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Why Pokemon?

Oblivion

Yes hello I still exist.
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The question I ask is simple: Why do you play the Pokemon games? What about them draws you in, whether you're a veteran player or a newbie?

I play the games because, as sappy as it is, they hold a special place in my heart. FireRed was one of my first childhood gaming experiences, and the moment where I finally caught Mewtwo after hours of soft resetting because I kept accidentally knocking it out was one of the most satisfying feelings I remember. Ever since, I've always loved the games, be they for their awesome Pokemon designs, enthralling gameplay, or beating up friends with a team full of legendaries because I never explicitly said that we couldn't use legendaries!

So what about you?
 
I'll be entirely honest here; I don't know. I just got hooked by Pokemon Tower Defense (look that up, it's fun, just don't play the sequel, that's junk), and my history began with Soul Silver. Maybe it is just I want to carry on the memory of my hacked Mew from my Platinum from Ebay that didn't survive to Gen 6; maybe I just want to feel the nostalgia surging through me when raising a Cyndaquil again, or maybe it is just a simple love of naming the protagonists after FE Lords. (FE: Fire Emblem). Whatever the case, I know my love is unwavering.

Oh, and Oblivion (I don't know how to work the mention thing), your reason isn't sappy at all.
 
I play because that's what I've done for the past 8 years. It's fun, the way games are fun. It also helped that Pokemon was often the center of discussion between me and my friends. Pokemon was my first real taste of the gaming world; the few other games I owned were either educational or stuff based off of kids' movies. It's been a defining part of me for over half my life, talking about it and playing it is fun, and I don't see a reason to stop. When you're a veteran at a game series, you get very attached to it...

Oh yes, sentimentality apart, there's few things that make me feel better than getting a Shiny or rare legendary over trades. I get so euphoric, I could burst. And with being a total geek about it, I can school just about anyone on the subject of the games. Very satisfying.
 
I stopped playing after the first few Gens and I've recently gotten back. In part, it's nostalgic for me because it reminds me of my childhood. I also find the games to be fun without being excessively complex, so they're something nice to do when I'm bored but had a long day and don't want to do anything particularly intellectually-challenging.
 
They've been a special part of my life. I got into Pokemon who knows when and I finally played the games, and just continued since. I just like looking at games precious to me when I was younger like Ruby, Emerald, and FireRed and thinking how long it's been.
 
I also play Pokemon because it's fun. There are lots of different things you can do, so it doesn't really get boring to me. You can collect Pokemon, battle other people, play minigames... and that's not even getting into all the different combinations of Pokemon! Every Pokemon has at least something about it I kind of like, and I have fun just trying ones that I've never used before.
 
That's a question that no one ever asked me, and one that I never thought to answer. In 1998, I was 9-years-old. Collecting, trading and battling many types of creatures just seemed to appeal to me, back then. 15 years later, I'm still enjoying the same thing. I never really thought about it too much, to be honest. Is it nostalgia? Is it because I've been doing it for so long? I really can't say.
 
I like to play Pokemon games due to the fun plots to play through, and the goal of defeating the Champion in the end. When I first didn't know about battling, I really liked how challenging it was at first learning to battle and get through the games' trainers.
 
Fun games are fun.

Serious Answer: I don't know. There's just something about it that never get's old, no matter how matter how many times I play the games. I'm sure the vast number of choices for team members has something to do with it. Also new worlds and new pokemon are always pretty exciting to me.

I honestly shudder to think about how many hours I've spent on all the pokemon games in total. It's probably in the thousands.
 
For me, it is not like I continue to play Pokemon because it is "special" to me. Personally, I prefer mainly RPG games and ACT games. So Pokemon was originally just one of the series I personally preferred. It is not my favourite series, but also not my least favourite series. I still continue to play the series if new title is out, and if I have the respective console to play it.

But, I do have to say the simplistic RPG gameplay system somehow draws me in. Because it is simplistic, it is quite easy get used to it, and hence get addicted to it. Unlike many standard complicated ones like Final Fantasy or Tales of series, where I need few hours to get used to the battle system.
 
Like most people, I play video games to relax (well, GTA Online isn't very relaxing but…I play most games to relax) and it's a great way to escape the more stressful, monotonous aspects of adult life such as paying bills, paying more bills and then paying some bills.

Since I was around 10 years old (a terribly long time ago) no video game series - and I am loyal to quite a few - has given me that same sense of contentment than the Pokemon series. There is no feeling quite like starting up a brand new game. The smell of the untouched manual and leaflets inside the case, the joy of hearing the updated iteration of the title music play for the first time, the simultaneous joy and comfort in seeing that everything has changed and yet, nothing has changed.
 
