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Has your enjoyment of Pokemon decreased over the years?

EeveeSkitty

Pokemon.
This is a question mainly for people who have been playing Pokemon for a long time. I never thought I would be asking this question of myself, but here I am.

When I first picked up Pokemon Blue and Gold, they were magical to me. I played for hours and hours every day, and never get bored. The same went for Generation 3, and then DPPt. I enjoyed HGSS as much as any of the other Pokemon games I played, but I didn't play it for as long as DPPt, which I logged hundreds and hundreds of hours of gameplay on. Then came Black. Enjoyed it as well, was a great experience.

But now? I haven't played Pokemon for months, ever since I finished my second playthrough of Black and started a new game on Platinum. I picked up Platinum today, and it just felt forced, and empty. It simply wasn't as enjoyable anymore. It isn't because 'teh new gamz suk', there was just something missing. This year and last year, I got interested in writing and philosophy, and have to focus on my studies now that I'm nearing the Level 1 exams. But I would love to just sit back and play Pokemon like I used to, worry-free.

Well, this long post has been leading up to the question of whether your enjoyment of the games has decreased as you got older. Or does it fluctuate? Has how often you play decreased?

I hope mine comes back. Maybe with BW 2.
 

ROFLMAO

Well-Known Member
I played through the first three gens A LOT. I played through Ruby, possibly upwards of fifty times over the years. Yellow probably about 25~ times. After all that time and waiting for ages for my pre-order of Pearl to arrive, my enjoyment dropped sharply. The fourth gen was where I started to get bored and neglect my current Pokemon games for months, preferring to play Ruby or FireRed on the GBA. With Black and White, it's picked up again. I've played through White three or four times and Black twice now. I still play the GBA games, but B/W are taking up more of my time.
 

Hidden Power

Well-Known Member
If I'm given my favorite song, dish or game every day, I'll still get sick of them eventually after long periods of over-indulgence.

My most active period of playing was during Gen II. Gen III was kind of a bummer at the time of release because GF removed several key features of Gen II (though they made up with new ones). I didn't play much of Gen IV, till this day my only Gen IV playthrough, which is on Platinum, is still stuck at the Giratina catching part. But my interest was back to Gen II levels when I started on B/W. So it's about a few good years of inactivity as well.
 

Jazz14456_Plebeian

Expect Epic: CB
I've been doing pokemon for about seven years, since kindergarten (probably before that, even). I was playing Leafgreen, and I peeled the sticker off which made me not able to trade it in at Gamestop. Thus, I played it over and over, never getting past the first few gyms, because I must have missed some puzzle every time (I couldn't read then, which was probably an influence). So, I probably did 1500+ hours on it, over three or four years, (kindergarteners often have an enormous amount of time on their hands). And has my interest faded? No. But its definitely changed. I don't play each game and reset one third of the way through. In fact, I only reset the games when I have had a chance to transfer all of my pokemon to the next game, and even then not very often. Now I play competitively (even though I get swept my Miltanks in OU), try to train pokemon with everything right, and do Nuzlockes on empty game files. But I do play pokemon plenty, an average of one third of my free time. And the majority of the other two thirds is spent on other parts of the pokemon franchise too; reading up on Serebii, playing with my pokemon cards, losing on PO, or catching up on the BW anime on pokemon.com (where you can usually find me doing a repetitive task on Black too, like IV training).
 

jstinftw!

hey trainer
Not really. I mean, after the initial excitement of getting Pokemon Silver as a 6 year old, I was pretty consistent until maybe... 5th grade. Whenever Emerald came out. I loved Pokemon still, but I started getting interested in other things.

Then DP came out, and I played it pretty much all the time. This too waned, and I started playing guitar. Music, guitar, and life overtook Pokemon. Then Platinum came out, and I got that. That got me back on track. HGSS came out, and I went all out again.

