Pokémon Go has utterly taken the world by storm. Everywhere you go, you can find people of all different backgrounds gathering together to catch them all. As a lifelong Pokémon fanatic, seeing this phenomenon is quite astounding. Never in my life did I imagine so many people playing Pokémon.
But it does, however, leave me with some unsatisfying feelings.
Growing up, as I said, Pokémon was a huge part of me. I watched the anime all the time as a child, enjoyed collecting the cards, and when I was 10 years old I finally played one of the games, Pokémon Diamond. Ever since then, I have played countless different Pokémon games, from the Mystery Dungeon series to the obscure Pokémon Battle Revolution, each one leaving me satisfied. Pokémon is such a huge part of my life.
However, this does not go without consequence.
Pokémon has not been as popular as it was in the 1990s. Though the games, cards and anime are all still very successful, it is mainly due to the influence of longstanding fans of the series, who have grown with Pokémon and continue to praise it as the years go by. New fans of younger generations are also discovering Pokémon, fans that will not give it up as so many did years ago.
And that is my main issue with Pokémon Go. The people who are flocking to it.
The fact of the matter is, many of the people who download and play Pokémon Go are people who used to be huge fans of the series, but gave it up as it became "uncool" to continue to like Pokémon. But since Pokémon Go is such a huge success, they have assimilated to playing it because it is the new trend.
People are treating Pokémon Go as if it's some revival of the series. But Pokémon has been huge for years, even after the decline of the craze in the '90s.
I know so many Pokémon fans who have been bullied and teased growing up for liking Pokémon. So many fans who were told that it's not cool to play Pokémon anymore, and that it's something for kids.
Now, the same people who used to make fun of Pokémon fans for playing the series are now jumping on the Pokémon Go bandwagon.
Another thing I've noticed are the amount of people who used to play Pokémon, but then gave it up after it "wasn't like the old games." Now all these people who gave up Pokémon are playing it again, and acting as though they never stopped being fans of the series. One of the gaming channels I follow on YouTube are guilty of this, for any time they would talk about Pokémon, they would only talk about the original games and completely neglect the new ones because they weren't good enough.
The media is also treating Pokémon Go badly, as if it is a revitalization of the Pokemon trend. People Magazine said Pokémon was originally a trading card series, but in fact, it was the gaming series first. It is if Pokémon had died down since the '90s, when it only had continued to have a following.
In short, as a die-hard Pokémon fan, I am furious to how people have been reacting to Pokémon Go. Granted, I love the success of it, but the people who have been playing it have somewhat ruined the experience for me. Just wait until a few months, when they introduce Pokémon from the later games and people give up on Pokémon Go. The cycle will start all over again.
