Since joining PJN I’ve had all of these mad ideas flowing through my mind, but then a sane, coherent, and utterly ingenious concept reared its ugly head. I’ve thought of a new series so completely logical it’s made my inner psycho shiver with disgust. My idea consists of highlighting the things I dislike in Pokémon. It makes a ridiculous amount of sense; I mean what could possibly go wrong?
Ok seriously this could go either way, and it will no doubt cause some controversy. However, I’d like to point out I do in fact love the franchise with a passion (obviously), and my dislikes (not ‘hating’) will be backed up with solid reasons. The topics I discuss won’t solely be about the games; it will be anything Pokémon. This week keeping with the ‘Gen 1’ theme I will be talking about an infamous group of people within the fandom known as the ‘Genwunners’.
“Biggest trolls in the fandom”
Now I’m not talking about people who just prefer Gen 1 over the others, as they’re great games and there are good reasons as to why people might prefer them. No I’m talking about people who say Gen 1 is the best but slate the rest of the series with little to no reason backing up their opinion. Yes I get that everyone is entitled to an opinion, but when someone is blinded by nostalgia and is defaming a series they supposedly love without any understandable or sincere reason then they’re a Genwunner.
This group of people are never happy and some become the biggest trolls in the fandom (although they’re not real fans if they constantly spurt hatred towards everything new they see in Pokémon). With each new generation they get more tiresome and repetitive, so much so that I’ll list some examples I expect most people have heard and my response to them:
Comment: ‘WTF? An ice cream Pokémon!? They’re really running out of ideas…’ – This is one of the most common jibes I see and it’s been around for a long time (although most now highlight the Vanillite line as their so called ‘evidence’). This comment is usually followed by people claiming how the series has lost originality and that Gen 1 Pokémon are the only good designs.
Response: Ok so you dislike one Pokémon and suddenly it means they’ve run out of ideas and the WHOLE generation sucks? Every generation has the odd weird/lazy design for example Voltorb and Seel. For every ice cream there’s an awesome eagle like Braviary. Besides people like different things, just because you don’t doesn’t mean others don’t either, so get over it.
Comment: ‘WTF? A rubbish bag!? Inanimate objects shouldn’t be Pokémon…’ – Another common complaint is Pokémon based on non living things. Chandelure and Garbordor are two which have garnered a lot of negative attention the past gen; apparently they should all be animals or insects.
Response: Ok explain Magnemite and Geodude to me. You can’t? Well there’s a surprise.
Comment: ‘Pokémon have become too complex’ and ‘Garbordor is such an awful design…’ – Garbordor can be replaced with other Pokémon but he’s been given a lot of hate this past gen. People have also complained about newer Pokémon being too complicated looking and miss the ‘simplicity’ of the original 151.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FopyRHHlt3M
Response: Yes Garbordor looks crap but that’s the actual point. He’s meant to look awful and unappealing because he’s a heap of rubbish. The idea for the design is great for a poison Pokémon because waste can give diseases etc. It’s more imaginative than Muk even if I think Muk looks cooler (in my opinion). Designs should not always be judged on looks alone, look behind them for the real meanings. Sometimes the best and most creative ones are the least appreciated.
As for complexity, surely the added detail makes Pokémon look better if anything? Besides every generation has simple and complex Pokémon. Gen 1 has Pokémon like Venusaur, Machamp and Kangaskhan all of which are very detailed. Yet in Gen 5 we see Pokémon as simple as Beartic, Swanna and Musharna. As I said before, one Pokémon does not represent a generation. Also if Pokémon are ‘meant’ to be based on animals and insects, then surely more complexity would be better seeing as how detailed the real life counterparts are?
Comment: ‘Pokémon is always the same, nothing changes, they’re milking it like COD…’ – This one isn’t exactly a Genwunner problem, but it’s a common complaint I see pop up on gaming sites made by people who are obviously unacquainted with the modern versions of the game. Also it’s not about the actual Pokémon this time so I thought I’d throw it into the mix. The premise of this dig comes from the fact that because Pokémon has maintained its winning formula (which has helped Nintendo sell an approximate 50 bazillion copies of the Pokémon main series), it is therefore not making any changes to it and are just reselling the same game with a new coat of paint.
“Every gaming franchise has a successful formula which they stick to”
Response: Right I’m guessing this has to do with 3 main areas which are: gym/elite 4/champion journey, turn based battling and sprites. First off sprites are no more, so that’s no longer a valid complaint (although now people will say they miss Pokémon’s retro look as it was part of its appeal). Secondly the turn based battling is part of Pokémon’s blood. You cannot change the genre of a main series because it would become a completely different game. Every gaming franchise has a successful formula which they stick to. The reason spin offs exist is so developers can take risks and change things. Anyway the battling has evolved greatly with the introduction of physical/special categories and IVs and EVs.
