The "genwunner" situation

[Mrs. Oreo]

We both know the old gens have their flaws, and some designs old/new are uninspired.

Even as a Gen 1 fan myself, I'll be honest and say that Gen 1 had some of my least favourite pokemon designs of all time ha ha. I'd estimate that I only really like around 15%-20% of Gen 1's pokemon and my nostalgia for that era of the franchise is more due to memories of playing the games with my friends than of the pokemon themselves.

 

[TheJLeeTeam]

I think a chunk of genwunners are those who got into Pokémon during it's initial craze just because everyone was getting into it and lost interest. And because the craze was so huge, most if not all Gen 1 Pokémon are iconic. If several Gen 1 Pokémon came out in a later Gen they would be way more hated. I think Mewtwo would be way more hated if it came out in a different Gen because it has a complex design as well as the inanimate objects like Voltorb. I think most genwunners aren't fans of Pokémon, they are just fans of nostalgia.

With Black & White it was a complete reboot without any nostalgia which alienated some fans but I thought it was a bold move for them to do that to make the series feel fresh. And while many of the Pokémon designs are considered to be "Kanto homages" or "ugly/weird" I think they are still worth being in the series. Just because the Unova Pokémon look too different from other Pokémon doesn't make them bad, it means they are exotic. A Pokémon can look like anything and every Gen has it's own unique flavor to it. I think all Pokémon are interesting in their own ways. I think the amount of Kanto references in X and Y was partially due to the criticism Gen 5 got.

Let me honestly say I have a really hard time enjoying Gen 1 games anymore partially due to genwunners. (And also because they are really dated) I feel like they suck the fun out of Gen 1. And because of that I'm not as fond about Gen 1 as other people are. I don't think Gen 1 was the best of the series but it was a good beginning. IMO Gen 1 feels like a prototype or tech demo for the series and every other Gen improves upon it.

So if you see genwunners around their opinions don't matter to you. The ones that matter the most are the ones who enjoy the franchise as a whole and not just 1 Generation. There is actually not a single Pokémon I hate, I think they are all interesting. It's possible there will be less genwunners as time goes on since there are already people nostalgic over Gen 3 and 4 so the other Gens will get nostalgia too.

 

[SWMegaFan]

With Black & White it was a complete reboot without any nostalgia which alienated some fans but I thought it was a bold move for them to do that to make the series feel fresh. And while many of the Pokémon designs are considered to be "Kanto homages" or "ugly/weird" I think they are still worth being in the series. Just because the Unova Pokémon look too different from other Pokémon doesn't make them bad, it means they are exotic. A Pokémon can look like anything and every Gen has it's own unique flavor to it. I think all Pokémon are interesting in their own ways. I think the amount of Kanto references in X and Y was partially due to the criticism Gen 5 got.

I agree. Different doesn't necessarily mean bad. Black/White actually sold pretty well (according to some figures I've read) - and when it comes to the games as a whole (and at least from a gameplay perspective), they were also pretty highly rated. And for Black 2/White 2, they did try to help in alleviate those who didn't like that the Gen V games didn't have Pokémon from previous generations (at least before beating the game). By the way, I stumbled upon this video on YT that talks about why Black/White felt a bit different from the previous Gens' games: https://youtu.be/JFFn13l3efQ . I think some of these criticisms Gen 5 got are probably also age-depended, meaning that they criticisms mostly came from the older Pokémon fans as opposed to the newer ones that may have come into the fanbase in later Gens post-Gen 1 (or perhaps even came into the fanbase right when the Gen 5 games came out).

In regards to Gen 6 having Kanto references, based on things I've read, those games also had received their fair share of criticism as well. In trying to invoke nostalgia, there were only 72 new Pokémon for that Gen (69 that are actually available in-game); that received its fair share of complaints. Combined that with the fact that a lot Pokémon from Gen 1 got mega evolutions as opposed to those of later generations, well, that's how we get complains from some who say that Gen 6 tried to do too much fan service.

I don't think a complex-designed Pokémon necessarily means it's bad. I think someone like Mewtwo introduced in a later generation would still be popular. Likewise for Pokémon like Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem (and some of the other legendaries and mythical Pokémon in Gen 5); they're complex but still look cool IMO (and I believe some are popular as well); heck, there was this poll done on a Japanese Pokémon site a while back and some of these Pokémon (along with some others in Gen 5) were ranked pretty high on the list of favorite/popular Pokémon (that said, this was in Japan so I'm not sure about the rest of the world): http://www.pokemon-movie.jp/election/index.php

 

[Samayouru]

Whoooo boy, genwunners.

