So what's the deal with "genwunners"?

[Junier]

For years there's been this "anti-genwunner" mentality, as I'll call it, plaguing the Pokemon fanbase. Fans go absolutely livid on forum boards and comments sections about these sorts of people. Apparently, a "genwunner" is someone who refuses to accept that the franchise is expanding past the original cast of 151 'mons and whose nostalgia prevents them from giving newer titles a chance. Or, occasionally, someone is labeled a "genwunner" because they won't accept change in-general. Or, in some cases, a "genwunner" is someone who simply prefers the older Gameboy releases over the newer titles. The title can be granted rather loosely, and in some cases, it isn't even an insult!

Let's analyze for a second: what exactly is so insulting about personal preference? Am I that great of a nuisance if a prefer an older generation compared to a newer generation? Many people would say: "No, of course not! As long as you have a good reason--" And that's when I'd stop them. Think harder: why do I need a reason for my personal preference? Why do I need to justify myself in preferring Charmander over every other starter, or liking the Gameboy titles over the more recent 3DS releases? Maybe I like Charmander simply because, well, I like Charmander! Charmander's cute and uses fire attacks, and I like fire attacks! Or maybe I grew up with Charmander and seeing the fire starters look less and less like my favorite really turns me away from the series. This affects nothing but perhaps one less sale in a franchise that makes millions.

Honestly, all this "genwunner" speak derives from what I see as unnecessary loyalty towards a franchise. I'll be frank here: Pokemon is not important. It may "mean a lot to you", it may have "changed your life" and you may "not know what you'd be like without Pokemon in your life", but on a larger scale Pokemon is nothing but videogames, an anime series, cards and some other merchandise. It is purely fantastical, an escape for some. You are not obligated to play and enjoy every game in the Pokemon series, and there is no reason to treat it with such seriousness. Unfortunately, not everyone treats the selection of their starter Pokemon as they treat the selection of an elected official. You don't have to have "reasons". You don't have to be "unbiased". I find it hypocritical when fans scold others for "being biased" in the first place when they themselves are helplessly biased to something as well: Pokemon as a whole.

To conclude: whether you like everything about it or only one aspect, there is no difference made. Pokemon is still Pokemon.

And I apologize for getting heated, but I felt I needed to express my opinion. Thoughts? Feelings? Concerns?

 

[Wicked3DS]

I simply don't believe you can decide what makes someone a "true fan" of something. People have their own preferences and it's really shallow to insult people for that.

 

[Sopheria]

Well, I've seen both sides of this, honestly. On the one hand, as someone who's been into Pokemon since the very beginning (i.e. Gen 1), I've sometimes been called a genwunner simply on that basis. Doesn't really bother me per se, I mean, if their definition of "genwunner" is someone who's been playing Pokemon since Gen 1, then yea, it's accurate.

On the other hand, I've spoken to people who totally dismiss every aspect of Pokemon that was introduced past gen 1. For example, when I tell someone my favorite Pokemon is Mawile, they might react with something along the lines of: "Pff, if it's not one of the originals then it stinks." or "The only real Pokemon are the original 151." I think these are the people who would be described as genwunners in a bad way.

It's basically just a label that can carry different connotations depending on who's using it, who they're applying it to, and why.

 

[Imperator161]

I agree that the anti-genwunner mentality seems a little ridiculous to me, but then again, I'm someone who really likes the older gens (though I like the new gens too). I get that people may get annoyed by an individual saying that "only the 151 are real Pokemon" when GameFreak has created many "official" Pokemon since then (someone may not want to acknowledge the fact that these Pokemon exist, or they may not like these Pokemon, but that doesn't mean they don't exist), but I find the antagonism towards people who aren't all about the newer games (or any particular game, for that matter) unwarranted. We're not talking about something factual, like denying that well-known, well-documented historical events occurred. We're talking about opinions on games. Yes, perhaps the new games objectively have more memory, or more Pokemon, or higher-resolution graphics. But those might not be the features that matter most to an individual, and while we can compare certain elements objectively, there isn't a way to measure how and why a person feels a certain way about a particular Pokemon, or a certain game overall. For example, I can list reasons why Gold is my favorite game. I can analyze why I like it, despite it's "objective" flaws, and I have done so for the purposes of defending it on internet forums. But in the end, a lot of it comes down to something visceral about the game, and something inherent in my memories of it and how I feel about it. The same goes for my love of Blastoise, my favorite color (blue), and my favorite food.