Finally for the 8 badges-Elite 4-Champion journey, I do think they could shake it up a little, but they can’t really change it too much as the whole point of Pokémon is to become the best trainer the world has ever seen. As for everything else in the main series, it has all evolved a lot but you’d have to play the latest games to see it. The core concepts may be familiar, but changing it too much could make them lose their appeal and make them seem more like spin offs than main entries.
Final Thoughts: There will always be Genwunners no matter how good or different the newer games are. We must just ignore and pity them for not being able to enjoy the awesomeness this franchise still brings. For now however, I’d like to hear from you lot. Do you agree with my responses and what would you say instead? Are there any Genwunners here who would like to counter comment? Please discuss below! 🙂
I’m really glad that GF don’t listen to every advice they get. Even here in the comments “GF should have rule against man-made thing Pokémon” or “NO FOOD POKÉMON!”… I know, everyone has an opinion, but if GF would listen to all of them, we would have no Pokémon at all. I really like all Pokémon and everyone should accept that there are people with different tastes, so a Pokémon you don’t like may please your neighbour.
I think the idea is that Pokémon came first then Man saw Pokémon and created things in their likeness.. like for example say the Ice Cream Pokémon, Well That was there Before Ice Cream was even created in the Pokémon Universe.. The humans there just decided to create something that looked similar to it so they made Ice Cream after they were inspired by the creature
Its a Really basic idea and they will not stop doing things like this so I really don’t understand why people seem to just not get this
What a lovely way of explaining Vanillite! ^-^
Is Pokejungle still doing the post your article thing, or is it scrapped?
Do you mean reader articles? I’ll find out 🙂
Yes, there were supposed to be that kind of thing, where we can post our articles to PJ and he may end up posting them at the main site.
Yes I remember! I’m not sure what happened with that, but I’ll make sure it gets done 🙂
I think that some people are actually natural genwunners.
They no longer play the games and so the Pokémon in there don’t grow up on them.
When you find out something new you need to get used to it.
Of course if you don’t take that time, your first impression (a really bad one) will be the only one considered.
Plus the age of the genwunners is already above the 20s. That means that they are no longer the target of GF, and feeling that only the 2000 kids, those stupid, noisy kids are the new target, they feel kind of disappointed.
I should say that I don’t know any gen 1 genwunner, but I know of people who amplify the genwunnerness till gen 2
I think I will enjoy these series of posts. I myself claim to love the Pokemon franchise but I don’t like everything about it. I do eventually come to like Pokemon, but that takes time. It was only a few months ago that I began to appreciate Snivy’s design.
Anyone see this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuJhP2QbE-A
Can I just say that this is a REALLY good commercial!!!!
That’s a good commercial. The pokemons in it reminds me of a lot Pokken sprites or the unknown Tekken-like Pokemon game . Wonder if it will be used for it. Hmmmm.
I like how epic it portrays everything as, with some amazing scenery in the background. I don’t think there was a single commercial for a pokemon that portrayed it in such an epic manner.
I think the backrounds represent what places in Kalos region in real life look like. XD I mean maybe they hint to have that kind of places ingame.
You are getting me even more hyped by saying that xD
Good commercial but the first guy lipsyncing…
I can’t call that lipsync because it doesn’t even sync.
I just payed attention to the scenery in the background, the music and the pokemon.
I’m glad they’re advertising to a slightly older demographic; makes me feel less in adequately old!
Everyone in the comments section on youtube seem to be 20 and over. I’m 23 and am super hyped xD.
I’m 15 😀
http://i.imgur.com/Xj8aXWP.gif
Haha that’s a great GIF XD Xerneas’s reaction says it all.
There is pretty much no way to change the formula of the game without making it look like a spinoff. Even if they started the next gen with a game in the style of Colosseum/XD where it’s still the same battling/RPG style, just not 8 Gyms/E4/Champion, people would be taken way off guard and would not accept it. It wouldn’t be taken as a true generation until it had the formulaic game we had to start every generation. And if the generation doesn’t start with games like what we have but has them later, it will simply be considered a spinoff. In a way, they’re stuck.
The only thing I think they could do is putting in some kind of branching path storyline, where you could wind up leading the villainous team instead of defeating them, and possibly a few stages inbetween, such as simply letting them win and living in the world they make. Mixes things up but still works within the realm of the standard formula.
Those hating on genwunners are more vocal and numerous than actual genwunners.
Anyone who tries to list legitimate criticism or opinions on games are flamed and called “gennwunnr!!1!” shutting down any real conversations.
