Whenever I get out my DS basically anywhere I go, people ask me; 'what are you playing?', to which I casually respond 'Pokemon.'. This is usally met by outbursts of 'Wow, you're such a faggot!', 'Why the fuck are you playing that kids game?', and 'I'm never talking to you again.' I almost understand their position, but then I just shake my head and chuckle to myself. Every time I load up that cart on my DS, I get that feeling of nostalgia from when I was younger. Waiting for my mom to get out of the store while I waitied in the car, walking around with my mom in the mall, etc. I sink a lot of time into those games, and I love every minute of it.



One of the main reasons that I continue to play pokemon, not only because one of my other favorite series' from when I was a child (Final Fantasy) has been sucking in recent years, but for the strategy. Yes, I said strategy. Pokemon has one of the best turn-based combat systems out there, having pretty much every move type and status that you an think of, and they're all executed by cute little critters that you just can't ever get enough of! Also, what better way to cut your teeth for bigger, better RPGs? Pokemon teaches you the concepts and strategies for harder and more complex games that just throw the system at you. I'm pretty sure that I'm a better gamer because pokemon trained me for the more technical games.

I also continue to play pokemon because it's so damn portable. You can train your pokemon with little to no time while your waiting for class to start, the train, the bus, your friend to pick you up on the way to do something, etc. So I don't get why it's so 'childish' to play it. I guess the people that don't play pokemon just don't appreciate the simplicity and wholesome nature of the game. It's simple, fun, and steamlined. Dosen't that make a REALLY good game?



tl;dr, I'm still going to play pokemon. You can make fun of me and call me immature, but I'll just laugh and melt something's face off with Hyper Beam.