Halfway through my SS play through, my only DS broke. So I stopped, and Pokemon made less of a mark on me. I grew... Less into it. And then I got a new DS that Christmas, which sort of brought me back into Pokemon. Not so much though.

Then Generation V came out. And it's only grown since then. I now run a Pokemon Podcast, I have a PO account, I'm into competitive battling, all that stuff. My twitter is almost a Pokemon conversation hotspot. I'm much more into Pokemon now, a 19 year old, than I was as a 6 year old.

I can separate it from my life however, but I don't feel the need to.
 

KingMinun

Dawn/Sinnoh Fan!
Its increased and decreased. The only times its Decreased is in 2nd and 3rd gen. 1st gen, it was the craze so it had to super hype and interest, as Johto came, the hype increased and I thoroughly enjoyed those games, however after a few years, it started to decrease and people started dropping out of the series, I was one of those. When 3rd gen arrived, I came back to the series a year before FRLG came out, and during that time, I brought the series back in my area and at my school so practically everyone in my school were playing FRLG trying to be like me because I had a level 100 pokemon, people came to me for advice, etc. But since I was in my last year of Primary, when I shifted over to Secondary school (High School), I fell out of the series again. It was only when I was in a supermarket one day and they had a game case saying preorder of Pokemon Ranger that peeked my interest again since Minun was a partner pokemon, since then, my interest has stayed fairly strong. 4th gen was a brilliant time for me, I was now old enough to have my own money, so I could buy my own stuff instead of asking my mum which would mean I wouldn't get it. So I bought tons and tons of pokemon figures from gens 1-4, I bought dvd's of the Orange Islands, and all the Pokemon Movies, I was actually able to get plushies since my mum thought I was too old for them, since it was my money, it wouldn't matter so I bought my favourites, Minun, Turtwig, Cyndaquil. I also had a friendship group who all played pokemon to make things even better and we would challenge each other to battles on our games in the yard or from the comfort of our own home through wi-fi. It was the peak of my interest, for Gen 5, it died down a tad, but not much, I once again was able to convince others to play so that a lot of the boys in my year had the games. So, my interest has been pretty constant throughout the series but it did die out at the end of gen 2, and beginning and end of gen 3. But it did return and stay, I mean come on, I faked an illness on holiday so that I could come home in time for the release of DP rather than waiting 1 extra day for it.
 

txdaan

Who reads this is...
The only thing that has dropped for me is the playtime:

  • I don't really know about gen 1 and 2, but I played a lot.
  • About 500 hours on Emerald, and I already played through both Ruby and Sapphire once, and I also have about 250 hours on FireRed (2 playthroughs).
  • Played through Diamond once before my current save which sits at about 420 hours, and I also played Platinum for about 80 (then gave it to my sister since I did everything on Diamond already).
  • I did 1 playthrough of the JP HeartGold (about 60 hours total), then got ~160 hours on my SoulSilver (which I picked up again just now). I would've gotten more in SS if the BW hadn't started right around the English release.
  • I played Black (JP) through, then got White which I only have 90 hours on. I was really dissapointed when I found out that BW doesn't have as much stuff to do as PtHGSS had, because if it did I would've gotten far more playtime out of it.
  • Here's me hoping BW2 have more things to do. I want to get at the very least 100 hours out of White 2, hopefully even more.

Of course I'm also getting older, and have far more things to do and many more other games to play.
 

Pkmn Breeder Jack

Static owns you.
This is me. I've played since 2000, and up until Platinum I invested heavily in the games, logging several hundred hours each gen. In 4th gen, I also jumped headlong into the competitive battling scene. But for some reason, even though I really loved Soul Silver and White version, I just don't have the desire to play them after finishing the story. It just feels kind of pointless to me. I still enjoy pokemon as a franchise, but I think I've grown old enough to realize the pointless nature of grinding levels and completing the pokedex.
 

GameMaster10

Gaming Guru
My enjoyment of pokemon has lowered over the years since I first played yellow version but I've always enjoyed them. However what I think is that after you play a version for a while, and you finish it a few times, it just becomes stale.
 

