older teens and adults, what brings you to Pokémon?

[Patrick]

I'm running on fumes and old habits that die hard, tbh. That's the direct, frank answer. However, X and Y looks like it has potential.

A fluffier answer would be that I really like the creatures. And I do deep down, but I couldn't be more apathetic on the surface. I've never cared at all about the human characters. I can't empathize with any of them (I can't empathize with the monsters, either, but at least they're cute and unique, and there's so many to choose from that everyone wins!). As for the 'Mons, the only ones that I actually feel anything over (excitement, that is, not any kind of weird feelings :P) are the same two I mention over and over, plus Vulpix.

And then sometimes Miltank. I think the latter two because I've never seen a cuter cartoon fox/cow ever, so they just stand out on top to me. Plus Vulpix was technically my first favorite. You never forget that.

Outside the franchise, I still like fan/tribute comics and I'd probably love fan animations too if I 1) knew where they were and 2) the ones I did know of weren't just weird/edgy for weird's/edgy's sake. Funny art is always a plus.

Generally speaking, that creative part of the fan base that does not take the series seriously and just has fun with it (tastefully) is the duct tape that appends me to the franchise at large. Though I think that actually means I'm duct taped to the Poke-humorist fan base and not the franchise, because I don't bother keeping up with it anymore or pretend that I do, X and Y excepting.

 

[DarkRaichu80]

I grew up with playing games with family so for me, even as an adult, it's just another game I have gotten myself into.

 

[T!M]

The immersion. The idea that I am the trainer, that I'm in the world of Pokémon and it's my journey.

That's what's kept me playing for 5 Generations.

 

[Decimosoma]

It's mostly that I'm stubborn to let ago of something that made my childhood awesome and worth while. And now that the same thing made my childhood awesome, now makes my present time awesome. Why do I need to let ago of something that makes me happy from past to present even if it's aimed at kids? When I'm 80 years old and Pokémon still makes my old days awesome, i'll buy a entire elementary school an ice cream.

 

[-Slick-]

I got into the series when the anime first came out in the west. It made my childhood awesome and I just had so much fun collecting the cards, merchandise, playing the games while trading/battling with my friends. As I grew older I realized the quality of the series was declining and gradually my friends also lost interest. Because this series left a big impact on my childhood I made a promise to always support them until the very end. So even now I'm buying the latest games (already pre-ordered Pokemon Y) and show some interest in the series despite my age. There is also a lot of nostalgia involved too as life is becoming somewhat depressing so this is one of the few things which make me feel at peace

 

[Brendino]

I don't know that if I hadn't got into the series at a younger age if I'd be drawn to it today, but because I'm such a long term fan of it, that's what has kept me around. While it was the anime and the TCG that originally got me hooked, now it's the games that keep my interest, along with places like PC where I have the opportunity to discuss my opinions and experiences of Pokemon with a large group of people. Plus, with Pokemon being such a simple, yet addicting game, I can myself remaining interested in the franchise for many more years to come.

 

[Treecko]

I have to going with many others, it's nostalgic for me. I've been into Pokemon since I was 6 and playing the games since I was 7 and I grew up with the franchise. It raised me through grade school to high school and eventually college soon. I look forward to every new generation to see what new features or Pokemon GameFreak introduces to change things up. The games are still really enjoyable to me and because of how long I've been a fan of Pokemon, I find myself attached to the franchise and have a hard time letting go. Plus it's the fans here and on other forums that keeps me going as well. I don't think I may ever stop loving Pokemon. :3

 

[FinalInsanity]

Pokemon Yellow (alongside Links Awakening) were the first video games I ever played, which... was kind of significant for me. My parents actually bought me Yellow because as a kid I loved the show and they decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to get me a game to help me learn how to read... hey, can't argue with that logic, right?

I've stuck around for the intricate metagame, the awesome designs and team combinations, and more recently the self-imposed challenges you can create. The games are as Pokemon themselves; truly limitless.

