Falling out of Love: Pokemon and Apathy

I don't think I'll ever truly hate pokemon, I just wish the games could manage to keep up with the reputation the franchise set for itself

Don't forget that pokémon is, for the people who own it, a product. They don't care about your memories and feelings, only how they can be monetized. They'll dangle nostalgia on your face like jingling keys just to keep you buying. Your love doesn't have to translate to financial commitment to bad product.

Fangames and some good spinoff games feel like they're the only thing keeping my love for pokemon alive these days honestly.

Top tear-jerkers in media: 1. First six minutes of this video 2. Opening scene from Up

This kinda summarises my takes honestly, x and y were fun but sun and moon really left me feeling sad about the fact I’ll never experience the “Pokemon” I knew and loved again, everything’s just so corporate. It pissed me off how pokemons newest games feel like demos more than full games.

As an autistic person, Pokemon was one of my biggest special interests for years (alongside FNAF). And then one day it just -- faded. I looked at the flood of notifications from my favorite Poketubers, all about the newest generation of Pokemon, the DLC that was coming out for it. I just wasn't happy with it anymore. I couldn't keep up with all the new Pokemon, because I couldn't find the love that Pokemon had sparked in me. The past couple of months, I've felt that love returning, but I know it won't be the same. I love Pokemon, but I will never love it the same way. And coming to terms with that is difficult, but that's just how the tide flows. I find the newer games full of potential -- but that's not enough for everybody.

Your description of love in a video about silly monster game for children did NOT have to go that hard

This video makes my heart ache. I understand the feelings you’re going through because I’m falling out of love with Pokémon as well, but I didn’t realise it until now. But my first game was Pokémon Diamond, so I’m still desperately clinging onto what I used to like. This video made me realise how invested I am in a franchise that doesn’t even care to listen to its audience. Thank you for making this.

I feel so, so badly for the folks who waited for the Sinnoh remakes. I grew up during gens 1 and 2. When they remade my first games, they were slam dunks. Even ORAS taught me to love Hoenn, after RSE originally released during a time when I'd kind of (temporarily) outgrown Pokémon (I'd later get back into the series with XY, and eventually fell in love with BW shortly after). You guys deserved so much more from the Sinnoh remakes. It broke my heart, vicariously, to see that go down.

This video spoke to me in such a unique way. My personal experience with Pokémon mirrors a lot of yours - using it as an escape from life's hardships, falling out of love with a lot of the newer installments, even details such as losing a beloved game (I lost my HeartGold copy years ago). Yet in spite of this, I never could move on from Pokémon the way you could. Maybe that has to do with me at least marginally enjoying BDSP and Scarlet/Violet and enjoying Legends Arceus, but there was something about the franchise that gripped me in a way where it could always sneak its way back into my mind. As weird as this sounds, this video made me appreciate Pokémon even more for what it once was, and to keep holding on to faith that it can someday recapture that.

Ever since iwata passed away, Nintendo hasn’t been the same

I love how this felt like less of a video essay and more of a story being shared around a campfire. Thank you for making this video, I resonated with so much of it

This video really is how I feel. You saying "back in my day there were 493 pokemon" drove it home. That's exactly the number that has always hung in my head. While I liked Legends: Arceus and will consider Z-A, SwSh and BDSP destroyed my love. Despite hearing great things about SV's story, I dropped it around Levinca. I just wasnt having fun anymore, and I've never gone back to it.

Next month will mark two years since my mother passed away from chronic kidney failure. I still remember being in elementary school (30 now), and my Mom picking me up a little early from school, just for that day. When I got home, she gave me Pokemon Ruby. Brand new. Just released. Whenever I play those early, 2D Pokemon games, my heart fills with warm memories. Sunday dinners, family road trips, those deep conversations when you discover your parent’s hidden lore, lazy days of just relaxing and watching sun rise and sun set.

As a GenWunner 32-year-old I can tell you that your distaste for Pokemon is not due to hitting a certain age. It came from the specific lineup of games that you mentioned. We fell out of love at the same time in the same way despite being totally different ages.

For me, the cutoff point is Gen 5. I have played more recent games, but don't really feel like going back to them. Tried Y and couldn't get past how annoying Pansear waving that tail in my face is.

I found a full odds shiny Stunfisk on the White 2 playthrough I just finished. That Stunfisk brought more joy than any new Pokemon release could ever dream of.

