Like mostly everyone else in this thread, I too used to be big on card and merchandise collecting, as well as pretending to be Pokémon/trainers with my friends back in grade school. I watched the anime pretty religiously for a while, as well, and even went as far as to dress up as Ash Ketchum for Halloween (despite ridicule from a lot of people for being a girl Ash Ketchum).
Whereas those days are long gone and now I see the more technical side of Pokémon, such as natures, IVs/EVs, etc., my love for the games and the franchise has not changed. Sure, it's a bit annoying to have to soft-reset for a starter with a superior nature each time I start a new game, or have to ditch Pokémon with less-than-favorable IVs. But it's not about how you play, but rather, as long as you're having fun playing it.