 

[Tek]

Been playing off and on (mostly on) for at least a decade as I am now well in to my twenties. I started with Red Version on a Game Boy. Y'know, the grayscale one that weighed like two pounds. So nostalgia is a big part of it. Like others have said, it's both fun and challenging. Finally, I have always been a solo player, but I am excited to be part of a community that loves pokemon as much as I do! It will add a whole new level to the pokexperience.

 

[wertcraft]

nostalgia at first, then i found how fun it was. i guess peer pressure took most of the older audience away

 

[KittenKoder]

38 .... at least since it came to the US playing Pokemon ...

I got the first one because I liked the idea, collecting monsters, raising and training them, and battling them. After playing it I got hooked on these specific monsters, pokemon are so cute and cool. The game's battle system is perfect, a nice balance of strategy and stat building, item management, and team spirit that it eventually became almost an addiction, really it just replaces all my other games until it becomes redundant, but my drive to play is renewed with each new generation.

I never liked the anime or any of the spin-off games, like Pokemon Dungeon. Those just never appealed to me. Most people in my age group who play the game now started when the first one was released. Yeah, I do actually know a lot of people in my age group who play the game. ;) I just don't get along with them well, always too serious.

 

[Fading Tree]

I've been playing pokemon since June 22, 1997. So when I was 5?
Pokemon Blue, and I stayed with it ever since I went to Johto in Gold. Simply I am invested, and Pokemon is my "football."

 

[dscottobrien1]

I bought pokemon red and blue to play with my daughter. she eventually grew out of it, but I never did. been in it since the beginning

 

[Kiara]

Pokemon is from my childhood, same with countless others. It's a series I grew up loving and playing. I'm not one to abandon things I like just because I get older. While it's a game playable by kids, I don't find Pokemon to be exclusively for kids. I know they have to recognize they have a huge adult/teen fanbase that have been loyal to them.

 

[Xander Olivieri]

38 .... at least 28 of those years playing Pokemon ...

Is this a typo? The games have been out for 17 years in Japan.




I started playing the year Pokemon came out in the US. I was really excited because of the "You start your journey at 10" thing Pokemon had going on and I was turning 10 that very month it came out. That was 15 years ago~

Pokemon has been with me more than half my life and I hope it stays for the rest of it. 70 more years please~

 

[Zorogami]

Well, for me Pokemon has been an important element of my life ever since the first games came out. I remember i got a green Gameboy color and Pokemon Yellow for Christmas, after months and months of watching my friends play. I instantly fell in love with the game, and of course, with the Pokemon. Since then, i´ve always liked playing the games, and back as a kid i also watched the anime. Then there was that puberty/awkward phase were pokemon became less interesting because your friends stopped playing and said it was childish. For me, this happened around the Diamond/Pearl release. But when BW came out, and especially when BW2 were announced, i found this forum and got back into it a 100%.

SO, long story short, Pokemon is an element that has been there all my life, and i think the games are as fun as always, or even more now that im an adult and can play them properly

 

[alisaie]

It's my childhood and I don't care what anyone else says. I still find it interesting and as long as I do I will continue to stay a fan of it in some way, shape, or form. I ... honestly don't have much else to input here except being straight to the point

 

[Crunch Punch]

Only nostalgia really pulls me back into Pokemon. If I was even a tiny bit less of a fan of Pokemon when I was younger I probably wouldn't be here.

Also for roleplaying purposes I guess, so that I can handle writing about new Pokemon.

 

[speedracr]

It's a game that I grew up with, so I guess I would say nostalgia. I've tried to play plenty of different games but can't seem to find anything I like better than Pokemon.

Each generation is more and more complex so that keeps me more or less interested (even though a lot of my team ends up being the same each time!)

 

[KittenKoder]

Is this a typo? The games have been out for 17 years in Japan.




I started playing the year Pokemon came out in the US. I was really excited because of the "You start your journey at 10" thing Pokemon had going on and I was turning 10 that very month it came out. That was 15 years ago~

Pokemon has been with me more than half my life and I hope it stays for the rest of it. 70 more years please~

Not a typo, bad math and memory combined. ;) I should have said "since it's been out in the US" .... I honestly can't remember my first Gemboy games.