"But Pokemon is for kids"

Pokemon is for kids. That's something I got told a lot, well I used to hear a lot.

What do you think about it? Is this comment still present in your life? I don't know why but it is not as present in my life as before. Did it had an impact on how you play the game or call yourself a Pokemon lover? How do you respond to this kind of comments about Pokemon?

Since GO came out not so much anymore. My parents are kinda weird when it comes to this. First they'll say it's for kids. Then I'll tell them about the darker stuff and they're like "Whatisdis! Y are u playing dis evil stuff!"

I never really cared what people thought, because I liked it and I wasn't going to stop in order to appease society. I actually made a point of getting the term "Pokémaniac" placed under my high school yearbook photo.

I was bullied in comp because I liked Pokemon, I've had people tell me its for kids and that I should grow up and play more mature games and I've had my sister tell me that I can't like Pokemon forever. I'm 18 now, almost 19 and I still like Pokemon and don't see myself ever stopping being a fan of the series

It used to be more present, but nowadays people have gotten used to it/don't care anymore. All my friends don't really care that I still play it, and there are people who flat out bring their 3ds to class and play. I still keep my Pokemon activity semi-hidden though.

Well, it is technically true, in the sense that Pokemon's intended target audience is children. But an "E for Everyone" ESRB rating means just that - it's for everyone, not just kids.

...and that's something that is true regardless of intended target audience, I think. If you enjoy something, you should be able to do that without being criticised for it just because it's not being produced with you specifically in mind. This idea that you can't or shouldn't enjoy something for any reason other than that you just don't for your own individual reasons is ridiculous and speaks of a very antiquated mindset, in my opinion. One that belongs in the past - or the corridors of your own mind, if you must hold to it - and should stay there.

It impacted my life a little during the third generation, when Pokemon suddenly became unpopular, but for the most part all it did was mean that I didn't go around telling people I liked it...and I became more closed-off in general as I got older anyway. I never denied it when I asked; I just didn't volunteer the information. These days I just ignore comments like that...I like lots of things for which I am not the target audience. Doesn't stop me liking them. Shouldn't stop anyone else, either. It's that simple.

The Go game proved that adults can like Pokemon. I don't exactly talk about Pokemon games irk but I have some friends, same age as me, that still like Pokemon and don't care what anyone thinks.

Well, the franchise remains targeted to kids, there are moments it can get more mature. Lately they do tend to get a little more into more mature audiences with GO and Generations.

I am semi-open about me loving it to family and classmates, and I don't feel I am being judged (in a negative wayl) by it, which is a good thing, but I in general don't talk about it about anyone except one.

Out of personal interest I'd love exploring more mature themes in Pokemon, though I do not see them do that anytime soon. Would be damn interesting if we e.g. could see a storyline of a war, a closer, more detailed look in the exploitation methods of Team Rocket, anything when it isn't all sunshine and rainbows in general.

While the entire Pokèmon franchise is mainly targeted to children, I don't see anything wrong with playing and enjoying them even if you're an adult; the PEGI rating rates most games 7+, not something like 18-.
I am 19 myself and I don't really care about what other people think about me playing Pokèmon and if someone asks I'm not afraid to tell it, though I don't obviously parade it to every person I meet.

I also think that most people who say this have likely never tried any game of the series or don't know anything about the franchise.

I haven't really had this for a while, but then that's because not many people irl know I actually play Pokemon and those that do play it too. A few years ago though people did laugh etc when they knew I played Pokemon, so I've just kinda kept it under wraps since then.

I grew up with Pokemon. I was born the same year as Pokemon! The only reason that Pokemon wasn't my ENTIRE childhood is because my parents decided that having as much of an absolute obsession as I had with Pokemon was bad for a kid, so I ended up basically grounded from Pokemon for the entire third generation. And even then I played ROMs of Pokemon Red, Yellow, Gold, and Crystal that my cousin gave me, and secretly watched episodes of the anime every weekend. I don't care that it's for kids. It was my childhood, and every Pokemon game since has been better than the last.
If anyone says that Pokemon's for kids, I just say, so what? So are shows like Gravity Falls, but adults can enjoy them too. M-rated games like CoD are for adults, but kids play them. Games are games. E just means that it doesn't have anything that a parent would object to. Yes it's for kids. No, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it too.

So many good replies. O~O What could I possibly add? *sweat*
Also sorry for everything you all endured. =( I'm glad I didn't get too bullied by being a Pokémon fan, just because most kids didn't even know I played it... I was too socially awkward to try playing with others. *sweat*

Soooo... "Pokémon is for kids"
Hmm... I hear that statement pop up when I complain about the Pokédex making outrageous claims like Magcargo being hotter than our sun, or the weights making little sense at times, but are these people implying that we should teach nonsense to kids? They'll read these entries and try to apply that logic to real life, thinking that whales weigh less than cars, hugging a sun / star isn't deadly, and carrying a couple of hundred pounds on their backs is nothing.