I definitely agree with a lot of the points that have been put forward so far. While the resurgence of genwunners was caused by Pokemon GO, I think it's beginning to die down. It might come back if Niantic releases updates that introduce the other generations, but I can't say for sure until/if they actually add more Pokemon in.

 

[Nockturne]

Funny thing is I think a lot of the genwunners that came about because of Pokemon GO didn't even realise they were being genwunners. As in they had been out of touch with the fandom for so long they were totally unaware that they were falling into an established group complete with its own nickname.

I found it quite interesting seeing all these people in there mid 20's to early 30's so perfectly conforming to stereotype that they didn't even know existed.

 

[John Trainer]

My first Pokemon game was Diamond! I went back and played the gen 1 remakes and they were really good but why try and keep Pokemon stationary why not allow it to branch out and flourish with new ideas. What do genwumners think of Alola forms?

 

[KronoxCryo]

My first Pokemon game was Diamond! I went back and played the gen 1 remakes and they were really good but why try and keep Pokemon stationary why not allow it to branch out and flourish with new ideas. What do genwumners think of Alola forms?

Depends on which, i stopped playing on gen IV and came back on ORAS,and i think alolan vulpix and sandshrew are awesome while exeggutor was innecesary.
The only thing i am complaining is that the pokedex keeps increasing so drastically that it bothers me having to catch all of previous regions just to get a shiny charm.

 

[SWMegaFan]

Depends on which, i stopped playing on gen IV and came back on ORAS,and i think alolan vulpix and sandshrew are awesome while exeggutor was innecesary.
The only thing i am complaining is that the pokedex keeps increasing so drastically that it bothers me having to catch all of previous regions just to get a shiny charm.

But this has always been the model for every new main series pokemon game. Every time a new generation of Pokémon games is released, there's always going to be a new batch of Pokémon to collect. The good thing is that you can transfer from the old games to the new games. The one downside though is that you will need to somehow obtain those Pokémon that you don't have anymore due to evolution many do them that you have are probably in their final evolutionary stage.

 

[Mr. Reloaded]

Genwunners are an outdated group of nostalgia bandwagoners who at worst did nothing more than aggravate people who don't know how to ignore.

Red/Blue are iconic yet greatly broken games, any sane person can tell you that.

There haven't been any real active genwunners since Black and White. (XY was surprisingly not all that bad) Sure some came back for GO, but keep in mind GO also brought back a plethora of people who haven't touched a game since 98. And for a short while too, because the community for GO has dropped tremendously since launch.

You might see one or two hipster users on Facebook trying to rag on Sun and Moon, those people are apart of a dead fad and are honestly no problem.

Genwunners are dead. And stay dead they shall.

 

[Sprinter1988]

Personally, I'm not a fan of genwunners, but I think this needs to be said:

I think that the "genwunner" situation was nowhere near as bad as people make out - half the actual problem is with people who don't know what the term "genwunner" actually means and use it as a term to bash anyone who doesn't like something new.

It's something I have experienced on multiple occasions, both here on these forums and elsewhere:
- I say I don't like Serena, therefore I'm a "genwunner."
- I say I don't like Ash-Greninja, therefore I'm a "genwunner."
- I say that the GTS is terrible, therefore I'm a "genwunner."
- I say my favourite pokemon is Charizard, therefore I'm a "genwunner."
- I say I don't like Popplio's design, therefore I'm a "genwunner."

Never mind that actually my favourite poke-girl is Dawn (not Misty as it would be if I were a "genwunner"), never mind that my favourite male companion is Clemont (not Brock as it would be if I were a "genwunner")
Never mind that despite my dislike for Ash-Greninja I still think the rest of his Kalos team is great and I love Goodra.
Never mind that I think the Wondertrade is one of the best innovations in the series as it gave rise to my favourite method of playing the games: the Wonderlocke.
Never mind that I only actually like Mega Charizard Y and am pretty sick of seeing Mega Charizard X everywhere.
Never mind that if I actually compiled a list of my favourite pokemon there would be ones from every generation on it, just with Charizard topping the list above the close second Espeon.
Never mind that I can't wait to get my hands on Pokemon Sun and use Rowlet, Lycanroc, Vikavolt, Mudsdale, Passimian, Alolan Marowak and that gorgeous Alolan Ninetales.

You say anything critical about something new and there's always the chance of some "newgenner" having a massive overreaction before dismissing you as a "genwunner."

 

[Opassa]

i played the series hardcore up until black/white but in recent years i've found myself only able to enjoy red/blue and to a lesser extent gold/silver; i don't really care if people like newer pokemon games and recognize they're not for me, but i'm disheartened that the increasing anti-"genwunner" rhetoric has made it near to impossible to discuss how much i appreciate the first games in most spaces without backlash

i get that the subculture of "muh nostalgia" charizard-tattoo dudebros or whatever are obnoxious, but i see pokemon as a series of individual video games with varying aesthetic appeal that happen to belong to the same franchise, and i personally just get a lot more out of red/blue than most video games in general

 

[Auraninja]

I think most genwunners nowadays are people posting rants on popular internet platforms (deviantart, tumblr, etc.) that don't realize that the 90's suck and that Voltorb is the least creative design for a Pokemon.

Although the people criticizing Smash 4 endlessly on gamefaqs are egregiously annoying. You think that these reactions would be reserved if Sakurai added Scrappy, Jar Jar Binks, and a weird version of Kraid were it was implied that he ate Ridley. Bad comedy aside, Sakurai's wikipedia page has became a hacking ground. Oh wait, that's still bad comedy.

 

[Locormus]

Genwunners are an outdated group of nostalgia bandwagoners who at worst did nothing more than aggravate people who don't know how to ignore.

Red/Blue are iconic yet greatly broken games, any sane person can tell you that.

There haven't been any real active genwunners since Black and White. (XY was surprisingly not all that bad) Sure some came back for GO, but keep in mind GO also brought back a plethora of people who haven't touched a game since 98. And for a short while too, because the community for GO has dropped tremendously since launch.

You might see one or two hipster users on Facebook trying to rag on Sun and Moon, those people are apart of a dead fad and are honestly no problem.

Genwunners are dead. And stay dead they shall.

Next on the list: Auraholics!

Another side of the problem is that people are apparently blaming GameFreak for catering to Genwunners with now the majority of the fully evolved GenI-pokémon having either a Mega Evolution - or an Alolan Form and RBY being able to be played through the Virtual Console and being able to send your RBY-team to Sun/Moon. Apparently people don't like GameFreak's choices and are pointing fingers at people that don't have a say in the matter - or even don't exist as a cohesive group anymore.

i played the series hardcore up until black/white but in recent years i've found myself only able to enjoy red/blue and to a lesser extent gold/silver; i don't really care if people like newer pokemon games and recognize they're not for me, but i'm disheartened that the increasing anti-"genwunner" rhetoric has made it near to impossible to discuss how much i appreciate the first games in most spaces without backlash.

i get that the subculture of "muh nostalgia" charizard-tattoo dudebros or whatever are obnoxious, but i see pokemon as a series of individual video games with varying aesthetic appeal that happen to belong to the same franchise, and i personally just get a lot more out of red/blue than most video games in general

There's nothing wrong with what you're doing. Like what Mr. Reloaded is saying. Red, Blue and Yellow are iconic and broken. But they're also short and simple games compared to DPt and BW, where I feel as if you need to go through hours and hours of tutorials before you're let out of the gate on your own.

I would probably want to play White, White2 and Y again, but the hassle of sending over pokémon in order for me to not lose them is just too much. I don't have that problem with Red, Yellow and Crystal, which I replay all the time simply because it takes me just a relative short while to complete the game - which allows me to experience the game again with a new team each time. Fun fact, during my current playthrough of Yellow, I'm using a combination of Exeggutor, Cloyster and Arcanine for the first time. And during the same playthrough I've encountered all traditional rare Safari Zone pokémon in one entry: Dratini, Dragonair, Chansey, Tauros, Kangaskhan, Scyther, Pinsir <- This doesn't happen often!. I've been playing that game since 1999.. Still getting new experiences!

