So call me on this one because I don't think it's even strictly limited to Pokemon. I don't think, with regards to a Single Player game, that you need to purchase or play the game through to be able to make critical statements of it, especially in cases like Pokemon where the foundation and systems are built on something extremely familiar (due to emulating other games or being iterative sequels to entries one has played). I'll be contextualizing this through Pokemon but know that I hold this position for a lot of other franchises as well when they receive new entries.
A lot of time whenever I see criticism of a Pokemon game come up with significant frequency, responses that happen a decent amount include "if you don't like it, just don't buy it" as well as "you haven't even played it/it's not even out yet". The former gives the impression that even if your criticisms are true, then the extent of your action should be to abstain from purchase rather than voice your criticism, while the latter disregards exposure through marketing, content creators, or even comparison to something known. I also notice this tends to happen when the criticism is negative, but it's much less common to see people advising other randoms on the internet to reign in their hype if they start expecting the moon, despite precedent that that can be equally troublesome for a game's reception in some ways.
I think if anything this is damaging to the brand, because disregarding or minimizing issues reduces the concern or motivation to address them, whether or not they need to be "fixed" or simply noted and responded to. The performance issues in Gen 6 were given some pass because it was the main team's first outing with 3D on the 3DS, but we're now on the 2nd Switch Gen as the earliest to see those performance issues ironed out (considering Pokemon's visuals should not be so consistently taxing). Dexit was a PR nightmare where either side of the aisle was moreso shouting at the other than considering or responding to points made (valid or invalid) about what was always going to be a dicey topic. I also feel painting that criticism as unreasonable didn't help with getting any kind of response or address to it, and one way or another, I find it looks a bit silly for both parties since close to 90% of the Dex is in SwSh as of the DLC updates almost to the degree of being a selling point for them, as several predictions went even before the base games were out.
I think an important reality is that Pokemon fans want to play the games and have a good time, whether amongst themselves or with friends, but that doesn't mean the games provide that to them simply by existing and being purchased. If players observe issues with new Pokemon titles, they don't necessarily have to buy into it, but their criticism is still worth considering in those cases because they are still consumers who were turned away by changes and may want to come back if things improve. I don't buy/accept the "Pokemon is a Kids IP" justification with regards to adult player criticism, because the existence of events like VGC, spin-offs like Unite and Masters, Multimedia like the Card Game, and a swathe of nostalgic references across all of them seem very much designed to keep some Adult audience on-board alongside other media making their income off the younger demographic.
A lot of time whenever I see criticism of a Pokemon game come up with significant frequency, responses that happen a decent amount include "if you don't like it, just don't buy it" as well as "you haven't even played it/it's not even out yet". The former gives the impression that even if your criticisms are true, then the extent of your action should be to abstain from purchase rather than voice your criticism, while the latter disregards exposure through marketing, content creators, or even comparison to something known. I also notice this tends to happen when the criticism is negative, but it's much less common to see people advising other randoms on the internet to reign in their hype if they start expecting the moon, despite precedent that that can be equally troublesome for a game's reception in some ways.
I think if anything this is damaging to the brand, because disregarding or minimizing issues reduces the concern or motivation to address them, whether or not they need to be "fixed" or simply noted and responded to. The performance issues in Gen 6 were given some pass because it was the main team's first outing with 3D on the 3DS, but we're now on the 2nd Switch Gen as the earliest to see those performance issues ironed out (considering Pokemon's visuals should not be so consistently taxing). Dexit was a PR nightmare where either side of the aisle was moreso shouting at the other than considering or responding to points made (valid or invalid) about what was always going to be a dicey topic. I also feel painting that criticism as unreasonable didn't help with getting any kind of response or address to it, and one way or another, I find it looks a bit silly for both parties since close to 90% of the Dex is in SwSh as of the DLC updates almost to the degree of being a selling point for them, as several predictions went even before the base games were out.
I think an important reality is that Pokemon fans want to play the games and have a good time, whether amongst themselves or with friends, but that doesn't mean the games provide that to them simply by existing and being purchased. If players observe issues with new Pokemon titles, they don't necessarily have to buy into it, but their criticism is still worth considering in those cases because they are still consumers who were turned away by changes and may want to come back if things improve. I don't buy/accept the "Pokemon is a Kids IP" justification with regards to adult player criticism, because the existence of events like VGC, spin-offs like Unite and Masters, Multimedia like the Card Game, and a swathe of nostalgic references across all of them seem very much designed to keep some Adult audience on-board alongside other media making their income off the younger demographic.
It's less the unpopularity of opinion and more that your posts have kind of haphazardly popped up in several places rather than simply asking in one place "where can I ask about/play games in a certain manner?"
Last edited:
