Pokemon Battles and Players

[slashy86]

I just have a general discussion question that I'm not sure has a thread but I thought of recently.

What is the role of Pokemon battles in the Pokemon games and how does it affect you as a player?

I just would like people's inputs on this. Like what kind of effects do Pokemon battles have on the players because it is a form of fighting and it could have positive or negative effects. There are some research that tries to show that "violent" games negatively affect children or other ages. And there are some games that try to teach good lessons in it. I just have mixed feelings about how Pokemon battles factor in on either effect. What do you guys think?

 

[Hiatus]

In comparison to other games--Mario and Zelda, for example (and for something even more violent, we could look at games such as Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed, most of which are rated mature, but kids still do play)--Pokémon doesn't have much of negative effect, to be exact.

When battling, most of it is animation--we only see Pokémon throwing water, flame, thunder, and other things of the like towards each other, to prove who is worthy and whatnot, and become victor. They do get damaged, yes, but I don't believe these damage cause long-term harm to their body in any possible way. They're here just so they could knock Pokémon out temporarily.

Plus, having matches with Pokémon does more good than anything, as you're training them and making them stronger than they have been. Might not be a wise statement to base an argument on, thinking about it, but it's still there!

 

[Aslan]

Pokemon battling can be viewed from many different perspectives. There'll always be people who find it violent and influencing while others will find it light-hearted and enjoyable. To me, pokemon isn't a violent game. It was designed to be kid-friendly and has no signs of gore/inappropriate references to anything. There were the occasional banned anime episodes and creepypastas that evolved throughout the franchise but otherwise nothing particularly violent is seen through the franchise. The same thing goes for the battling system.

Pokemon's like any other turn-based strategy. You choose your move, attack, the enemy does the same and it keeps going till there's a winner. Then there are the matchups and all the other good stuff. Also note that pokemon don't actually die when they fall in battle but instead faint. This makes it different from games where the player/npc actually dies when defeated. :p

Honestly though, pokemon battling isn't that bad of an influence, if any. Pokemon was always intended to be enjoyed by fans of all ages so they wouldn't of put anything too outrageous into the battles anyway. :D

 

[JesteR]

I view it the same way as I do any sport with "violence", like martial arts - it is temporary pain, but for permanent gain. The experience from the battles your Pokémon participate in makes them stronger.

(On another note, the battles in the anime are way more violent. ~_~)

 

[Odyssey]

Pokémon battles are, in my eyes, not all that violent. The closest we can get to "violent" is in the Japanese versions of the game, Fainting is known as Moribundity instead, but even that doesn't leave a negative effect on players.

The chances of a person being affected by this series is very, very low, as most of the moves in Pokémon cannot be wielded by a person. You obviously don't see others throw electricity or dark forces, as they're all, well, fictional. Even types like the Fighting type don't have much effect on others. Well, maybe a little, but some people including myself like to see Fighting type moves as self-defense.

Because of the cartoon-ish style, it doesn't affect my role as a player. Also, Pokémon isn't like games like Call of Duty in terms of controlling. With Pokémon, I just simply tap a button that tells a creature to use a move. With first-person shooters, you're so focused on using a controller that it almost feels like you're in the game, which results in things like increased hand-eye coordination.

 

[slashy86]

I just feel, when I play Pokemon, that Pokemon battles just become a way to farm experience and money, and that I don't really care what the opponent is supposed to feel. I'm basically beating up the bully who started the fight and taking the bully's money when I'm finished.

And I also think that I'm just using my Pokemon to climb the rankings in the Pokemon world and beat the Champion to be the best. There's this uncaring attitude that comes with the gameplay. I just feel as though the player might eventually think that it doesn't matter if I defeat someone and take their money, or I just needed you to do this and now that it's done, you can go back in the PC, and maybe even carry a little of it onto the real world.