Do you form emotional attachments to your Pokemon?

Or do you look at the Pokemon world more strategically?

Me? I'm definitely less competitive and more emotional. I enjoy giving my Pokemon massages in-game, walking and talking with them and participating in events with my pokemon that are unrelated to fighting like contests, musicals, pokeathalon. I may feel apprehensive when I leave a Pokemon I'm really close to in daycare or storage. And if one of my Pokemon faints it bothers me, even if I win the battle.

Does this differ greatly from your own style?

romhacking has ruined most of this for me; my pokémon are now just a series of bytes

nevertheless, i do still get very apprehensive about my pokémon fainting in a battle and go to great lengths to not have it faint
the side things are really cute and i find myself doing those a lot as well, but that's mostly a break from the constant battling and other things that happen
pokémon hgss were actually really immersive for me in this aspect because--let's be real--these pokémon were adorable and did adorable things and having that eevee follow you around just

kinda what BluRose said unfortunately. as a game dev, it's hard for me to view Pokémon as anything other than data, haha.

though I do form a stronger bond with my Pokémon in games like HGSS and Sun & Moon where there's lots you can do with them besides just battling ^__^

Way too much. I get attached to my pokemon friends that have messy stats and sometimes hindering natures too, so much that it's difficult to start breeding a 'better' one to use. At least I'm not into competitive so I don't need to worry about it too much.

definitely.

i think the addition of pokémon refresh deepens this connection as you're doing more than just battling and travelling with them. i like how more recent games have focused on interaction with Pokémon and I hope to see this carried out in future games!

Yeah I definitely form emotional bonds with my Pokemon, nicknaming them definitely helps and it gets to the point where I transfer all the Pokemon I have a bond with to a different game if I ever wanna do a new playthrough on the game I used them to avoid losing them haha.

Even though nowadays I know about how data for different Pokémon is made up, and how people can just easily generate Pokémon at will, I still have strong emotional attachments for Pokémon and see them as more than just data. I see them as living creatures and friends, and I've always been a sucker for the whole cheesy "connection/partnership between humans and Pokémon" moral that's so often referenced in the games and anime. Because of this, I often like to just simply visualize Pokémon I love, it just makes me happy in a dumb, cheesy way.

I know how the game's data is made up, and I know a bit about competitive battling, but I still develop attachments to Pokémon I catch and use in the main story regardless of nature, IVs, etc., and feel like I'm actually journeying alongside them on a grand adventure. Things like Amie/Refresh and the splash text in the beginning of battle + them looking back at you really make it a lot better for me, and I usually get a little upset when they faint.

Despite this, I do sometimes try to breed for a good nature/IVs/ability for a friend on my journey, but of course become attached to them afterward. Bringing up Pokémon from older generation games to the new ones is like bringing back old friends with memories of my past. Sometimes for important battles, I like for them to go a certain way (e.g. a certain Pokémon I want to shine delivering the finishing blow; it's pretty difficult to accept whenever it's difficult or impossible).

In battle simulators (Showdown) I can't really connect with the Pokémon emotionally because there is no time or memories in catching and raising them, and that they're quite obviously data that you can easily alter. In the games, I prefer to do as much as I can myself to acquire, raise, and spend time with my Pokémon. That's why if I ever get into breeding for competitive and/or shiny Pokémon, I'm able to do it all (or mostly) by myself. I'd like to be able to use Pokémon I love in the competitive stage, instead of having one bred or generated for me.

I truly think the games have gotten better over time in terms of letting people who love the emotional bond aspect of Pokémon actually do that. I hope it gets even better in the future.

While my Pokémon are exactly the best in competitive battles, they've helped me progress through the story, and I love them simply because of that. They're important.

I do usually only with my starters! I always use them in my games, so when I try to deposit them even for a little bit I always find it to be hard haha.

I hate to be that guy, but to me Pokemon are the means to my ends. I'm joining Team Rocket.

I really do get attached to them, especially in main play throughs. I love the amie/refresh elements and the little animations when they enter battle. It encourages me to build the bond further until the affection is maxed out just to see the different text and their little quirks. "Robin Hoot is thinking about Pokebeans." As much as I loved the following sprites in HGSS, turning around and talking to them, this feature makes up for it IMO.

I also love giving them little high fives in amie and refresh. Zorua is so cute when it does that.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Nintendo improve on this in the future!

Yes, for sure. But I tend to only get attached to a couple in each game, which are the ones I keep in my party at all times, while the rest are interchangeable. I enjoy things like Pokemon Amie/Refresh because of the 'pet care' aspect :)

I'm such an advocate for both x.x
this makes it harder for me to build competitive teams because I love everyone of them

Yep. I really like Amie and Refresh.

I..probably do. Only to certain pokemon of mine, however. If I end up trading them or whatever I get very upset :c I do like my pokemon a lot, especially the ones that got me through the Pokemon league.

I always get emotionally attached to any Cherrim I train. To me, they all have distinct personalities and I love them very much. ;_;

I try to make an emotional connection with my party in every game I play, but some stand out more than others. Some games I can tell you my whole party and talk about important moments in the game where they pulled through for me, but other games I couldn't even tell you half of my team because I've totally forgotten. D:

-looks at the collection of Petilil and Umbreon I have spread across generations of Pokemon- No. Not at all.

I have formed a emotional attachment with my Pokemon a few times My most recent one was with my Mimikyu which i kept feeding Poke Beans and kept petting it Most of the time in battle this little beast of a creature helped me get through a few of a rough spots in my journey And for that i'm grateful that i had my Mimikyu there with me when i needed her the most.

I am 100% emotionnal in a game! I do see the story in my head with my pokemon and they do have a personnality or me.. Yeah I know it's a game ah!
Even when I try to play competitive, I end up being emotionnal too. I'll choose a Pokemon I like before a Pokemon that has 600 stats. Dragonaire over Dragonite ;)

Yes, I find myself always trying to get my favorites in specific balls and nicknaming them to make the connection stronger.