One thing that irks me...

[skppy1225]

I was randomly thinking about this yesterday and it's been bothering me ever since.

We all know through the games that the Pokémon world has quite a thriving economy. One thing that began to bother me, though, is where do the majority of these people make their money? Some people have a very obvious source of income, usually a business. But what about the Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and Professors? Do the Gym Leaders and Elite Four make money just for their positions? Do they make money for every battle? The Professors are the ones that really baffle me. They have all of this high-tech equipment in the labs, but how was it all funded? It's not like they've ever been seen taking donations, and I don't think they've ever even mentioned anything about it.

I think I'm thinking a little *too* much about this. I have a habit of doing that.

 

[72pokemonmaniac27]

I'm going to have to agree with you, that is a bit odd. I guess they figured they didn't have to make a back story to it. haha.

 

[FilbertTheFox]

Woah woah reality check here, Pokemon is a game.
Pokemon doesn't really have an economy as there is limited resources of items most the time and shops have a fixed amount of items they can sell.
As for the professors im guessing they get funding off the 'Pokemon Government' to research pokemon if there is such a thing. Gym leaders most likely get there money from there role as a gym leader but im guessing they get paid by league officials again if there is such a thing.
We should all be catching pokemon and leveling rather than worrying about the pokemon economy though :P -- We should be concentrated on our real economy ;D

 

[skppy1225]

I'm going to have to agree with you, that is a bit odd. I guess they figured they didn't have to make a back story to it. haha.

Either that or it was just never considered.

Woah woah reality check here, Pokemon is a game.
Pokemon doesn't really have an economy as there is limited resources of items most the time and shops have a fixed amount of items they can sell.
As for the professors im guessing they get funding off the 'Pokemon Government' to research pokemon if there is such a thing. Gym leaders most likely get there money from there role as a gym leader but im guessing they get paid by league officials again if there is such a thing.
We should all be catching pokemon and leveling rather than worrying about the pokemon economy though :P -- We should be concentrated on our real economy ;D

I guess the whole thing about the government could be correct. But outside of police officers, I don't think we've ever even seen any government officials.

And the Pokémon economy is certainly better than our actual economy. I wish I got paid $6,500 just for winning a battle.

 

[fenyx4]

I was randomly thinking about this yesterday and it's been bothering me ever since.

We all know through the games that the Pokémon world has quite a thriving economy. One thing that began to bother me, though, is where do the majority of these people make their money? Some people have a very obvious source of income, usually a business. But what about the Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and Professors? Do the Gym Leaders and Elite Four make money just for their positions? Do they make money for every battle? The Professors are the ones that really baffle me. They have all of this high-tech equipment in the labs, but how was it all funded? It's not like they've ever been seen taking donations, and I don't think they've ever even mentioned anything about it.

I think I'm thinking a little *too* much about this. I have a habit of doing that.

Well, they could be taking donations on the side; we just never see it.

Woah woah reality check here, Pokemon is a game.
Pokemon doesn't really have an economy as there is limited resources of items most the time and shops have a fixed amount of items they can sell.
As for the professors im guessing they get funding off the 'Pokemon Government' to research pokemon if there is such a thing. Gym leaders most likely get there money from there role as a gym leader but im guessing they get paid by league officials again if there is such a thing.
We should all be catching pokemon and leveling rather than worrying about the pokemon economy though :P -- We should be concentrated on our real economy ;D

And they probably get partial funding from the government as well (although I'm iffy about Oak getting funded; he just sits in his lab all day unless someone happens to beat the Indigo League Champion, and he just sends any kid that visits him on journeys of peril! Lazy butt...At least Birch bothers to get up close and personal with Pokemon!)

I never thought about the Gym Leader, Elite 4, Champion, and Frontier Brain positions as "jobs". I thought they just did it for the heck of it! I figured that since Trainers have to forfeit PokeMoney to them upon a loss, they make any "earnings" that way, rather than receiving Pokemon government funding.
Or, it is customary/traditional for up-and-coming Trainers to relinquish some money to Pokemon League faculty upon a loss since the Leaders don't really get funded/paid anyway, and they are just doing the job as a convenience for Trainers to toughen them up and assist them in getting stronger.
Sabrina, Red, Gary/Blue, Lance, Steven, Cynthia must be billionaires by now, though, considering how many people have fallen victim to their Pokemon attacks and lost as a result. :cer_laugh:

 

[RockHardSemi]

I would assume the Gym Leaders get paid by the Pokemon League Association, not based per battle but per annum. As the Gym Leaders are there to filter through the strong trainers from the weak. I'd assume a similar payment for the Elite 4.

As for the professors, they probably make their money from lectures (at schools/colleges), their books as well as from the radio shows.

My question is how does Jessie and James still have a job?

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

I'm guessing some sort of government or Pokemon League body handles salaries for Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, and the like. Professors probably get paid by whoever is employing them for their research, which I would assume would also be the government/Pokemon League since they're also in charge of starter Pokemon distribution.

The same funding probably pays salaries for the Pokemon Center attendants and keeps the Centers themselves up and running and free of use to trainers.