If it was really for kids, they'd do their Math and not confuse children with heights, weights, temperatures, and speed. It's a fun game, but darn does it upset me sometimes. *sweat* I'm just trying to imagine how science teachers react when playing these games. They wouldn't say "Pokémon is for kids", they'd say "Pokémon is made by kids". =P *probably fails at being funny*

Well... I guess you could say the argument that it's more interesting to read big numbers than scientifically accurate statements, but I personally prefer better science over pretty numbers. ^^


But if I totally ignore stuff like Pokédex, I'd say... It was perhaps targeted on kids and teens, but the franchise likely hasn't expected to be such a success and gain the attention of more than the young audience. Adults played these games since they were young, while others give it a try to find something to cope with the harsh reality, be in a world of strange creatures with mysterious powers. I'd say that even if Pokémon is or was intended for kids, it should really be for any age group. ^^

Buuuuuut that's just my thought. XD

Every once in awhile, my mom will tell me "don't you think you're too old for Pokémon?". Each time, I kind of poo-poo the issue and don't answer. Since I got Yellow for Christmas in 1999, I've not been able to get away from the franchise completely, even after an attempt to do so starting in late 2005.

This might be a slight tangent, but I really want to ask this: is it really such a bad thing that Pokemon is for kids?

What would it mean for Pokemon to be targeted at adults? There is this ridiculous notion in the West in general that "mature" content generally means "darker and edgier" and anything that is NOT that is "immature" and therefore worse, and that really could not be further from the truth. Pretty much any fan will tell you that there is some thoughtful commentary and generally insightful themes and dialogue in the franchise, which goes far beyond the heads of small children.

That might be buried in the general fluff you'd expect of a kid's franchise, but the point is that it is there. A more mature audience can get plenty out of Pokemon, perhaps even more than a younger generation - there is the nostalgia, the intricacies of the battle system, and the dialogue itself. Just because these things (amongst others) are not the sole focus of the series, and the tone doesn't reflect some of the mature themes, is that truly such a bad thing? Is it bad that Pokemon prioritises children as its intended target audience when it also makes an attempt to cater for older fans too?

The "dark = good" idea really irritates me, because it's generally written poorly and relies primarily on shock value for the sake of shock value to drive its points home. It speaks well for a franchise that can cater to a wider variety of audience and not compromise its light-hearted tone whilst including darker themes in a mature and tasteful fashion.

Meyneth said:

The "dark = good" idea really irritates me, because it's generally written poorly and relies primarily on shock value for the sake of shock value to drive its points home. It speaks well for a franchise that can cater to a wider variety of audience and not compromise its light-hearted tone whilst including darker themes in a mature and tasteful fashion.

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This. Why do people care about a game being for kids? I hate the fact that there seems to be this mentality that a game that isn't rated M with "realistic" graphics is for babies. I actually haven't found a dark, rated M game that gives me the same experience as a good, light-hearted Nintendo experience. The closest thing I've gotten is Skyrim, and even then it can't beat a good round of Legend of Zelda when it comes to fantasy. Most kids games these days beat out so-called "adult" games easy. I want kids games that aren't afraid of dark topics, not a game that's dark for the sake of being dark.

Steven Universe is for Kids, Adventure Time is for Kids, Gravity Falls is for kids. I just gave up on the people that tried to categorize something as if it was only for one gender or one age group. No matter how geared toward a certain group the advertising or build of something is you will have outliers or in something like Pokemon you may have a huge fanbase spanning many ages. I never really understood why people even wanted to bring it up let alone how simple minded some of them were with their opinions hehe.

Dedenne1 said:

Steven Universe is for Kids, Adventure Time is for Kids, Gravity Falls is for kids. I just gave up on the people that tried to categorize something as if it was only for one gender or one age group. No matter how geared toward a certain group the advertising or build of something is you will have outliers or in something like Pokemon you may have a huge fanbase spanning many ages. I never really understood why people even wanted to bring it up let alone how simple minded some of them were with their opinions hehe.

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Don't forget the 'Brony' fandom of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that had been big for the first couple of seasons of that show's run. Totally defied the general public's understanding of the MLP franchise as being for little girls.
While I'm on that particular issue, it seemed to me that when Pokémon first hit the States back in 1998, it was almost all boys that were into the franchise, as so many of my classmates were into the Trading Card Game at that time. Didn't really hear too much from girls about Pokémon at that time (there's also the fact that the player character in the main series games was always male up until Crystal.)

Pokemon is for everyone.

Plus unlike maybe older fans of hello kitty or some other really girly franchises I don't typically meet older pokemon fans who are into other people getting hurt. I have heard the anime fandom can get crazy, though, but most fans i've met as a whole (all ages) seem like good people.

If you can like something without being a total jerk about it, you're not too old for that thing, is how I see it. Period.

....Annnd hopefully theres a lot of good older hello kitty fans, too, cuz i fail to see how 'liking' something like her could honstly bring out the killer animal in ANY living thing.....what, is pink the color of aggression? Is that it? It ain't lookin' like an aggressive color to me... :/

EDIT: I admit i've never met any mean hello kitty fans either. I've just HEARD theres a lot of them....

I see grown adults playing Pokemon and wearing Pokemon t-shirts far more than kids, so...

Kids would not understand the stratagies for tougher battling.

Kids may not understand really what pokemon battling is and isn't either.

Kids only understand so much on average. There's exceptions, but they are refered to as 'less develuped' for a reason. They are only still growing, like young Pokemon are. They aren't at the 'levels' us adult fans are at.

Not saying Pokemon can't help kids too though :) Although, maybe it shouldn't be for kids who are too unmatured to understand.

I am not sure how to fully explain this post. I just....well......in a way i'm like a kid still too but I also have aspergers so. Yeah.

Didn't mean to confuse anyone o_o; just pondering stuff....