However, while you comment that Pokemon doesn't matter, I don't think that's the point. Does it matter in the grand scheme of things? Probably not, but who are we to judge the personal impact it may have had on someone's life? How is that all that different from assessing the impact that one game may have had vs. another, and consequently, why a person may like one generation or one Pokemon more than another? What if the "escape" that Pokemon provided played a significant difference in an individual's mental health, or helped him get through a difficult period in life? Pokemon may not have the global significance of a lot of other more "important" subjects, but it's hard to know just how important it may or may not be to a random person on the internet.

In fact, I think this "genwunner" crisis is reflective of a natural human tendency to justify our opinions and preferences, even if Pokemon really isn't (or shouldn't be) as serious as "real life" is. We want to be right. Take a lot of heated ethical issues, for example. You may feel that one side is right, and the other is inherently flawed, and you may back up your reasoning and expect your opponents to back up their views. But in most cases, I would argue that both sides could be supported, and on certain moral issues, people's opinions come from what feels "right" to them. I may not agree, you may not agree, the person next to you may not agree, but ultimately, opinions are opinions. The same diversity of views can be found in politics, religion, etc., and many people devote a significant chunk of their lives to supporting their views, badmouthing those who disagree (especially in politics), and discounting the views of others for various reasons (valid or invalid, depending on your perspective, in many cases). People want to be right, and many are willing to kill over what they think is right, even if two groups are equally convinced of the validity of their viewpoint. I would argue that Pokemon and the genwunner phenomenon are a microcosm of that tendency to prove oneself "right" and attack those who disagree, even if there is no good reason for doing so.

I wonder if we've seen a rise in the anti-genwunner sentiment as non-genwunners have gotten older and begun to frequent Pokemon forums. I recall a discussion a while ago about genwunners, and so-called "Hoenn babies," who had begun the series with gen III. As each new generation of players establishes an internet niche, the members of that generation want to establish the validity of their opinions on Pokemon. I don't personally think that attacking other people's gaming preferences is the best approach, but for players who cannot understand why someone might like an older game, or older Pokemon, it may be a natural, defensive reaction to protect and validate their own views. Maybe they heard that they weren't "true" fans because they didn't start with gen I, and they felt attacked by the people who made those comments. Or maybe they simply don't understand why other people did not enjoy the newer games as much as they did, and they want an explanation.

And when I comment on the "Hoenn babies," it's not just them; that was just the first time I started seeing the arguments, and I suspect they will continue with future groups of players in years to come. As I said, I think it's a broader issue than that.

 

[GiovanniViridian]

To me, the definition of a "genwunner" has changed and like previous posters mentioned it has reached a point where "genwunner" means someone who likes Gen 1, which of course it isn't.

To know how the term "genwunner" originates from, let's think back to the announcement of Pokemon Black and White, the first Gen 5 games. When new Pokemon are introduced, there are quite a lot of complaints regarding how Game Freak/The Pokemon Company is running out of ideas due to ice cream cones and literal garbage Pokemon, and claims how the first 151 are better and more original, even though the first 151 had a Pokeball Pokemon, a seal etc. Most of the complaints involve "Oh good God, Game Freak is running out of ideas why can't we just stick to the original 151 and be done with it", "I don't care about these new ones, just kill the new ones and go back to basics" or anything similar to these. This leads to the term "genwunner", someone who thinks that The first 151 Pokemon are the real Pokemon, and anything past them are not real Pokemon. And nope, Genwunners are NOT:

• Someone who finds Gen 1 to be his favorite gen.
• Someone who only likes Gen 1.
• Someone who likes Gen 1.
• Someone who has criticisms for other gens but is okay with them, but still prefers Gen 1 due to the nostalgia classic.
• Someone who prefers Gen 1 with other gens.