GenII is generally the same story.. Within 30 minutes, I'm generally arriving at Goldenrod City with a middle stage starter and two interesting captures. It's just that the distribution from that point on gets kinda wonky for me where it forces me to make choices like: Stantler... or Tauros... while there's a whole bunch of pokémon that I like that don't appear in the initial Johto-arc: Houndour being the worst offender. But in terms of playing time, its miles better then DP where it takes me at least four hours to get to Veilstone City.. Considering the amounts of story in the beginning and the levels you need to grow in the meantime and the distance you need to traverse. What DP does have is a good amount of pokémon to get in that meantime (Platinum moreso), which in general makes DPt my third favorite generation.

 

[Auraninja]

i played the series hardcore up until black/white but in recent years i've found myself only able to enjoy red/blue and to a lesser extent gold/silver; i don't really care if people like newer pokemon games and recognize they're not for me, but i'm disheartened that the increasing anti-"genwunner" rhetoric has made it near to impossible to discuss how much i appreciate the first games in most spaces without backlash

The term "genwunner" is not a badge of pride. I would like to say that not all Gen I only enthusiasts are what I consider genwunners.

The friend I have who only liked Generation I to a t was also one of the least provocative people I know.

Also, consider these two phrases:
I only cared for Pokemon Red and Blue.
Only the original 150 Pokemon were creative.

The first one is just an opinion. The second phrase is more provocative. You can make it worse by saying that anyone who isn't a genwunner isn't a Pokemon fan. It's the "my opinions are facts" concept that annoys me.

 

[yuoke]

The genwunners were the worst right before and right when BW first came out. It was mostly all because of vanilite and trubbish. For whatever reason a pokemon cleverly designed as a icicle that looks like a ice cream....and yes a garbage bag were the most offensive and horrible things gamefreak ever created in the franchise.
This eventually gained steam and somehow people that havent played pokemon since gen 1 or 2 saw this and basically became a broken record of "omg there is actually a ****ing ice cream and ****ing garbage bag pokemon now hurrdurr, gamefreak completely ran out of ideas and pokemon is dead." Then that is how gen 5 got the worst reputation in terms of its pokedex.

 

[Muddy120]

People need to stop this genwunner thing already. Gen 1 is still my fav games and generation and I love the newer games just as much. Yes we should hate negative gen 1 fanboys, but why not just call them that rather than all gen 1 fans Gen wunners? Just say we don't like gen 1 FANBOYS not regular and reasonable fans who love gen 1 the most.

I think most genwunners nowadays are people posting rants on popular internet platforms (deviantart, tumblr, etc.) that don't realize that the 90's suck and that Voltorb is the least creative design for a Pokemon.

Although the people criticizing Smash 4 endlessly on gamefaqs are egregiously annoying. You think that these reactions would be reserved if Sakurai added Scrappy, Jar Jar Binks, and a weird version of Kraid were it was implied that he ate Ridley. Bad comedy aside, Sakurai's wikipedia page has became a hacking ground. Oh wait, that's still bad comedy.

I like voltorb and think his design is humorous and not meant to be taken so seriously. And Smash 4 is a great game, ignore gamefaqs.

 

[yuoke]

People need to stop this genwunner thing already. Gen 1 is still my fav games and generation and I love the newer games just as much. Yes we should hate negative gen 1 fanboys, but why not just call them that rather than all gen 1 fans Gen wunners? Just say we don't like gen 1 FANBOYS not regular and reasonable fans who love gen 1 the most.



I like voltorb and think his design is humorous and not meant to be taken so seriously. And Smash 4 is a great game, ignore gamefaqs.

Well I don't have any problem calling people genwunners if they say something on the level of "gamefreak ran out of ideas" or that nothing exists at all after gen 1.

 

[KronoxCryo]

Well I don't have any problem calling people genwunners if they say something on the level of "gamefreak ran out of ideas" or that nothing exists at all after gen 1.

With the exception that they havent,the just havent implemented a lot of good ones.

 

[yuoke]

With the exception that they havent,the just havent implemented a lot of good ones.

Uh...except yea they have?

 

[AceTrainerBen]

I don't use the phrase often, but as we havn't got anything nearly as catchy or popular. When I do use the term, I consider a genwunner to be anyone who's overly negative, views everything pokemon related through their nostalgia goggles, or unfairly claims gamefreak have run out of ideas.

I don't include everyone who is a gen 1 fan, or people who are pleasant with their criticisms or preferences. Just those overly critical, anti progress, anti innovation, pepperidge farm loving Mother******s. Who as far as I'm aware, can be from many generation.