… and that is why I post on IC…
Cause anywhere else I’d be flogged with “why don’t you just play on gbc”
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i’m still thinking that
Banned
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For anyone playing Pokemon TCG, my friend Id is:
6572913562850912
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Do I need to create the unlit screens forum
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There you go @treefroggy it’s all Digimon everything.
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I’m mainly into Digimon games from 1997ish! Cool video
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My YouTube algo is forever tainted by Pokémon. I feel very little representation in the way I have experienced Pokémon, besides a couple friends. People on this forum often have come at me saying they do not understand. I am filled with anxiety at the thought I may have to write an entire piece about it. As with most of my posts it will be more based on vibes cause that’s just the way my brain works. I see so much annoying Pokémon discourse and I’m not going to play to anyone else’s standards to try and make a completely objective argument like a video essayist would, expecting hundreds of comments challenging their points. I’m so jaded. But this sort of thing is what IC forums is for. This is just so enormous of a concept, is basically be doing the work of an entire web series. So it’s daunting. But I feel in order to discuss Pokémon here, I need to set the context.
Similar to dark souls, it is a neverending subject.
Maybe I’m just jaded by the copious video essays, and that’s the vocal majority when it comes to gaming culture.
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I read this when I woke up at 7 this morning, but then immediately fell back asleep for another hour and concocted a whole response in that state of half-unconsciousness. When I woke up for real, I’d just instinctually assumed your post was a dream, since I’ve dreamt up all sorts of hyper-specific IC forums posts before. But it turns out it’s real! so that means I get to repeat to you some of what dream me said to dream you (though I’m sure dream me was far more convincing than real me is)
I think the posts you made last year about replaying the first two gens of Pokémon already made a very powerful argument. Your writing is great because it is deeply thought out game criticism, but proceeds through a kind of “non-logical analysis” while at the same time not simply being a collection of nostalgia filled anecdotes about playing games as a kid (though those sometimes have their place). Just because other people need long essays or three hour long videos to state their opinions about Pokémon, I don’t think you should feel pressured to write a whole carefully argued piece if you don’t want to. If you ask me, you’re already a master of the art of the forum post.
I actually wrote two posts on my blog that were semi-responses to your Pokémon posts, though they were mostly about my own anxieties, since I am bad at talking about games themselves. At the time I was also thinking a lot about this Pokémon related essay my Buddhist friend has posted, which you might like. (He also makes stuff like this.)
I’ve said before that I think it would be great if you had a personal website where you could put your thoughts and experiences re: games and whatever else all in one place, without necessarily having to format them as essays. Being your own space, this might make it easier to set the context. I am of course biased though. BUT, I really do think there are a lot of people on Neocities that are reacting against the Youtube video essay’s hegemony and the kind of thinking it produces who would appreciate your philosophy.
That said, your posts on the IC forums have already inspired me to do all sorts of rethinking of my previous assumptions about games (and life), so in my eyes at least, you’ve already been very successful at expressing yourself. There’s not really any need to do anything different.
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I think the Pokémon fandom is a self-loathing one. In that they not only actively hate themselves, they hate each other, but most of all they hate the very games themselves they claim fandom of, the majority of the time. They are not lovers of RPGs. And when they are, it’s usually watered down by modern sensibilities and not based in the past context of GAME FREAK, what it was before Pokémon or during the first gens.
What you said is super flattering thank you. Like immensely. Especially in response to a jaded randy vent post like that. (Being self deprecating there)
I just feel the need to lay it all out. There’s so much info out there, but Pokémon fans don’t seem to connect the dots.
Definitely gotta check out your links next time I’m on the PC.
Now that I’m settling in a new lifestyle I’ve been considering a blog of my own like that. I just got here two days ago though so it will come later. It would be nice to reach into the enormous pile of van life crt photos for articles.
For example, shit like this:
The post game in Gen 1 is only depressing when you compare it unfairly. For a first title it is so awesome, and unlike most RPGs of the time. You get to fight the elite four ad infinatum. If you’re dedicated to smoking on Gen za instead of speed running through it, you naturally will chill on that for quite some time. What’s really depressing is that this is a cookie cutter video of hundreds of thousands I’m being served on YouTube now of zoomzoom dai pa kids who complain about Gen 1/2 hyperbolically.
That, or it’s just so obvious that it’s devoid of bonus content. These videos are all brain rot/slop. Who are they made for? Again, the only depressing thing is seeing this video on my timeline.
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I was recommended a youtube video on Pokemon Pinball R+S and half watched it while working one day. It was overwrought and long for no real reason or pay off, but one thing that clicked was when they said that they don’t normally like pinball because: its too quick/twitchy, they don’t like how in other pinball games the ball switches boards by changing screens, they aren’t interested in score chasing / nothing hooks them to come back.
I have similar issues with pinball so their explanation of how PokePin changes this made me open the game on my Analogue Pocket and give it a shot. First off the ball has a SPEED SETTING. Slow is pretty easy and rarely does it feel like the ball plummets down the middle of the board. The boards scroll smoothly and it never feels like I’m losing track of what happens
But most importantly for this thread, the thing that keeps bringing me back is that the real goal of the game is to CATCH EM ALL. The main mechanic is that if you hit the ball through one of the side alleys you charge a meter, which lets you then shoot the ball into Wailmers mouth, triggering the catch phase. You then have to hit shroomish bumpers causing a “random” pokemon to appear, and then you hit them with the ball to catch them. There are also ways to evolve them, hatch eggs etc, all by hitting different targets. And the pokemon aren’t actually random because the board you’re playing, the “zone” the board is set to, and more trigger what pokemon are available.
I’m hooked! It’s kind of mindless but I’m building pin skills for targeting and strategy, and I get to catch cute pokemon. This game has different art as well from the main game so that is cool. I’m a R+S kid so this is fully hitting my nostalgia button while also teaching me how to play a “new to me” genre. And I caught a Bagon!!
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Yes I’ve also seen a couple pretty great videos on the subject of pinball RS this week!
Both pokepins are fantastic video games, RS is generally more refined mechanically and smoother to play, however the first one for GBC should not be overlooked: the soundtrack is a gem of the most authentic self-remixes of gen1 music, with a secret Gen 2 track thrown in while Gen 2 was being developed!
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Maybe I should just get off YouTube. I feel like cataloguing all these terrible thumbnails and thesis to make my counterpoint
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I don’t consider myself to have strong opinions on Pokemon entries, but I guess I do now after seeing those thumbnails.
Takes hot enough they deal 2x to Steel.
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Some sale items of interest to this group
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