The examples in the list above are not genwunners. However, people right now still think anyone who likes Gen 1 are genwunners, but they're not really brought much often due to the new game releases and most of the actual genwunners are usually on Facebook. The VC rereleases for Red/Blue/Yellow are the catalyst for getting this heated "anti-genwunner" drama to get revived.

Personally for me, I don't care. I started with Gen 1 and I loved every generation (I haven't played Gen 6 yet) and although I do agree that Gen 1 has its flaws (which are usually brought often during the anti-genwunner drama) , I don't care because I liked it and it's the generation I grew up with.

 

[destinedjagold]

The only time I somewhat became a 'genwunner' was when gen 5 was released. I didn't like how "new" the new PKMN looked like, and their English names made no sense and wasn't Pokemon...nish. Oshawott? Beheeyem? But oh well, I warmed up to them. Kinda. I still don't like a few names though.

And then Gen6 came. That game made me forget about being a 'slightly genwunner' and accepted...well, tolerated everything in PKMN. Except for Talonflame's name at the time. Now that was a very lazy way of making up names.

 

[Sun]

Genwunners or Anti-Genwunners, they are extremists and I dislike both parties. The golden rule is simple: Promote what you love; don't bash what you hate.

 

[Bounsweet]

I see Genwunners as people who played Pokémon like every other kid born in the late 80s - mid 90s and grew up when Pokémon was around every corner, but naturally grew out of it as with many other childhood phases, and holds a nostalgia about it that prevents them from enjoying the newer gens because they are afraid of 'replacing' those memories of their childhood. That or they just feel like they're too old to get back into video games/Pokemon.

Idk, I'm probably reaching a bit here with the psychoanalyzing, but that's just how I view them. Frankly, I don't really even know any hardcore genwunners, though.

 

[Somewhere_]

Genwunners or Anti-Genwunners, they are extremists and I dislike both parties. The golden rule is simple: Promote what you love; don't bash what you hate.

I agree- everyone can hold their own opinions, but they shouldn't be hating on things they dislike. I find the whole drama to be pointless.

 

[Cerberus87]

I have nothing against people who prefer classic Pokémon to GBA and later. I really hated the "Hoennbabbies", though. It's the 4chan term for people who think Hoenn is the most awesomest thing in the series. These people, who became fans mostly during Hoenn era (and whom most Genwunners don't consider "true fans"), were notorious for acting like they were "entitled" to experience remakes of RSE after the first two gens were remade, even going as far as campaigning for it in social media, organizing themselves in web pages, etc. They made themselves aware to GF (Masuda in particular) and sadly had their needs catered to, which resulted in the worst ****up ever seen in the Pokémon lore (multiple timelines).

It's especially annoying when you realize Sinnoh and later gens don't have nearly the same following as Hoenn and because of this I'm pretty sure GF won't bother remaking them.

I'm not "Genwunner", though. For one, I'm not one of those people who think Rhyperior was unnecessary and ruined Rhydon. Rhyperior is a ****ing boss. He uses Geodude as ammo for his cannons, what's not to love? :P I also have strange affection towards Magmortar despite it being egg-shaped. He also has cannons in his hands. ^^ The "Genwunner" archetype would be the kind of person who hates most if not all new evolutions and Mega Evolutions of older Pokémon, with the obvious exception of those introduced in Johto.

 

[pkmin3033]

You get people like this in every fandom, and it's not limited to just the first generation either. There are just some people in this world who cannot accept the idea that other people's opinions are not going to coincide with their own, and that they are not any less valid because of that. Some people express themselves more vocally than others and they're perceived negatively because of it. This goes both for the people who don't consider a part of the franchise as valid because they don't like it, and people who get offended by that. People take it personally when it isn't really personal...at least, not to begin with. What one person likes and dislikes should have no bearing on what another person likes and dislikes, but...well, the internet is serious business, right? Any attack on your favourite thing is an attack on you, and you just have to respond in kind, or your honour is insulted...or something.

