Why is there so much stigma attached to Pokemon?

[Banana Phone Man]

I'm in year 11 and me and my mates at school still Pokeon Blue Yellow etc. on GB Colours (GBA for me though) We are all 15-16 years old and I don't just mean the nerds or geeks. All the football, rugby and sports people in out school still play it. Although only half would probably admit it.

 

[SultanP]

I have to admit that I was not aware of any stigma. Around here nobody really cares, and people can play what they want. One of my friends enjoy playing Cake Mania, or something like that, nobody cares. Maybe it's something in the water where you live that make people weird or something.

 

[AcacianLeaves]

If you can look at the designs for the pokemon and not understand why its considered childish, there is no hope for you.

I'm not saying its a bad game, but this:

Is not something aimed at adults. Yeah the gameplay is deep, but it's wrapped in a presentation meant for children. It's childish because its meant for children. Adults can enjoy it too, but that doesn't change the nature of the product.

 

[Phantomess]

That's a bit harsh, LCP. It's an excellent series of games and really brought the idea of social gaming to a new generation who had been sitting mostly alone behind their Playstations for so long. I was twelve when I played the original red, blue and yellow versions and have bought at least one version of the subsequent editions since. I'm now 22 and still playing them. I even have the limited edition Pokemon GameBoy Colour.

There's nothing wrong with playing Pokemon, really. Yes, they all follow a pre-planned story that hasn't changed since the original, but at least the subplots changed. I quite liked Crystal's hunt for Suicune... kept me occupied for AGES.

I did play Mystery Dungeon AND Ranger... but while I found Ranger to be an affront to my intelligence, I did rather like MD, especially the later versions.

All in all, you'd be hard-pressed to find any of the people I know ridiculing someone if they played the games. Heck, I remember when my god-daughter was born. I sat in the maternity ward with her mother, discussing the best moves to use against Giratina for a good capture without using a Master Ball in Diamond.

 

[Strange Pirate]

Fair enough. It must be my teenage friends trying to save face then.

 

[SD-Fiend]

well i still love pokemon even though i'm 15 but i think the reason is that it was something you did as a kid like cartoons plus they're the ones that are cute and the oes that aren't all that cute are basicly rainbow colored

 

[Ambitious Sloth]

They were childish, in fact they still are. As for a stigma though I think has to do with the fact that it is goofy and childish even today. I'd get the same response from people who saw me watch Dexters Laboratory, if they saw me playing the Pokemon card game. There are many things that that started and ended in the 90's, from tacking on EXTREME to the end of everything and anything, to the Gameboy Color.

As a side note I have a Pokemon shirt featuring about 20 of the original 151 Pokemon (the only Pokemon that deserves existing) and while some people act along the line of, "onmygosh Pokemon!!1!" I notice a lot of other who more of look and figure out that it Pokemon and then look away.

 

[delet]

Pokemon? The game? Ridiculed? Where the hell do you live; I want to make sure I never go there...

At my school, Pokemon is considered awesome. People will, every now and then, bring an old school Gameboy with Red or Blue on it, and that will commonly result in a detailed conversation about the game in general.

Hell, kids will randomly break out in the Pokemon theme song every now and then. If Pokemon ain't cool, I don't wanna be cool.

 

[Caliostro]

Why is a pokemon ridiculed like it is?

The Show:
- Because it's an uninspired and low quality piece of crap, whose sole redeeming quality is it's originality, which pales in comparison to the 3rd grader-level artwork, dreadful animation and appalling lack of anything resembling a meaningful and coherent story. To top it all off the characters are about as shallow and stock as they come for this sort of thing and the episodes suffer from "Power Rangers Syndrome", meaning they just repeat the same episode over and over and over again with different enemies and locations.

The Games:
- Because while the original Red and Green were original and quite decent Gameboy RPGs (although, again, it lacked any kind of character development or relevant storyline for anyone over the age of 10), every Pokemon game since has continued the proud Nintendo tradition of effortlessly and shamelessly milking the money cow. I.e: all Pokemon games are the same, just increasingly stupider and more contrived.

yet I wouldn't dare tell any of my peers because I woud be ridiculed.

That says more about you than it does about your peers.

I still don't know why this is. Pokemon is essentialy, quite a deep RPG, which requires a fair amount of skill to master.

Dude, it's an RPG, it comes down to grind and coin tosses... A fairly linear one: Bigger Pokemon wins. I remember clearing through Red pretty much in "auto mode". Elemental "weaknesses" and "strengths" are pretty much the only variable. Yeah, you gotta keep track of ONE WHOLE VARIABLE!

 

[theComposer]

If you can look at the designs for the pokemon and not understand why its considered childish, there is no hope for you.

Is not something aimed at adults. Yeah the gameplay is deep, but it's wrapped in a presentation meant for children. It's childish because its meant for children. Adults can enjoy it too, but that doesn't change the nature of the product.

It wasn't initially aimed specifically at just kids. When the first games came out, BEFORE the anime, it was just an RPG in which you collected multicolored and super powered monsters. Given, the story or characters weren't deep, but it was the intricate gameplay and the desire to "catch 'em all" that made the game a success and launched more games, an anime, a card game, movies, etc.

Since then, these other branches of the initial concept, mostly the anime, have become more mainstream, as many people were introduced to Pokemon through the show, not the games. Because of the success and popularity of the show, the image and idea of Pokemon in general, including the Pokemon designs themselves, became more childish to appeal more to the growing audience of young children. The gameplay, however, is still the same: deep and complex.

If you CAN'T look past the designs for the Pokemon and understand why it's such a fun game, I'd say there's no hope for you.

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

I'm talking about the game only. I do know what you mean though.

Oh, well there isn't.

