games though they may be geared to the kiddies, they are way too complicated for the average kid. I have seen many proofs of such a stance. At least in my area, I haven't encountered one kid under the age of 12 that has beat one of the games. They usually end up getting "lost" or they get mad and don't play because they can't find their favorite one, because they don't want to have to do the work to look for and find it.

Besides with how long the games are, they definitely don't work with kids with short attention spans.

 

[Savagezion]

I see, it's less about Pokemon, and more about the idea that growing up means that you cannot possibly be allowed to like anything you liked as a child.

Yep, pretty much. Although, this gets a green light once again when you are in your 20s. As then it is endearing that you still have an affinity for your childhood. It is a social stigma is all it is. Really, there is nothing wrong with it. But people of your age group perceive that it is, due to thinking that maturity can actually be nullified by any 1 thing. (Which ironically, proves them as immature)

 

[RadicalDreamer90]

Lol, I don't know where you got that impression. I'm in college and I know hundreds of people in there 20's who still play Pokemon, (Alot older too) you can usually tell from the Poke Walkers now. Pokemon as of yet, has a surprisingly large amount of depth, which perplexes most, but if you do some digging around you'll notice the sheer magnitude of the combinations makes for interesting player battles.

Top that off with the fact it's all linked online, and you've got a game fans will genuinely never grow out of. The cartoon is marketed for kids, but the games have always been approachable by all audiences. They've never been overly childish, but instead rehash the same common idea of journeying through a similar land catching dozens more of the little bastards.

If you think playing a Pokemon game is sad at any age, then Christ do I pity you, because that has to be the most close minded mode of thinking I've seen in a bit. Football is a kids sport when ya think about it, we just decided it was fun to see the shit with grown men so we made a professorial league, and paid the bulky mother fuckers to play for us. Football has depth to it too, but the amount of grown ass adults that goggle over it mind numbing, especially when they have the audacity to look down on ESports, which are by all intents and purposes,THE SAME DAMN THING!

 

[SimuLord]

I see, it's less about Pokemon, and more about the idea that growing up means that you cannot possibly be allowed to like anything you liked as a child.

Not publicly, anyway. Unless you've got the brass balls required to pull it off or you've got a reputation as being nutty as a squirrel turd already. In which case, anything goes.

(case in point: I bring a stuffed animal with me to my college 400-level accounting classes...and ask it for advice. And nobody seems to think this is excessively unusual. In fact, it's actually gotten me a date more than once. It's all in having superhuman confidence and being at ease with yourself. There's a lesson in that.)

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Yeah, well the idea of liking pokemon if you are grown up is kind of sad, for kids its fine I guess.

Is the TV series still going??????

The problem is that it isn't sad if an adult likes pokemon(the game that is, which is the point of this thread). The games are awesome RPGs. It has loads of strategy and playability. Instead of having a handful of characters to have in a party, you can choose from hundreds, and with so many different types and moves to choose from, the team combinations and strategies are almost endless.

I have got more play time out of Pokemon games than I have out of any other game I have played. I just checked my Diamond version, and it shows that I have clocked in 408 hours and 27 minutes, granted that I have had the game for over two years. But then I have to add in the play time of all the other Pokemon games I have had over the years. So I'm probably looking at close to over 2000 hours on all Pokemon games combined.

On the TV show, they will most likely be making them as long as new Pokemon games come out. Considering that after the Johto series of the show, they started naming each installment after the new game's version title.

 

[pulse2]

Yeah, well the idea of liking pokemon if you are grown up is kind of sad, for kids its fine I guess.

Is the TV series still going??????

The problem is that it isn't sad if an adult likes pokemon(the game that is, which is the point of this thread). The games are awesome RPGs. It has loads of strategy and playability. Instead of having a handful of characters to have in a party, you can choose from hundreds, and with so many different types and moves to choose from, the team combinations and strategies are almost endless.