I have real trouble understanding this kind of mentality, because I don't care what others like and dislike, and I don't expect people to agree with me all the time. If people don't want to consider anything past the first generation (or any other) as "real" Pokemon...well, surely that's their issue to deal with? Nobody is forcing them to like the games, or play them, or anything else. It doesn't stop you from enjoying them.

Perhaps it does get tiring hearing people bash these things, but...well, imagine how tiring it must be for them to see people praising it all the time. I know I get sick and tired of seeing people praise things I dislike, and I don't see why I should keep quiet for their sake when they don't keep quiet for mine. But it's nothing personal unless you choose to call someone out for it, it's just a difference of opinion.

Contrary to popular belief, it IS possible to calmly and rationally discuss a difference of opinion without causing offense, resorting to personal attacks, or ending in mutual dislike. It's just that a lot of people haven't really figured that out yet. Hence these ridiculous labels and terms for personal preferences.

Relevant video from another fandom that describes the situation perfectly.

 

[Boss Salamence]

I mean, there's a difference in someone in saying they like the original 151 Pokemon better and someone saying that only the original 151 Pokemon are "real" Pokemon. The two get mixed up all the time, I feel.

 

[ProfChaos]

honestly i see more post about alleged hatred for "genwunners" (such as this thread) than actual instanced examples.

I for one prefer first Gen (roster) over the rest but they all have merits. If that makes me a "genwunner" than whatever. That honestly sounds like an insult made up by a pretentious hipster and i wouldn't take it seriously anyway.

 

[Cassandra]

In my experience, Genwunners are a very disrespectful group of retro gamers who only think the original Pokemon games are the best ones simply because of negligible factors such as nostalgia. They tend to be closed minded and very rude when addressing theirs and other's opinions, and tend to adopt an elitist attitude. This is not really a generalization, but an observation.

 

[Trainer Kenzie]

It's strange; I've never actually encountered any wild Genwunners. I've seen many more Hoenn stans (not that I hate Hoenn, of course). However, the joke and the idea of Genwunners is something I stumble across all the time. Regardless, I feel like there's a fine line between preferring the original 151 and becoming obnoxious and rude about Gen 1, and that people tend to use the phrase 'Genwunners' to describe the previous group a lot more than necessary.

 

[Beauty Elesa]

Nostalgia is why I think some genwunners exist. Most of them were kids at the time and they had fun playing Pokemon. Then they got older and there lives started to suck. So they think back to the fun they had as a kid playing the gen 1 Pokemon games. That is just my opinion.

 

[athenian200]

I started with Generation 1, so that might make me a "Genwunner" by one definition. I will say, though, that I loved Generations 2 and 3 just as much as I liked 1. I eagerly awaited those games and I was never disappointed. I really can't understand why anyone would dismiss all the later games.

I don't see why people would consider liking or disliking sequels to be important enough to insult one another over, but then again I've seen Linux users fight over whether Emacs or VIM is a better text editor, and people arguing over whether the original Star Wars or the Prequels are a better series, so this isn't much different.

But anyway, here's what I feel as someone who started off with R/B/Y... the first generation I didn't like was Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (GenIV), to be honest. I didn't hate the games, but they felt very formulaic, and also struck me as really bad GBA ports to DS hardware. Also, there weren't many new Sinnoh Pokémon. There seemed to be a lot of Pokémon from past regions, and it felt as if they had just given up on innovating.

Also, it was a letdown for me because I always enjoyed playing Pokémon hacks, and the DS was the beginning of the end for plentiful hacks. Why? Well, it's the same reason you see tons of SNES hacks, but so few N64 or PlayStation hacks. Anything with more complexity than 16-bit with minimally animated sprites goes from being possible for a talented individual to something requiring a team. It becomes difficult enough that most people won't bother.