Basically, I was originally hooked to Pokémon because real life sucked (and still kinda does). When I first started playing, I really wanted an escape from the world, and Pokémon gave me just that. It was the first video game that really made me feel like I could be anyone but who I actually was, and that I could do anything but what I was actually doing in my life. And as my depression got worse and as I needed more of an "escape fix" from life, I just became more and more attached to the franchise. Very few games have given me the same feeling as when I first picked Bulbasaur in Pokémon Red way back in the late 90s, and I doubt many future games will.

It was also nice because it was always "my" thing. I kinda like the fact that most of my friends and family have outgrown video games, and Pokémon specifically. Sure it can feel a little lonely sometimes managing two DSs by myself in order to complete the Pokédex, or to only get "true" battle experience by battling through the Battle Tower/Frontier, but I like the fact that I can wear my Pikachu backpack and not have my friends bat an eye because they know that's just who I am and what I do. At this point Pokémon is just "me", and I'm not complaining about it one bit.

And now that I'm older, I like how Pokémon can still have that complex strategy and gameplay, while at the same time being simple enough to still fit in my life without being too much of a time-waster. It can be hard nowadays to find time to finish a video game, but for whatever reason Pokémon always find a way to be in my life without taking too much time away from something else. (Or maybe I just love it so much that I make time for it without really realizing... Yeah, that might be it. XD)

Okay, this is longer than I anticipated so I'm gonna stop now. XD But yeah, why Pokémon? Well, basically because it's freaking amazing.
 
Fun games are fun.

Serious Answer: I don't know. There's just something about it that never get's old, no matter how matter how many times I play the games. I'm sure the vast number of choices for team members has something to do with it. Also new worlds and new pokemon are always pretty exciting to me.

I honestly shudder to think about how many hours I've spent on all the pokemon games in total. It's probably in the thousands.

^^That bolded part is exactly how I think sometimes...
 
One of the reasons I used to play them was because I didn't have many friends at the time, so I pretended that my Pokémon were my friends. I don't play for that silly reason anymore, But I play because each game, I'm hoping for a good storyline. I got that in Gen. V, but I don't thing we'll get such a good story again. But I also play for the Pokémon. I love seeing something different animals I have to see everyday. And, I mean, you get to be a ten year old that does whatever he/she wants, who doesn't want to be like that?

My silly reasons are silly XD.
 
because it's fun! My brother watched the advanced battle anime, and that looked cool. Then at a garage sale, a beat up GBA and Yellow, Gold, and Silver were bought for me so I could play. I got stronger and better, and eventually, I learned new secrets, got more games, and it stuck. I raise the cute ones like young children, and strong ones I help to acheive their final form. I was the boss over all of these awesome creatures. Then Yu-Gi-Oh! kicked in, and I stopped playing as hardcore. I still had a few games, but it was put on the backburner, until I read Snow on Mt. Silver, a creepypasta concerning a gamesharked Silver version, that due to a code called Snow on Mt. Silver, was causing pokemon to die in the cold. I had recently found my old Pokemon games and gotten sick of spending every spare dollar on sparkly cardboard Yugioh Cards, so my pokemon passion came back hardcore. I don't yet have a 3ds, so I can't wait to get one and expirence X and Y. And pet and feed my Fennekin. (yeah, that's my pick)
 
Why pokémon? Because Pokémon has a special place in my heart. Not only is one of the best videogames I've ever played, but all the merchandise around it is also awesome and allows for way more things to do. When I was young everyone had and thought about pokémon and even without the videogames it was something that united us all.

Another point is how awesome the gameplay is, and the possibilities of what you can do in the Pokémon world are endless! It's a life I'm pretty sure the vast majority of us would want to have, and everytime they add in something new to keep us interested. And if you ever get tired of having a pokémon journey and battling and stuff (which is something I doubt) you can always try being a respected Pokémon Ranger, a photographer, even turn into a Pokémon thanks to the countless and all epic games that have been made (obviously like some exceptions like hey you pikachu... >_>).

Oh, and the anime is awesome too. Maybe it was better before. Derp.
 
Cause I was given a Game Boy with Gold to keep me occupied during a plane flight to London. Addicted ever since.
 
Because I like the games/show. Hooked after being introduced to it.
 
Please note: The thread is from 7 years ago.
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