The real secret to bring a Pokémon fan is playing fan games and Pokémon showdown. Pokémon rogue just came out and it’s soooooo good

I remember my first exposure to Pokemon. I remember my mom getting me a Happy Meal at McDonald's and I sat down and opened the toy, to find a Buizel inside. I thought it was just a cute otter, so I brought it to school the next day so I could play with it at reccess. When my friends saw that I had something Pokemon related in my hands, I think they got excited. They began to ask me what my favorite Pokemon was and how many cards I had. I was a shy kid and started crying because I felt overwhelmed by being asked - what a 5 year old feels - is a lot of questions. And I also remember my kindergarten teacher taking the Buizel away because she thought it was a distraction. When my mom picked me up from school I told her all about how the kids made me cry and how the teacher took my otter away. And I think my 6 year-old self decided that Pokemon was this evil thing that I didnt like. For awhile anytime I heard someone talk about Pokemon I would hide or run away. Then one day, my mom dropped me off at one of her friends houses to sleep there for the night. I think it was because of a work trip or something. My moms friend had 2 kids. There was J'ren, who was about my age, and Tyler, who was probably around 8. I remember being really confused as to why people were still awake at 10pm because my mom imposed a strict 8pm bedtime policy. Then Tyler turned on the TV and flipped to Boomerang and started watching the Pokemon anime. I went to a corner of the living and started to sob uncontrollably, only for Tylers parents to reassure me that nothings wrong and sit me down with Tyler and his brother on the couch. I still cried for a bit until a fuckin Steelix showed up on screen and thought to my 5 year old self "wait nevermind this shit rocks". I nagged my mom to 'buy a Pokemon' for me. When she didnt have the money, I nagged my poor Grandpa for it, we went to Walmart and I got Pokemon Platinum because I thought the black and red colors looked super cool. And I used my blue DSi that I got as a hand-me-down to boot it up. And ive been in love ever since. Thank you Pokemon, for everything!

My first foray into the Pokémon world was Pokémon Soul Silver. Until that point Pokémon had simply been something annoying that I would see on t-shirts around town, but reading through my uncle's Pokédex got me interested enough to pick up a copy of the new game at Costco. I was about fourteen at the time, and therefore very into gold, what with treasure and pirates and adventures and whatnot. So it was hard for me to choose Soul Silver, but the box legendary was just infinitely cooler than the big bird. I was a bit busy with other things, and didn't start the game that day. I seem to recall that I was very into The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks at the time. Perhaps a week later, my dad called me and my theee siblings into the hallway. I knew from his voice that something was very serious. We congregated in the hallway. Mom was crying, and Dad informed us in so many words that our cousin was dead. He had been in an accident. I essentially had cousins instead of friends, we were a big clan. This particular cousin was thirteen years old, and always played Pikachu in Smash Brothers Brawl. I had never beaten him at the game, and now I would never do so. His dad (my godfather) was understandably devastated. After being informed that Mom and Grandma would be flying up right away to be with their brother/son and the rest of us would head up for the funeral a few days later, I quietly went back to my room. After processing for an indeterminate amount of time, I pulled out my red DS Lite and silently started up my first Pokémon game. My uncle and cousin had already chosen the cool one, CyndaquilI, so I picked Chikorita because he learned Synthesis. I named him Chibi, after the cute dragon from a weird but captivating backwards comic at the library. I drowned my sorrows for maybe half an hour and then went to bed. While out of state for the funeral, I played Pokémon and thought about death, played Pokémon and thought about my cousin. I found a Shiny Rattata on Route 30 and caught it within my first six hours of game time, which was exciting. I have always paced when I'm stressed or when I'm thinking, so the Pokéwalker was well-positioned. I logged at least 10,000 steps daily onto that thing while on the trip, and transferred hundreds of items and dozens of Pokémon to my game cartridge. On the plane home I pulled out my DS and looked for my copy of Spirit Tracks. I was at the boss of the Sand Temple, and wanted to give it another go on the way home. I couldn't find it. My entire case of games had somehow been left at the hotel. It must have fallen down the side of my bed, I virtually never lose things. Countless stamps in Brain Age 1 & 2, near 100% completion in Mario and Sonic at The Olympic Winter Games, hundreds of thousands of Rupees and hours and hours of progression and story investment in Spirit Tracks, et cetra, all lost. The only game left to me was my cartridge of Pokémon Soul Silver, which happened to be in my game system instead of the case. Time passed, and wounds faded. Eventually I reached the Veridian forest in the postgame, and caught my first Pikachu. I named it after my cousin. I still have Chibi, a beautiful level 100 Meganium. For being made of ones and zeros, he means lot to me. He's on my Pokéwalker with me right now. Thanks for sharing some of your childhood. It took me back.