I did like HH/GG for nostalgic reasons, admittedly, and then I really enjoyed Black and White when it came out because I could finally trade with someone other than myself. I also got back into the Anime at that time thanks to Cilan, which made it an even better experience. However, I suffered another letdown when Nintendo shut down the Wi-Fi connection shortly after I got the game. I realized that from that point on, you would have to play the game and keep up with the events shortly after release in order to have a shot at getting all the Pokémon in a given game, because once it's all over, you're pretty much out of luck.

I'm not sure what to think of Generation VI, though. While the graphics are beautiful and I enjoy being able to change my trainer's clothing without having to hack the game, the Mega Evolution thing feels like a bad Digimon knock-off and changes the entire feeling of Pokémon in a way that I don't like. The idea of a "Fairy" type is just too hard to take seriously, and it's too obvious that they only invented it to balance out types they considered to be too powerful... there's no other logical sense behind the strengths and weaknesses. Don't get me wrong, I still like the game, but I don't use Mega Evolutions because I feel like they make you too dependent on a single Pokémon in any given battle. I like raising my Pokémon evenly and taking my time, switching around, changing strategies mid-battle, etc. Mega Evolution seems like something that would be more appealing to people who rely on a single Pokémon to sweep the game, like their starter or a favorite legendary. That's not my style at all.

 

[Melody]

Genwunner in the "offensive" context is a very polarizing thing to be. These people are the ones who do act like Pokemon beyond 151 (Kanto Pokedex) are junk. This attitude at this stage of the pokemon fandom is unacceptable and inappropriate, and people who act this way should be run off with torches and pitchforks and banhammers.

However you don't meet those types of genwunners very often; and people who act like that aren't actually genuinely a 'Genwunner' in the "offensive" context, they're just being trolls as per the Greater Internet ****wad Theory.

PC has a number of what I call the "True Genwunner" who genuinely feel that the Kanto Pokedex was all that should have ever existed. I agree with them amiably on this fact and move on. Personally I like the other generations too though, so I'm not a Genwunner myself...I'm actually someone who feels the game could have stopped adding at Generation 3 (Hoenn) and not been any less of a noble or great game series at it's 6th generation.

 

[Crizzle]

Genwunner in the "offensive" context is a very polarizing thing to be. These people are the ones who do act like Pokemon beyond 151 (Kanto Pokedex) are junk. This attitude at this stage of the pokemon fandom is unacceptable and inappropriate, and people who act this way should be run off with torches and pitchforks and banhammers.

However you don't meet those types of genwunners very often; and people who act like that aren't actually genuinely a 'Genwunner' in the "offensive" context, they're just being trolls as per the Greater Internet ****wad Theory.

PC has a number of what I call the "True Genwunner" who genuinely feel that the Kanto Pokedex was all that should have ever existed. I agree with them amiably on this fact and move on. Personally I like the other generations too though, so I'm not a Genwunner myself...I'm actually someone who feels the game could have stopped adding at Generation 3 (Hoenn) and not been any less of a noble or great game series at it's 6th generation.

I'm with you on the bolded. (Though Lucario is pretty awesome...)

 

[Guest123_x1]

As much as I love the original Generation I games and consider them to be classics (and am even looking forward to their release to 3DS Virtual Console near the end of next month), and consider myself to be a bit of a 'genwunner', I fully understand that Gen I has its flaws. Every generation does, in fact.
There's several Pokémon from Generations II and later that I like-although I don't know most of the Pokémon past Generation II (and have even forgotten some of the Generation II 'mons over the years).

I had stopped playing after Generation II, only to get back into the main series games with Generation VI's Alpha Sapphire. While I enjoyed the gameplay and graphics of the latest Pokémon generation, there's still a place in my heart for the simplicity of Generations I and II. If only we could get another set of Kanto remakes for the 3DS besides the original Game Boy games on Virtual Console!