I hope I am not too late to add my thoughts on this Paperfairy. Here is my letter to your mother:
To the mother of Paperfairy:
Hello. My name is Shane Davis, I am 34-years old and have 3 sons, ages 16-11-6. Like you, I am a very concerned parent when it comes to my boys, especially when it pertains to video games and the increasing violence that seems to be added to them. I refuse to let my sons play ANY violent game where the sole purpose is simply to kill people (Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat, Doom, Halo, and the like). I personally feel that it is unnecessary and serves no purpose to the development of my children.
Now, that said, I do feel compelled to explain to you my feelings about Pokemon. In the beginning, as I was completely ignorant about it all and only went off of what other parents said about it, I was against my sons playing the game or even watching the cartoon. Well, after educating myself more on the subject, I have totally reversed my stance, not only the point of allowing my sons to play the games, but I have actually taken a strong interest in playing it myself. I know, I know, a grown man playing a "childs" toy might not validate my opinion much in your eyes, but please let me explain.
The basic premise of the game is to battle your Pokemon against another trainer's Pokemon, but the game (as well as the cartoon) goes to EXTREME lengths to explain to the people that play the game (called Trainers) that no Pokemon die during the game. EVER. What might seem dark and violent is actually the opposite. Trainers take turns weakening their opponent's Pokemon by attacking it in an effort to make that Pokemon pass out, or what the game terms - FAINT. To be honest, it quite similar to a game of Chess, where you have two trainers making moves and trying to predict and counter their opponent's moves. This game goes a long way in teaching strategy and good motor skills and even social skills with those that play the game.
Having explained the premise, there is actually more to the game that you are probably not aware of. The first thing I would like to explain to you is something called Friendship. Friendship is a value that every Pokemon in the game have. A trainer can increase the Friendship value of their Pokemon by taking care of it, feeding it vitamins, getting it groomed, let it hold certain items that increase it Friendship level, and even feed it certain berries. There are many benefits for having a high Friendship value. Some Pokemon will evolve into stronger Pokemon, and there are even some Moves that are stronger depending on how happy the Pokemon is. This teaches the trainers (as the cartoon does as well) to take care of their Pokemon.
Another great aspect of Pokemon is breeding. Yes, most Pokemon are either Male or Female. In the game, there is a Daycare Center where trainers can drop off a male and a female and then come back to see if the two parents had an egg. If they did, the trainer has to walk around a pre-determined number of steps with the egg (again, emphasizing friendship), and then the egg will hatch in a baby Pokemon of the species the mother was. The benefit of breeding is that it takes random stats and attributes between the parents and gives them to the baby. That means that typically the baby Pokemon with be stronger than its parents and will be a better Pokemon for the trainer to raise. Plus, there are special moves - called Egg Moves - that Pokemon can only learn through breeding, which only further promotes well planned out thought on the trainer's part and even helps teach them how to strategize better.
The in-game itself is full of other trainers who give good tips about how to care of your Pokemon, and the storyline is also quite educational with a good moral underlying message. The only problem I have with Nintendo is that they require that you buy more than one version of the game in order to have every single species that the game has to offer. For example, one species (Seviper) can only be found in the Ruby version, while its counterpart (Zangoose) can only be found in the Sapphire version. So, in order to have both you need to have both versions. While this is viewed as mostly a way to make more money, what it also does is promote different trainers to trade Pokemon between each other. Sometimes the other trainer can be a brother/sister/relative, sometimes it is a friend, sometimes it is someone in school, or sometimes it is even someone you became friends with on a message board. Not only is that a good thing, but it even encourages these trainers help each other become better trainers along the way. Personally that is what I enjoy most. I have picked up on Pokemon strategy quite easily and I very much enjoy teaching others how to become better trainers and to play the game the correct way as it was made to be played, without cheating.
In closing, I would like to say that myself and my three sons each have our own Game Boy Advance, and at least one version of a Pokemon game. We trade Pokemon, battle against each other, battle together, and generally spend quality time with me helping them learn the benefits of thinking quickly, being able to respond to a situation, how to identify a problem and overcome it, and to basically have fun together. My wife tolerates it, mainly because Pokemon is MUCH cheaper of a hobby for my boys than Yugioh was. LOL Hopefully what I have said will help soften your stance on the game and that your son might enjoy being able to play it. Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Shane