I have got more play time out of Pokemon games than I have out of any other game I have played. I just checked my Diamond version, and it shows that I have clocked in 408 hours and 27 minutes, granted that I have had the game for over two years. But then I have to add in the play time of all the other Pokemon games I have had over the years. So I'm probably looking at close to over 2000 hours on all Pokemon games combined.

On the TV show, they will most likely be making them as long as new Pokemon games come out. Considering that after the Johto series of the show, they started naming each installment after the new game's version title.

I suppose the games are okay, but for some people, once you play one, you've played them all, its usually the same theory recycled over and over, collect new 150 pokemon, go to gyms, make them stronger, redo. Admittedly lots of games repeat a process, but the difference is that you don't look immature playing it.

I personally have nothing against pokemon, but there is a stigma that goes with someone mature playing it, either they are nerdy or they just haven't matured yet and like I said, I think the reason for that is because we all were playing the same thing 9/10 years ago, except we all moved on except the one guy who still plays it (using an example here).

My personal qualm with Nintendo is that they never really pushed it to its maximum potential, pokemon is the sort of game meant to be played with others, it NEEDED an MMO and it needed a Wii / Gamecube adventure as well, sort of like Zelda games except a pokemon game. Nintendo seems to have just sat on it and continuously release new pokemon which all seem to get less and less interesting than the previous set Anyway, thats my personal rant over.

 

[Psycho Cat Industries]

I see, it's less about Pokemon, and more about the idea that growing up means that you cannot possibly be allowed to like anything you liked as a child.

Basically yeah,there is a huge cloud over people now a days holding stupid expectations like you have to wear the hole jeans because they're designer and the like.In all honesty,they all hate it but presume that they would be rejected for admitting it.We are in a world full of idiots and you gotta be careful in balancing social isolation and actual intelligence.

 

[Catalyst6]

It's all about what age you are. For example, you know how the current Pokemon are absolute trash compared to the originals? It's not because they got worse, you just got older and now view the old ones through the eye of nostalgia.

Really, the games aren't marketed to kids *that* much. Compared to the maximum possible, that is. The TV series and all the merchandising, however, gods yes, that's kiddy stuff in the opinion of the developers.

 

[oplinger]

..You know, for me, pokemon has gone through the phases already. It was crazy popular on release, then it was all "THIS IS STUPID AND FOR KIDS. I HAVE TESTICLES SO I HATE IT" and then now it's more like "FUCK, I loved this as a kid! It's so awesome! "

Now you can replace Pokemon with Power Rangers. And it's just like you say. Who the hell wants to love Power Rangers with me? No one.

...stupid people

 

[banthesun]

Not really an answer to your question, but this [http://awkwardzombie.com/index.php?page=0&comic=032910] may be relevant to your situation.

 

[kingcom]

I absolutely HATE pokemon, never liked it BUT I've never heard that reaction out of people to somone who likes pokemon.

 

[captaincabbage]

Bah, screw that. You need friends who share your interests, or at very least friends who will light-heartedly take your love of pokemon as a hobby, like they should.

I've been incredibly lucky to have a bunch of friends who love pokemon as much as I do, not to mention a girlfriend who's as obsessed with HG/SS as I am.
It reminds me of this little comic, titled "The Pokemon Effect"

If anyone who reads this likes pokemon/gaming based humor, check out awkwardzombie.com. It's freakin' hilarious.

 

[VanQ]

At least in my area, I haven't encountered one kid under the age of 12 that has beat one of the games. They usually end up getting "lost" or they get mad and don't play because they can't find their favorite one, because they don't want to have to do the work to look for and find it.

Seriously? I got Pokemon Blue version for my 10th birthday and I finished it in about 2 weeks. All kids these days can't really be that stupid can they? I mean, my 9 year old sister is currently playing through Diamond version for me and shes already got 7 of the badges with little to no help from me. Is she some kind of anomoly?