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A Non-Fan’s Perception of Pokémon

Why it’s not all bad

By BrianPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
Top Story - August 2022
41

I don’t like Pokémon, never have, it’s just never been of interest to me. And I know, that’s damn near scandalous, Pokémon is one of the most loved video game franchises out there.

I think, by the time it started gaining popularity, I was already an angsty teen and craved more edgy entertainment. The cutesy creatures weren’t “cool” enough I guess.

I was kinda into more violent media as teenager, it just didn’t do it for me. It just didn’t have the same appeal as the likes of Quake, Command & Conquer or Mortal Kombat.

Once I grew out of that phase, I was a little too old to appreciate it, it always seemed so childish to me with the art style and the very young protagonist.

I tried a few of the games here and there eventually, but never really clicked with the franchise. I never finished a Pokémon title, and that’s pretty telling as I’m almost obsessive about finishing the games I start, it’s rare that I don’t play to the credits.

I don’t really dislike it per se, though I’m definitely not a fan. My impression of the video games in recent years is that they’re a little cheap and lazy. With the amount of money this franchise makes, they could be improving their software in leaps and bounds with every iteration, perhaps even pushing the technological boundaries.

I guess they don’t really need to though. Put Pokémon on the cover and people are lining up to buy it regardless of what’s inside, it’s a brand that practically sells itself.

There are literally dozens of titles now, but it seems like a whole pile of the same thing. I got the impression that the franchise just never grew and got stuck in an “if it ain’t broke” rut.

The anime? Let’s just say I hated it and leave it at that, less said the better. I couldn’t stand the statistics and over-explained actions that seemed to be 90% of the dialogue for the show.

And I’ve never been into trading card games, never had the itch to collect them either.

But it’s not all bad.

I may have missed the buzz but my children didn’t and I don’t feel like that’s a bad thing at all.

They collect the cards, they play the games, they live and breathe the franchise (though thankfully, they don’t watch the anime) and all their friends seem to as well. it’s practically social-suicide to not like it.

They’ve made friends through mutual interest, they trade and talk about the characters. It was the first hobby my children really took seriously.

It was a good transitional game for them as well, easing them into more complicated games and introducing them to RPGs. I initially had a lot of trouble coaxing them out of the very basic mobile games they played when they were younger.

I think the best thing though, was how much it helped them when they were learning to read. The games are pretty text heavy, but it’s also made for young children, so the vocabulary isn’t that difficult.

And because they’re so invested in the franchise, they don’t see it as a chore, they practice their reading and they want to, and that’s something that can’t be understated. Encouraging kids to read without them realising they’re practicing is pretty much every parent’s dream.

Video games in general can be great educational aides. Why not harness their interests and make their leisure time a little more educational?

They weren’t very enthusiastic about their assigned reading homework, but they couldn’t wait to get stuck into their game.

Pokémon has its pros and cons I guess, I don’t really have a great impression of the franchise overall, but I don’t really dislike it either. And the kids have truly benefited from playing it, socially and educationally.

Image Source and License:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/fuzzcat/99679913 - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

https://publicdomainvectors.org/en/free-clipart/Handheld-Gaming-Console/75776.html - https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

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About the Creator

Brian

Doing my best to keep on keeping on. I’m a quiet guy with a quiet life and I like it that way.

I like spending time with my family, cooking, fantasy fiction, video games, anime and archery.

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Comments (16)

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  • Yaw3 months ago

    I didn't grow out of Pokémon per se, but my interests did shift to Mega Man Battle Network during my adolescence.

  • Matthias Thomas 6 months ago

    Great post

  • Chloe Gilholy10 months ago

    Interesting to see a different perspective

  • nard Leo10 months ago

    wow, It's so interesting! weddle game has an easy-to-see and useful interface: https://weavergame.net/weddle

  • Kishan Singh11 months ago
  • Faulkner Ehman12 months ago

    I am a Pokemon fan since my childhood and have played almost every game that has Pokemon in it. https://www.ballsportsgames.com/

  • Deasun T. Smyth12 months ago

    I've been watching Pokémon for as long as I can remember. I used to always love the games, anime, and playing cards. But I can't say I like the new stuff. I it's mostly just cheap games and non clever ideas (that doesn't mean I don't like all of the knew stuff though). thanks for your insight.

  • Peter Thompsonabout a year ago

    It's quite an interesting look.

  • Tdojoabout a year ago

    Pokemon as a franchise is immmortal! Visit our card gaming resource sheet for more fun! https://imgur.com/gallery/bQOaHmI

  • Dai do anabout a year ago

    Great post

  • ThatWriterWomanabout a year ago

    Aw this is great! I must say Pokemon has paved my life - and I am now in animal research! Well done on the engaging article!

  • Aaron smith2 years ago

    I've been playing this game for many years... I'm addicted to it.

  • Connor Davies 2 years ago

    Great post

  • animetipz2 years ago

    I agree with you on a lot of points! I grew up with pokemon and would consider myself a fan of the original anime and games but more for nostalgic reasons. I have tried to get into the newer pokemon and it is so confusing. With all the money they make I'd think they could improve so much. Great insight!

  • John Eva2 years ago

    Great insights!

  • Thanks for sharing 😊 It was a great read. All the best and happy writing.

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