I don't really think Pokemon is a game for kids.

[Mattxy8]

I have been playing pokemon since I was 5 and I NEVER taught my starter hm's except blastoise surf, I did all the gym leaders easily, which is probably because there use to be only like 1 gym puzzle and that was the one with invisible walls.

 

[Misheard Whisper]

Hm. EOLS, the problem is that most NPCs are full of hot air. I tried to point out their usefulness to her at some early stage, but she decided to then go and talk to some kid who said something about shorts. :/ I tried to convince her of the 'talk to everyone' thing, but that just sounded like a waste of effort to her.

And she's always really underlevelled for the Gym Leaders because she avoids as many Trainers as she possibly can. When I asked her why, she said 'I don't like battling!'. I told her she'd bought the wrong game if that was the case, but she just stuck her tongue out at me. Each time she complains about being underlevelled, I try to explain to her that all she has to do is go fight a bunch of wild Pokemon (ie grind just a few levels) but she seems to lack the patience for even that.

 

[ZeviL]

Hm. EOLS, the problem is that most NPCs are full of hot air. I tried to point out their usefulness to her at some early stage, but she decided to then go and talk to some kid who said something about shorts. :/ I tried to convince her of the 'talk to everyone' thing, but that just sounded like a waste of effort to her.

And she's always really underlevelled for the Gym Leaders because she avoids as many Trainers as she possibly can. When I asked her why, she said 'I don't like battling!'. I told her she'd bought the wrong game if that was the case, but she just stuck her tongue out at me. Each time she complains about being underlevelled, I try to explain to her that all she has to do is go fight a bunch of wild Pokemon (ie grind just a few levels) but she seems to lack the patience for even that.

Exactly explained my previous post.

 

[Zayin]

I did beat Blue when I was about 9 without understanding English. It took me quite a while but I made it. It doesn't matter if your sis doesn't know what to do. Give her a bit of basic advice then let her try and see, until she gets seriously stuck and annoyed. Then you can help a little!

 

[Unknown#]

Its really something that depends on the person. I've been playing pokemon since I was 3 or 4 and it still took me a couple of weeks to beat platinum when I first got it.

 

[Sabrewulf238]

Personally, I do really think pokemon is a game that anybody of any age can play and have fun with it.

When I was smaller I don't remember having a problem finishing the game. Probably wouldn't have had as good strategies or take typings into account as much as I do now...but I got through them.

 

[Tox]

Well it's obvious that the older you are, the easier the games will seem but I wouldn't be so quick to count out younger people. I got my first Pokémon game at six years old and finished it with relatively little trouble. Of course, looking back now, I'd make a lot of changes to the way I played but that doesn't mean I'd have done any better of I waited a couple of years extra.

You could argue that the games have gotten tougher but then again, my little sister is ten and she's completed Emerald, Platinum and SoulSilver. In fact, she completed SoulSilver before my 15 year old sister completed HeartGold, despite getting it about six months later. She's also captured all the available legendary Pokémon without using her Master Ball. So in a way, she has even passed me out.

Then comes my six year old cousin. Everything he plays, he instantly knows what to do. He completed Pokémon Diamond in three days, having never played a Pokémon game before. I think watching the animé can be helpful at times as I know both my sister and cousin based a lot of their decisions on what they saw. But everyone needs some help once in a while.

 

[moon]

I'm rather thinking it's not a game for all kinds of people. I have a friend who likes pokémon a lot and owns more games than I do. But she never changed her pokémon team mates... it was like she was going through the game, catching 6 pokémon and keeping them on her as if they were the main characters and not something you could switch. Also, she never named them or really cared about the pokémon lore or anything. She just played. And she's my age, and this was only a couple of years ago.

So I think many children who really has the interest and energy for these games can find them incredibly stimulating and fun and can very well make it through them. They might even think some things are more exciting than we do when we're older and understand things better. Like getting lost in Viridian Forest, for example...... they might see it as a forest and not just as a maze on the screen. I imagine :3 At least I used to think Kanto was bigger than I feel it is now.

So, it's probably got more to do with interest and type of person, than age. But of course, it can get harder the younger you are. Maybe B/W are harder than the previous games as well, I haven't tried them.

 

[mzmingle]

IMHO, pokemon is a game that can be enjoyed both kids (for pokemons sake) and adults (for IV/EV/Competitive) alike. Although they have different ways to enjoy the game, its all the same in the end.

BUT the problem comes when a kid that doesnt EV Train wants to do a battle, and unfortunately he/she faces off with an adult (be it in wifi or wireless). I'm not saying that the kid will lose everytime but chances are, the kid's lost rate is pretty much high... ever heard of an EV Training 'kid' like me?

pokemon is a game that can be enjoyed both kids (for pokemons sake) and adults (for IV/EV/Competitive) alike. - Kids can EV Train, and i've seen adults who don't battle competetively.

I don't think its for kids either, Pokemon basically ranges from age three to..well...100?

My four year old brother is excellent at it and so is his friend, at battling.

 

[LightOfTruth]

Pokemon is for everyone :)

 

[Wolfwhispers]

Honestly, I think it depends on the kid. When I first played Black and White I had a little trouble, but only because they added so many features, but once you just explore it its alright.

And back when the original red and blue came out, me and my fellow pokemon lovers didn't have any problems with it, and we were 8 at the time. Though I do recall getting stuck in Veridian Forest because I thought the exit was just a wall. Damn pixels!!

 

[Aquacorde]

I think the amount of trouble a kid has with the game certainly depends on the kid. When my own sister got her first game- Diamond- she was constantly coming to me like "I can't get through the forest" or "What do I do now?" Oftentimes she added "Do it for me plz?"
It was like... she had a resource that she was trying to exploit, rather than do it herself. My little brother is kinda the same way, 'cept he goes to Serebii instead of asking me 'cause he knows I won't tell him.

 

[XtinaIsMeLuvinWWE]

To be honest I think it's because most people have grown up with four previous generations of these games to play with and have basically found a formula for how to play them and have the experience to know what works :)

People just starting now or recently would probbaly be making the same mistakes I'm sure we all did on our original copies of Blue / Red etc, and that's understandable :)