Pokemonpal7

Jungle Ninja
I think I'm kinda the reverse, as I started w/ R/S/E, and I do have fond memories of them, but I wasn't addicted. Then I got Diamond, which I can't really remember much about my run-through. SS was kinda boring for me, but then came B/W, and I am literally addicted to it now.
 

Fenyxfyr

Got a problem?
I've played pokemon from the beginning getting every major title (Rangers and Dungeons I have one each and were not to thrilled so I didn't buy the rest of the series) I still enjoy the game and catching the ones I'm most interested in, but like Pkmn Breeder Jack, I start to lose interest once the main story is over with and tend to restart the game(s) to enjoy the whole thing once again. But with Black and White, I can't do that without losing some of the unique pokes and other DW content. So I'm even more bored, lol.
 

pokeaussie37

Well-Known Member
In response to the original poster, I kinda feel the same. I always have enjoyed the games, arguably enjoying them even more as the years have passed and I understand more about them! But I've never been one to go back and play past games. I wouldn't try to fill the time between slowly winding down Black and White and the release of Black and White 2, by playing Platinum or Heart Gold for example. What's done is done. It's kind of like James May's theory about meeting your heroes. Never meet your heroes because they cannot possibly meet your expectations. There was always that feeling surrounding the first generation of games. Loved them, but I could never go back again, because they just couldn't meet what I wanted out of them.

In recent times, I've finally begun winding down my play of Black and White, in most part thanks to the news of the sequels. I'm not playing other Pokemon games, I will sit and wait patiently for the new ones, and if I do decide to play, it will be Black and White, not games from further back.

However, when new games come along, I will always buy them, and I love them. As I said before, if anything my enjoyment of the games has increased over the years. Along with a greater understanding, there's also the amazing development of the games and how far they've come.

Lastly, I'm not one to play for hundreds of hours on each game. I have about a hundred on my White file, which was the original one from when I first played it. I've been playing through Black to train as many Pokemon as possible, kind of using it as a multiple save file feature. I'm not a competitive battler or anything like that, so there is little incentive.
 

KingWiggins

Well-Known Member
I think if you do EV training and breeding, it's boring for awhile then... but once you get the EV's in and train those babies, up, you got yourself a monster.
 

Sevans

Battle Subway Boss
I payed from crystal, not having any idea what I was doing, always seeing the game say "it's a OHKO" or "It's super-effective", and thinking "I'll show you a one hit KO", desperately trying to.
ThenI played Leafgreen and FireRed, restarting multiple times until diamond. I transferred my pokemon over, and haven't yet restarted in diamond, the first game that I had a good chance of finishing the Pokedex.
In SoulSilver, I finally did finish the pokédex, and moved onto grinding my way through the Battle Tower. (I earned about EVs and IVs sometime around platinum.) At this point I still liked pokemon a lot.
Now, in Black, I feel like I'm missing a huge part of a storyline. Because the story isn't as strong, I've mainly been doing competitive pokémon (online) and the Battle Subway. Although I have ~300 hours logged, it's mostly from the BS. I just feel like something is missing from black and white, and I hope that B2W2 has a better story.
At one point I completely cut myself off from pokemon, getting tired of competitive, until my friend wanted to get back into it.
I believe that interest in pokemon has a lot to do with whether or not you have friends to challenge you.
 

Sadu-Hem

Ragnarok Bringer
No

Actually, my enjoyment has increased, if nothing else. A few years back I couldn't tell Ground from Rock.
 

