Older members: Have you become less of a Pokemon fan?

[FreakyLocz14]

I have.

Let me explain.
When I was a kid, I used collect Pokemon cards, watch the anime, etc. and was generally a huge Pokemon fan. We used to have pretend Pokemon battles in the playground.

Now I just limit myself to the main video games and competitive battling.

How has your Pokemon fanship (I know that's not a real word) changed over the years?

 

[miltankRancher]

you're right. When I was a kid, I had tons of cards. However, as i grew up, I became more interested in the competitive side of Pokemon. EV training, natures. That sort of stuff.

I don't even watch the anime anymore!

 

[FreakyLocz14]

I think most of the older members went on the competitive battling because it takes strategy and skill, and thus is considered what more "mature" Pokemon fans do.

 

[shengar]

Well, I got myself into EV training and breeding but not get into competitive battling (since I'm suck and refuse to do IV'ing).
I stopped watching the anime too, but I obsessively collecting pokemon fanarts and read Pokemon Special, which also I have fascination with it.

So I'm not sure if I have become less pokemon fans or not.

 

[Zapperz]

same here. used to buy tons of pokemon cards when i was little and never missed a single episode of the series. now since im older, trading is simply what i do now adays with pokemon games.

im neutral i think.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

Well, I got myself into EV training and breeding but not get into competitive battling (since I'm suck and refuse to do IV'ing).
I stopped watching the anime too, but I obsessively collecting pokemon fanarts and read Pokemon Special, which also I have fascination with it.

So I'm not sure if I have become less pokemon fans or not.

I've been starting to read some Pokemon manga. I guess some of us just started enjoying Pokemon in different ways instead of becoming more of less of a fan.

 

[mondays suck]

Difficult to say. Nowadays I barely play Pokemon at all, but maybe 1½ years ago, I was playing it more than ever before.
Any other ways than games to measure how much of a fan I am compared to 12 years ago? Well, since in my entire life up to now I watched maybe 10 episodes of the anime and had a total of one Pokemon card (a Gastly which I probably found on the street or traded for the contents of a chocolate egg back then) and never particularly cared for the manga, I don't think there are any.

I never got into competitive battling btw, I'm just not into anything competitive at all, I'm perfectly content with playing games on easymodo, or, if I'm fairly good at them (or at least consider myself to be so), high singleplayer difficulties- which in Pokemon, means challenges, and that's what maybe 95% of all Pokemon I played in the last 2 or 2½ years consisted of.

 

[Shining Raichu]

I did the anime, the games and the cards growing up, as well as quite a few spin-off games (Pokemon Snap, anyone?) but as I grew older it definitely began to change. I stopped collecting the cards (a habit I picked up again for a few months last year) and I stopped watching the anime when Misty left and still haven't restarted.

That said, I now own Seasons 1-8 of the anime on DVD, which stretches way beyond Misty's time (though I haven't watched them yet) and my main-series gaming habits have remained fairly consistent with how they were when I was a kid (lessened only by the fact that I now have no-one irl who wants to play with me :<).

As for competitive battling, that's something I cannot stand. I think it draws the life and happy childlike essence for which I love the games so much. So I'm definitely not one of those older fans who love competitive now.

 

[shengar]

I've been starting to read some Pokemon manga. I guess some of us just started enjoying Pokemon in different ways instead of becoming more of less of a fan.

Agreed, I think we just enjoy pokemon in a different way rather becoming less of a fan. But I'm kinda worried losing my interest because Pokemon keep stalling in recent years and not try to do anything worth to keep up with their growing-old fans.
If pokemon have better battle system, I might as well throw myself to competitive battling/

 

[Yoshikko]

I am as big of a fan as I was when I was younger, only my interests changed. I used to collect the cards, now I play competitive. My "fanship" hasn't changed, only the things about it.

 

[Snivy063]

I was a pretty huge fan when I was still a kid, I think about Pokemon all the time, discuss it with my friends, play with them, play and collect cards, and do what most of my friends do too! But now, I just play on my own, watch the series on my own, and I don't talk about it with my friends, basically because of me growing as a person and getting interested in other stuff too. :3

 

[Harebrained]

When I was younger, everyone played. Cards, collectibles, games, you name it. It was so popular in elementary school, that some teachers relented and let us play with our stuff during downtime in class.

These days, very few people I know locally play. With less people to play with, I myself invest less because I get less enjoyment out of it amidst all my other options when it comes to gaming and fandoms. I sold, lost, or gave away almost all my cards and collectibles, I outgrew the series, and I play the games sporadically.

 

[NatureKeeper]

Sadly yes. Only a year ago, I was a verrry avid fan. Now I got bored in favor of other games. If just leveling up could be easier-

 

[Palkia]

I've become very inactive in the pokemon fanbase after I finished Pokemon White a few months ago. I'm trying to get back into it again, although It's a shame that no Pokemon games that interst me are coming up.

tl;dr The answer is yes, but I want it to be no.

 

[Kenshin5]

My fandom in pokemon has changed through out the years. Back in 98 Pokemon used to be the coolest thing in school, everyone who was anyone played the game, tcg, and watched the anime. I can remember when Mewtwo Strikes Back came out and it was so hyped, BK was doing the whole Toy thing with their kids meal and everyone was even collecting those. So when I got a Mew(which was rare) I was like OMG I got a Mew so I showed it off to everyone. Now I don't even have any toys or plushies. Even when the TCG was at it's craz I was more of an observer then player. I didn't feel like spending my meager allowance on cards. I did watch the anime up until Sinnoh, then just lost interest in it for the Sinnoh Saga. But when Best Wishes came out it rekindled my passion in the anime. So I don't think people as a whole become less of a fan if they still are a fan of the franchise, but their tastes change through out time in what they like about it.

 

[Balalaika]

Yes, I hardly even play the games anymore. However, I've recently had the urge to buy old pokemon cards.

 

[Windowpane]

I play the games, but even there I'm two generations behind. I was die hard back in the day...my grades were awful in 6th grade because of pokemon, especially the cards back then. I was into all three though, anime/cards/games, to varying degrees, but now all I really care about is the games. I don't battle competitively, for now anyway, but I Gameshark my favorites into my games, catch them at level 2, make them competition ready, then play the story with them.

 

[Moltres Rider]

I disagree.... I am more of a PokéFreak now than I was when I was a kid..... just take a good look, I'm marrying Pokémon!!!!!! I didn't do things like that when I was a kid liking Pokémon.... now? I am constantly making songs about Pokémon... making jokes such as... "the power went out, I wish I had a Zekrom to power my house during this outage" you guy may think people become less of a fan.... but as for me my fandom just keeps growing!!!

 

[psyanic]

Oh remember the days when there were those carts in the malls selling the Pokemon Cards? I remember walking by those begging my mom to buy me some... Nowadays it's all cell phones and calendars.

I was a huge Pokemon fan when I was younger. The days when me and my friends were on the playground trading cards, playing the games, etc. But over the years, I guess the way I was a fan kind of died down. I can't decide whether or not that I got progressively busy as I got older or I just got bored of the franchise in general. Most likely, a combination of both.

I guess the degree of how I'm a fan kind of died down a bit, so I'm a nice old quiet fan doing his own thing. I guess I'm just not as active as I was before. But I still dip my toes in a few other interests, mainly a few things that grew more onto me would be fanfiction and fanart.

 

[PlatinumDude]

I used to collect the cards and merchandise, but I don't do it as often as I used to. Now I focus on the video games and the anime.