Seriously, look at posts objectively, and there’s far less ‘actual’ genwunners than there are people complaining and calling others a genwunner.
I’ll have an intelligent discussion with anyone, and I LOVE hearing why people choose one gen as their favourite over another. It’s fun to experience different opinions, and the gen someone started with won’t always be their fave. For example, I came in on Yellow but my fave game is Platinum. …That said, the only correct response to:
‘Wah all the new pokemon SUCK they’re so unoriginal GF is running out of ideas pokemon hasn’t been good since GS’
is:
‘You’re blocked. Buh-bye.’ *ignores*
Life’s too short for trolls.
I think the tendency to grouse about things being better at some arbitrary point in the past and then having gone all downhill from there is awful, and people that invoke that logical fallacy are idiots. Besides, seldom does anyone that says “THINGS WERE BETTER IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS” make any attempt to prove it.
Some of us get called “Genwunners” for no reason though.
I personally loved Gen 1 and Gen 2, but then disliked gen 3 and 4.
This means that from 2003 to 2011 i was considered a “hater” or a “Genwunner” simply because i disliked the “feeling” those 2 generations had.
And so, i was hated and down-voted pretty much every time i commented something and nailed to the cross with the rest of “Genwunners” for all those years.
Yet, i have so far loved Gen 5 and Gen 6 which proves my problem was not nostalgia or being a “gen 1” fanboy as many labeled me for so many years.
You, my friend, just explained to me how to change my genwunner friend.
In all honesty, there will never be anything that pleases everyone ever. You have too many people that are all diverse and have different tastes. While it may sound pessimistic, no one can please everyone, it’s not possible.
Regardless, Game Freak is outdoing itself every time they make a new Pokémon game. Some people don’t believe that, they have a right to. But I do.
However, there is no way you can say that Generation 1 had the best games unless the decision has been affected in some way by nostalgia. They were the worst Pokémon games, and that’s not even an opinion. They were bugged beyond comprehension, the Pokémon were often just animals with bells and whistles tacked on, and the quality of the games were just BAD. Generation 1 doesn’t even BEGIN to challenge the polished mechanics, content, and regions that the newer Generations brought to the table. You can like them the most, sure, but favorite == best.
No Generation is incoherently awful, they have their merits. But think about it, how does Generation 1 really compare?
With all honest, genwunners are the people that pretty much the people that are saying that all of the hard work put into the new games, (which are much better the the gen 1 games), are meaningless because it wasn’t for there precious gen 1 games. To be honest all you genwunners are being pathetic and selfish. Want to know why they make the new games, they do it to impress the fans that held there console back in the day and to the new comers that have only just started the game, that is what every game developer wants, they want the game to be popular so the fans can enjoy it. If you cant except that the games are moving on to people who want new content and that want the game to get better, then you are NOT true pokemon fans! End of.
Play the game how you want to play it. Personally I like to use pokemon from all generations of games, but if I thought that gen1 pokemon were better for any reason I would use them.
This discussion has been around forever. You have to understand that some of us have been playing the game since generation one. And the generation one people, such as myself, also have to give respect to the new pokemon players and creations. If you don’t like the new games, don’t play it. You don’t have an obligation to buy the next game in the series.
A lot of people take this game very seriously. Too seriously in fact. There have always been fights abouts dvs and evs in generation 1. Then in generation III the fight switched over to ivs and evs. Question about how we should breed our pokemon, if ivs perfect spreads were legit. If it was fair to use those pokemon in competitions….But really we are missing the whole point.
Pokemon was originally a child’s game meant for kids to have fun. As a kid, I played the game. However, I got older and I still played the game. The graphics changed and the creators created new types such as the fairy and steel/dark types, but I still played the game. The point is we have lost focus on what pokemon really is.
I have collected every pokemon game from the main series, even the green version from Japan. I know I am addicted to the pokemon series, but I have reached a point in my life where I respect everyone’s opinion on what they think is the best pokemon. If a person wants to use all level 100s from gen1 in a tournament let them. Yeah, stealth rock the charizard and moltres. Show blastoise who is boss by using Groudon with Drought/solar beam. The point is that let’s have fun either way.
Yeah muk might look like a blob, garbadoar might look like a pile of garbage, and rotom might just look like a lawn mower in grass form. Genwunners, just take a quick laugh at rotom, and try to defeat it as best as you can. New pokemon guys, just laugh and smile at muk, and just respect the genwunners as much as possible. Truly, there not too many of them out there. And it is cool to meet someone who has played since gen1, but it is also cool to meet someone who hasn’t played the game until now.
All in all lets just be friends, settle our differences, have a quick match at pokemon, laugh about it, and move on. 🙂
Genwunners really suck ass.