Pokemon is it strange that I'm still playing?

[starwarsgeek]

Yes, i do believe if youre in your twenties it's a lil too old to play pokemon

Question: Why? The Pokemon series are simple RPGs to casually play that offer enough complexity for a thriving metagame. What is so wrong with it?

Still a childrens game

"You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only grown up kids anyway."
~Walt Disney

The marketed demographic isn't necesarily the only demographic.

I'm 20 and am looking forward to the next generation of pokemon

 

[Gxas]

Pokémon is certainly not a children's game. Not one bit.

I hope that's hyperbole. Not to judge you, but Pokemon is most certainly a "kid's game" at heart, and is at the very least very kid friendly.

While it's very ignorant to dismiss the game as only for the under 7 crowd, it's equally ignorant (in the other direction) to claim that Pokemon isn't for kids because (just quoting the most common reason) they don't understand the greater meta-game or whatever.

Pokemon is timeless, Pokemon is for everyone. It doesn't belong to one age group, or one generation, it can be enjoyed by everyone. It's extremely accessible, and that's where its true power lies.

Ahh yes, you make a good point and I apologize for my wording. Pokémon is certainly kid friendly. What I had meant to say is that it is not only a children's game. Thank you for that catch. Changing it now.

 

[ZeroMachine]

I'm 22. I was psyched when I got HeartGold (when I was 21). After seeing some details and hearing some music, I'm considering getting Black or White.

A game is a game is a game is a game is a game. Doesn't matter who the target audience is. Saying it's bad to like Pokemon at our age is like saying it's bad to like Toy Story at our age.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Are you to old to be playing Pokemon? Never, I shout. Thou shalt not feel embarrassment in thy soul. Pokemon is a brilliant series. If people make fun of you, threaten them with your level 100 Mewtwo, max stats. That'll send them packing.

I second this!

OT: I never knew there was an age limit to that game. I pre-ordered Pokemon Black about two weeks ago, and I still play the older ones.

 

[Prof. Monkeypox]

Pokémon is certainly not a children's game. Not one bit.

I hope that's hyperbole. Not to judge you, but Pokemon is most certainly a "kid's game" at heart, and is at the very least very kid friendly.

While it's very ignorant to dismiss the game as only for the under 7 crowd, it's equally ignorant (in the other direction) to claim that Pokemon isn't for kids because (just quoting the most common reason) they don't understand the greater meta-game or whatever.

Pokemon is timeless, Pokemon is for everyone. It doesn't belong to one age group, or one generation, it can be enjoyed by everyone. It's extremely accessible, and that's where its true power lies.

Ahh yes, you make a good point and I apologize for my wording. Pokémon is certainly kid friendly. What I had meant to say is that it is not only a children's game. Thank you for that catch. Changing it now.

Quite alright, I assumed it had to be a miswording and wanted to be sure.

 

[Seneschal]

I must admit I'm struggling to understand the appeal in pokemon games. Recently, a friend of mine convinced me to try SoulSilver, and I thought it was nice. But I vaguely remember playing one of the earliest games, and aside from the graphics, it didn't change much. Actually, I think it was merely updated. They don't seem to have particularly intensive story or quests, the mechanics have remained largely the same since the first one, and adding more pokemon sounds like DLC material to me. Does the series innovate at all?

And now this Black/White thing is coming although SoulSilver/HearGold is relatively new. What warrants a sequel so soon? Could some pokemon fan explain this phenomenon to me? Because from an outsider's perspective they look like many iterations the same game. I don't mean to attack the fandom or anything, I'm just wondering what drives the whole thing.

The games seem the same because they essentially are. There have been minor tweaks to streamline the story play, and the different regions help that. New Pokémon are there so that people don't get bored catching the same 150 over and over again.

Seriously though, you say that you've tried the game, take a look at the meta-game sometime. Pokémon has one of the most hardcore competitive scenes that I have ever seen.

Soul Silver and Heart Gold were remakes of older games in the series, they just updated the graphics and fixed everything that they had improved on with the third and fourth generations of the game (certain stat fixes as well as moveset changes). Black and White are true sequels, while Heart Gold and Soul Silver were just fan pleasing remakes.

If you don't really understand the series now, you probably won't ever really understand it.

Personally, I think that these are the best games that have ever been made and I will continue to support the franchise until it's death.

