Pokémon shouldn't be dismissed as a childish game not worthy of being played

by Steven Murphy

Being a 16 year old Pokémon fan, I get asked the same question a lot. "Aren't you too old for that game? Isn't that just a little kid's game?" And I really tire of it. Pokémon should not be dismissed as a child's game and be looked over just for it's cute outside. I think the main reason why Pokémon is looked on as a child's game is because of its advertisement. If you've ever seen a Pokémon commercial on TV, you'd understand why I say this. The commercials are meant to appeal to children. And they do just that. But they also cause unnecessary and untrue stereotypes of the game. The game may have some childish factors, along with some childish characters (I'm sure anyone reading this is familiar with Pikachu, the little yellow rat spokespokemon for the game, whom makes the game seem even cuter), but it also has a side that should appeal to more serious and older video gamers.

While beating the game isn't too difficult, and should be easy for most gamers, there is much more to do afterwards. First there is the task of collecting all 150. This makes the game harder, and many just buy the second version to get all 150, like I did. But even after you have all 150, there is still more to do. One of the greatest features of this game is the way that you can battle other trainers using the link cable. I'd like to see all you Final Fantasy freaks (Don't be insulted by this, I'm an Final Fantasy freak too. (Long live Locke!)) do this with any Final Fantasy game. This extends the life of Pokémon a lot, if you can find someone to fight (which can sometimes be a problem). This also brings in strategy, something which makes the game much more difficult for younger children and more suitable for teenagers and experienced gamers. You must design a "team" of six Pokémon that you think will be capable of defeating all 150 of the Pokémon. What makes it harder is that each Pokémon is unique in its own way. There are 15 different types, such as Fire, Water, Bug, Grass, and the like, and each Pokémon can have one or two of the fifteen types, and can learn four different moves. Some Pokémon can learn more moves than others, some are faster than others, some have better defense than others, some are stronger than others, and some have more hit points than others. It requires a lot of strategy to design a good six Pokémon team. Something which very few younger people are able to do without help. This game may look childish, but it is a lot more difficult than most would think. I think the reason why most people see the game as childish is because they see the childish commercials, the childish characters, and the somewhat lacking plot in the game. While Pokémon is meant to appeal to children, it isn't as much of a child's game as most would think.