 

[Ayselipera]

I've always assumed that being a Gym leader or an Elite Four member is actually something you wouldn't get paid for. It would be more like an honorable position that someone in the Pokemon world would work for and yet have a real job on the side.

As for professors I would think they would get paid. Just because we don't see them being handed a paycheck doesn't mean they aren't paid. The only other idea I can think of otherwise is that the government might pay for a professor's living space and research in return for more information on Pokemon. Seeing as Pokemon are used in the Pokemon world daily by many people it would be essential for whatever government that exists to have extensive knowledge on them. In that case a professor gets the benefit of having his or her's research and possibly living quarters taken care of for them in exchange for that research being sent to some higher power.

 

[Timbjerr]

I'm gonna have to agree that gym leaders/E4 members get paid by the Pokemon league in a similar manner to how real-world professional athletes collect their paychecks from their manager and the organizing league. Professors most likely get grant money from the government and run-of-the mill trainers will get their money in the same way you do in the games, wagering it in battles. XD

Other than that ,I'm fairly certain everyone seen in the Pokemon games have an actual product/service to sell. :/

 

[PlatinumDude]

My question is how does Jessie and James still have a job?

It's possible that the entire Team Rocket organization has funds for them, though they have to look out for Delibird, who has to collect their debts.

 

[Shiro]

Pokemon battles.
That's how they earn their money. By pitting Pokemon against each other just to get a scrap of food. It's their economy.

That's the reason why trainers start battling at the age of ten instead of getting a proper education and the world takes Pokemon so seriously. Because it's the only way that they can earn money.



What a terrifying world the Pokemon world is.

 

[Eliminator Jr.]

I wish I got paid $6,500 just for winning a battle.

It's in yen, that'd probably be $65.

Either way, I'd imagine all the gym leaders and stuff would be paid by the government, not per battle. Like somebody above said, their job is to filter through the weak and strong trainers. Same goes for Gym Leaders. Professors would probably receive funding from universities, corporate sponsors or the government, similar to how laboratories are funded in the real world. Just because it doesn't state it in the game doesn't mean it doesn't happen, it probably just wasn't relevant enough to include.

 

[Åzurε]

It's a pretty well-established fact that the Pokemon world is no utopia, but it seems reasonable that non-trainers would receive paychecks, more than likely from their big invisible government. This would be another incentive to become a trainer, as you have opportunity to go out and earn ridiculous amounts of money from trainers as a supplement to your weekly income. It wouldn't be a common occurrence for a trainer to earn as much as one of the protagonists from the games, but then, most people don't face down stuff like Giratina often either, implying that PC's are Gifted Children.

 

[teddybeargun]

In fact all gym leaders are fighting hobos who live in a city-funded building because the city took pity on them. And also, the professors actually are not REALLY professors but instead all this is a scientific experiment to see how a person would cope in a world filled with "Pokemon". The Pokemon Trainer finally wakes up and then realizes the past 20 years of his life was a lie. (Pokemon is a government conspiracy)

But anyways, If you don't know the thing above is not my actual opinion, probably. The professors and gym leaders are probably paid by the poke-verse government. Or maybe the gym leaders are paid by their league thing and the government pays the league. or maybe they're a non-profit organization trying to teach children the arts of blood sports Pokemon battling.

 

[Blue Nocturne]

I always assumed that, in addition to getting a little Government funding, they would earn their money by winning battles against trainers. Its probable that they probably hire out the gyms for other uses or the Gyms have a dual purpose. For example, Misty and Crasher Wake's gyms appear to function as swimming pools and Chuck's as a fighting dojo. They probably earn money by charging for services related to these uses. This appears more likely in Gen V, where a lot of the gyms are specifically designed upon buildings like Cafes, Libraries and Theme Parks.

 

[Happy Pikachu!]

I would think common trainers earn their money from winning battles. And the gym leaders and professors get their money from sponsors and/or the Pokémon Association.

 

[o0PinkSquid0o]

I'd assume the gym leaders get all their money from the puny little kids they beat... some of them take large sums of cash from you!

professors... no idea... I am sure the pokemon world would have some kind of 'government' that the young traveler doesn't care about so its not introduced into the game. Anyway the government would fund the research like in real life

 

[Water Pokémon Specialist]

The Professors are the ones that really baffle me. They have all of this high-tech equipment in the labs, but how was it all funded?

It's all government funding- our taxes is paying for their luxurious lifestyle.

Oh no wait.. that's the English Government. Oh I dunno then =/

 

[Ice Queen]

One thing that baffles me is why people are asking questions about money on a fictional game that is not real. does it matter how they get there money. tell me how pokeballs work or how a seagull can evolve into a pelican. its not real so it doesn't matter how they get there money.

 

[skppy1225]

One thing that baffles me is why people are asking questions about money on a fictional game that is not real. does it matter how they get there money. tell me how pokeballs work or how a seagull can evolve into a pelican. its not real so it doesn't matter how they get there money.

Poké Balls work by converting a Pokémon into a form of special energy and then storing said energy inside. When a Pokémon is released, the Poké Ball turns the energy back into matter.

Owned. XP