EDIT: There was a great article that I read detailing just how much the games have changed since the first generation. I'm trying to pull that up again.

EDIT2: Here it is. [http://ds.ign.com/articles/114/1143427p1.html] A wonderful read.

Thank you! I've just asked the same question to another friend of mine who plays the games, and she confirmed that it's a kind of "magical mix between nostalgia, simplicity and good mechanics."

To me they still seem like unambitious sandbox games with a FIFA or Madden publishing mindset. I can understand porting a game to another console-generation and updating it, but if these consist mostly of gameplay and little substance, the line between sequel, remake, expansion and outright franchise abuse starts to look a bit blurry to me. But then again, I don't hear an uproar in the pokemon fandom demanding evolution in their games - in fact, the fans are one of the most supportive I've encountered. I thought I could get into SoulSilver because I've watched the anime and played the cards as a kid but... nah.

 

[natster43]

No you are not too old to like or be playing Pokemon. They are great games. Just because something is not rated M doesn't mean it is only a kid's game. I am 17 and can't wait for the release of the new Pokemon games. I have already paid off Black and have even Pre-ordered White.

 

[rhyno435]

I'm 17 and I still play. Like you, I lost interest in the show when they butchered it by changing the voices and Ash's hat (he loved his first hat...). There's a few too many Pokemon to keep track of I think, but I still play the games.

 

[VaudevillianVeteran]

No, no problem at all. I myself get the vibe I'll be playing Pokemon: Ebony and Ivory when I'm 30.

 

[Censorme]

I'm done with pokemon. I bought Platinum version and discovered what a waste of money it was.

My problem is that the WHOLE point has left me. The pokemon look like freaks.
Just how many more digital creatures can they bring to life?
Catching them all is but a dream...An impossible dream (unless you have no life I guess)

EDIT: Although I like this "poke-walker" concept. Training pokemon through exercise is great idea (but only if it's been designed properly.

 

[DarthFennec]

I'm almost 20, and I've been playing my Red version regularly (a few hours a day at the most, a few hours a week at least) ever since I first got it when it was first released. I know every pixel in that game. Honestly, my mind is blown by the fact that the battery hasn't died yet. Not complaining though.

 

[Wolfy4226]

Yes, i do believe if youre in your twenties it's a lil too old to play pokemon

LIES. LIES AND SLANDER!

BUT MOSTLY LIES!

I'm 20, and I plan to play Pokemon until it drops dead, damn it.

 

[captaincabbage]

this perfectly illustrates the pokemon effect

I think we're gonna need a pretty fucking big high-five right about now. I posted this comic from awkwardzombie.com a few weeks ago on a similar thread.

OT: Both my girlfriend and I are 19 and we're both waiting patiently for Pokemon Black and White to come out next month.
We bought HG/SS and played the crap outta it (We still are, actually) and now we're waiting for the new games.
Of course I played Pokemon at the start. My first game was Yellow and I've at least played through every generation games since then.

 

[4173]

23 and got my first Pokemon (Plat) a few months ago, so I'm going to answer it's not strange.

 

[Grand_Arcana]

I don't think you're weird OP, though I'm all Pokemon'd out myself.

 

[BMX670]

Not at all. Fact is, if the game is fun, there's not real reason not to play it. Most things marketed at kids are given up just because they cease to become entertaining after all. Watching Sesame Street is awesome when you're 6, but you obviously wouldn't watch it now, as you really don't need to learn the alphabet.

 

[BanthaFodder]

Black and White come out the day after m 16th birthday. I preordered White MONTHS ago. not wierd in the slightest... unless you're one of the obsessives... that gets a tad creepy... like this one lady I saw at a mew event about 6 years ago who looked lke she was in her late 40's and bred feebas on every one of her copies of the Gen 3 games... and the gts wasn't even invented yet... she just bred feebas because... well, feebas...

 

[Finebrew]

Hell I'm 30 and thinking about picking Black or White up. I really havent played a pokemon game since blue but from the little I have tried the other ones they are still a blast.

 

[Necrofudge]

Man... Theres nothing wrong with anything...

If it brings you some sense of enjoyment, then who cares what other people think? It's a great series of games with a decent plot. PLAY IT

 

[Alfid Zeiss]

Just play Pokemon, don't feel guilty just because your 21 and play Pokemon
Whats wrong with a little motivation to "catch em' all"?