 

[Twad]

I have been thinking a lot about this lately. Why is a pokemon ridiculed like it is? If you're over the age of 12 and were caught playing it by a buddy, you would basically be classed as a no hope loser. Yet if that same guy caught you playing FF on the DS. (A game which is no less childish than Pokemon), then he'd more than likely not give a toss.

I don't play Pokemon anymore, but I will certainly buy the new soul silver version, and I'm 18, yet I wouldn't dare tell any of my peers because I woud be ridiculed. I still don't know why this is. Pokemon is essentialy, quite a deep RPG, which requires a fair amount of skill to master. I'd hardly say it's a proper kids game, even if it is aimed at them.

Please, your thoughts and opinions.

Well, i also played the games, and i disagree when you say that the game is «Deep». I actually think its the complete opposite.
The mechanics are solid, but deeply flawed too.
THe game is all about grinding and having an army of mindless drones (called pokemons) following you around. And the world.. the plot.. everything doesnt make sense. No coherency. Villians are almost always insultingly dumb.
Pokemon can only know 4 moves? Are their brains that small?
Some powers and combos are so broken you can make a lvl 1 magikarp kill 8 legendaries in one attack each.
And i strongly dislike the turn-based combat system. Its boring.
And i could go on and on..

Oh, there IS potential in the game, i can imagine how the game could be actually «deep» and coherent and FUN.. but Nintendo doesnt use it. ITs cheaper to make and remake the same grinding games. Play one, you played them all.

 

[Spiner909]

It has bad vibes, lots of anime and hype. It just can't be taken seriously very well.

Also, I agree the show sucks.

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Did they get crappy voice actors!?

 

[Kinguendo]

Pokemon is deep?

Of course it is... you can dive now cant you?!

 

[AcacianLeaves]

If you can look at the designs for the pokemon and not understand why its considered childish, there is no hope for you.

Is not something aimed at adults. Yeah the gameplay is deep, but it's wrapped in a presentation meant for children. It's childish because its meant for children. Adults can enjoy it too, but that doesn't change the nature of the product.

It wasn't initially aimed specifically at just kids. When the first games came out, BEFORE the anime, it was just an RPG in which you collected multicolored and super powered monsters. Given, the story or characters weren't deep, but it was the intricate gameplay and the desire to "catch 'em all" that made the game a success and launched more games, an anime, a card game, movies, etc.

Since then, these other branches of the initial concept, mostly the anime, have become more mainstream, as many people were introduced to Pokemon through the show, not the games. Because of the success and popularity of the show, the image and idea of Pokemon in general, including the Pokemon designs themselves, became more childish to appeal more to the growing audience of young children. The gameplay, however, is still the same: deep and complex.

If you CAN'T look past the designs for the Pokemon and understand why it's such a fun game, I'd say there's no hope for you.

I never said it wasn't a fun game. In fact I specifically said "I'm not saying it's a bad game". I had a lot of fun with the original games. However, the original designs of the first 151 Pokemon were and are distinctly childish. They are cartoons intended to be cute and inoffensive. Even the most 'hardcore' Pokemon are designed from the ground up to appeal to children.

The show and the games were released consecutively in North America in 1998 as a joint marketing campaign aimed at children, not gamers. I enjoyed the first game, and even the remakes on the GBA, but beyond that there's just not much more for a gamer to enjoy - but there is TONS for children to enjoy.

Be mature enough to admit that you can enjoy products aimed at children. It's not a bad thing.

 

[ribonuge]

Pokemon Silver was awesome. I don't know why people are so stigmatic these days, prejudice around every corner it would seem. The games were alot of fun although I wouldn't mind seeing the characters of the show implode and then subsequently asplode.

http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Asplode

 

[Kinguendo]

The only time I have seen any stigma attached to Pokemon is when I started talking about it to my friends while there were women around... that will get you a kick straight to the pokeballs.

EDIT: I am not proud of myself.

 

[Heathrow]

Freshmen year of college Diamond and Pearl were released and me and a number of my friends spent most of our downtime in the rec room trading/battling/playing, I don't think anyone else even batted an eyelid at us. Moral is move to Portland and do what you like; no one will think any worse of you for it.

 

[F1REST0RM]

Why is a pokemon ridiculed like it is?

The Show:
- Because it's an uninspired and low quality piece of crap, whose sole redeeming quality is it's originality, which pales in comparison to the 3rd grader-level artwork, dreadful animation and appalling lack of anything resembling a meaningful and coherent story. To top it all off the characters are about as shallow and stock as they come for this sort of thing and the episodes suffer from "Power Rangers Syndrome", meaning they just repeat the same episode over and over and over again with different enemies and locations.

The Games:
- Because while the original Red and Green were original and quite decent Gameboy RPGs (although, again, it lacked any kind of character development or relevant storyline for anyone over the age of 10), every Pokemon game since has continued the proud Nintendo tradition of effortlessly and shamelessly milking the money cow. I.e: all Pokemon games are the same, just increasingly stupider and more contrived.

I still don't know why this is. Pokemon is essentialy, quite a deep RPG, which requires a fair amount of skill to master.

Dude, it's an RPG, it comes down to grind and coin tosses... A fairly linear one: Bigger Pokemon wins. I remember clearing through Red pretty much in "auto mode". Elemental "weaknesses" and "strengths" are pretty much the only variable. Yeah, you gotta keep track of ONE WHOLE VARIABLE!

Basically this, though I think you don't give the games themselves enough credit. Even if they were shameless attempts to milk the money cow, at least they did throw in a crapload of depth and complexity onto a game that already had a good amount of it as it was. "Elemental strengths and weaknesses" are only one part of many variables to take in now.

Although, also, if you actually get that deep into it, then you've opened yourself for another reason for ridicule: You have no life.