Can we put the "Monsters" back in PokeMon please?

Originally Posted by xbriannova
It's scary enough that some pokemons can actually kill you without effort... And kids are catching them to force those animals to fight each other. In retrospect, the idea of the pokemon is actually quite dark, dystopian and rather sci-fi.



See? Over time we (royal historically we) took Grimm's fairy tales and softened them down to offhand warnings. We should be taking these Poke critters and turning them into something Clive Barker would be proud to call a pet.

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Fairly off-topic here, but this has been done (before Pokemon, even). For non-gamers' edification, the Shin Megami Tensei series started off as a dystopian RPG series based on a Japanese Horror novella (translated unofficially). It's pretty much an R-Rated version of Pokemon and the monsters in it range from kick-ass, to frightening, to phallic, to totally adorable. It has sub-franchises that are more geared towards younger gamers (Devil Children, Persona, Devil Summoner) but the core series has always been dystopian/apocalyptic/cyberpunk-ish and takes place in contemporary settings.

If you like RPGs and Horror, it's a good series to check out. The second game in the series (but the one that truly started off the franchise) is on iOS for like $9. It's dated, but fun. You talk/bribe/persuade demons into joining you rather than capturing them. The games are highly morality-based and philosophical as well, and could be good fodder for brainstorming story ideas.

Some of them actually are creepy- there's one, I think it might be Driftloon, that lures children away and they are never seen again. There's one that wears the defleshed skull of its deceased mother. Another one is a mask that used to be a human soul and it weeps continuously at the memory that it was once human.

(I have two sons and my husband also plays Pokemon. I know all about the Pokemans )

I think the Ultra Beasts in the latest Pokemon Sun & Moon are pretty... Odd and could even be considered creepy.

Also, read most of the Pokedex entries. They are quite mature most of the time.

Although Pokemon is aimed at everyone, the older generation gets to catch jokes or what something REALLY means over the younger generation.

JJ Litke said:

How do you know it's not social if you haven't played it?

I'm sure plenty of people manage to ignore the interactive aspects. But in my experience, I've chatted briefly with people at my local park while we were playing, my daughter has a group of friends that goes out to play together, and someone else I know went on a Pokemon Go tour deal, like a party bus going to different locations.

If people aren't using it in a healthy way, it's not the game's fault. The possibilities are there.

And I really don't get why so many people are eager to vilify a game that makes you get out of your house and walk around. Isn't that resolving one of the things people complained was a problem with video games?

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No, it's the people's fault, but it's the people's fault when LSD makes them do crazy things, too, but I don't pass out LSD in the local park.

Jamesaritchie said:

I ignore people who get hooked on such things. I prefer adults who use their brains for something more important, such as playing with garbage, or stomping in mud puddles. What terrifies me is that these same people are allowed to vote, and to reproduce.

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This world is a terrible place with all these people having the sort of fun that doesn't involve killing things IRL.