Mr. Reloaded

Cause a pirate is free
My enjoyment with Pokemon goes from slightly increase to major decrees. But I don't think it's because Pokemon has hit it's peak, I think it's because the game gets boring once you finish it twice. I remember back in 4th-5th grade which was still 3rd gen and I was hooked on it. Then 4th Gen rolled around during 6th grade, and I saw some of the gameplay from this kid who was about 7 and It didn't look all that great. Until I played Platinum in 09 then I was hooked for about 4 months. And didn't really feel like playing anymore. And the only game I had from Middleschool to Freshman year was unfortunately Pokemon Platinum. It wasn't until the end of my freshman year that Ingot another Pokemon game (which was Pokemon White) and I played it and enjoyed it for a good amount of time. Then I really started playing other games. So my Interest in Pokemon is kinda neutral but I'll play Pokemon White 2 and hope for the better.
 

Shinku

neko, desu~
I kinda have. I've been playing the games, collecting the stuff and watching the anime for years. After a while though it all gets quite repetative... continuously restarting games and stuff... I was quite happy just playing the games for fun, did that for years, but then I was introduced to the concept of EV training and competative battling and things just started to get more boring from there x_x hopefully when the new game comes out I can get back into the Pokemon spirit though.
 

Enjyu

Made In China.
I liked it when I was younger, like age 4-9. Then, I kinda just stopped for 7 years. But I slowly got back into it. It's still fun.
 

DR.gonzo

Well-Known Member
i was around for the first BOOM of pokemon red and blue, and played my blue copy to the max, filling my dex with all 150 (excluding mew, the little critter)
then training up different teams to fight with on pokemon stadium, completed pokemon stadium and having defeated the elite four with every single of the 150 pokes within my teams to complete the trophy dex thingy . then helping my friends from school through there game plays, and trading pokes with them to help there dexs out.
i was so hyped for pokemon yellow also and played this game religiously , and wasted many a day playing the surfing pikachu game.

i played and completed gold/silver/ruby/sapphire/emerald/leaf green & fire red, but i wasnt that involved as i was for the first generation games, i grew older and didnt have the time to play the games, and i didnt really enjoy them as much either, i played to complete the stroylines then stopped. i never restarted any files on these games .

then diamond and pearl dropped, and everything flooded back. the love for the game was there once again, i was no longer rushing through the storyline just to get to the end and see what happens, i was taking my time training different pokes as i went along to build my final team for the elite four, there was so much to do on diamond/pearl i was never bored. and could play the games for hours on end . i was never interested in IVs or EVs or natures, i was just having fun playing the games fully once again. and i completed the full dex on my pearl. obtaining all evos and pre-evos within my box system. this kept me going and kept me entertained all the way well after the storyline had passed .

i rushed my play through of platinum though, with the help of a borrowed AR card from my friend , and i regretted every second of it, it totally took away all the fun that i had just gotten back from pokemon, and soon after beating the elite four i dropped this game, and handed his AR back. platinum sadly still sits there to this day collecting dust. i know theres things still to do on there, but i lost the love for that generation right there with the help of a DEVIL AR device :( ( my own fault, i know )

this is where i thought id finally get off the pokemon bandwagon so to say, all my friends but a mere 1 or 2 had gotten off long ago, i was old now. and thought it was time.

Then i herd about the re-release of gold and silver ( soul and heart ) , and i knew i hadnt given these games the full attention the first time around, so i said to myself, this is it....
one last who-rah , buy the ticket....take the ride.. play it properly and to the fullest, enjoy it. dont rush it and re live pokemon one last time before finally giving up.
and BAMMMM i wasnt expecting it. i bought soul silver... i was hooked once again... i was a child again, in love. from the instance of seeing my little totodile following me around
i was happy and heavily involved once again.

black and white dropped... whole new region.. whole new set of pokemon.. i wasnt at first sold on the starters or some of the pokes, but bought the games anyways , and glad i did. fully enjoyed them, even though the story line was abit short and not alot to do after the post game. i found ive played a total of 180+ hours into my white version. im somewhere around 615 on the pokedex also, MM breeding like a good en also . and can not wait for black and white 2 to drop .

im glad i never gave up on pokemon, and im glad i handed my friends AR straight back to him.

its been a long ride, but im still very much enjoying it like i used to .
 
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