Why do you play Pokemon?

[Ignika]

Lmao I don't too much anymore but when I do it's partly because I'm a fickle bastard stuck in the past, and partly to see if I enjoy it at all better.

[Lumino Lucario]

When I have spare time

[EliJolesy]

I grew up around boys and this is all they played, so when I was 7 I asked Santa Clause for a Pokemon Game and I got Gold. Its the only game I play literally to this day. Why? I don't know really.

[Nephilim]

I was the first person to like the games in my elementary school, and ever since I started playing Blue version it's just been so natural to me. Granted, the appeal of the gen5 stuff doesn't entice me to play the black or white versions, but I'm still stompin' around on my Soul Silver.

[Nemmeh]

I've always been a really big fan of RPGs (dating back to The Elder Scrolls: Arena, The first few Final Fantasies, Breath of Fire, The Legend of Zelda, Secrets of Mana, ect) so it was a natural fit. Not only is it a really fun and addictive RPG, but it is very custom; by that I mean, you have 649 pokemon from which to make a party of six and, for each of those six, you choose four moves out of their entire movepool for their moveset. It can be played in so many ways. That really appeals to me. Factor in the fact that I was 9-10 years old when Pokemon came out here in The States, and you have someone who is tailor-made for Pokemon. I still play because not only do I still love RPGs, but I will always find a pokemon in the new gens that I like. I also like how they continually upgrade the series. It really makes me wonder how they are going to "up the ante" in the sixth generation.

Plus, it is a good break from all the survival horrors...

[PowerMiner]

I don't know, sometimes the games feel a little boring/repetitive and I wonder why I'm playing it, but it's enough, really. It's often fun, and the boringness is usually from WILD POKEMON ENCOUNTERED RATTATA/LILLIPUP/ZIGZAGOON/POOCHYENA/BIDOOF. That or constant battling which can get kind of dull. But it's a fun series, which I plan on continuing to get games of. (The main series ones anyway.)

[sizida]

It is the easiest game I can pick up and learn to me.

And I love to breed!

[wastebasketman12]

I like how each pokemon has its own characteristics.
To that point, I love to collect!

[Alli]

I started by getting Pokémon cards. I remember that it was real cool, since my brother and I were the first in our town to get them, because a friend of our mom worked for the import company. I also saw the first ever Pokémon episode aired on television here, and a few weeks later I got Red Version, and since then I've been a fan of the games.

[Shinedown Gracer Abusoru Zoroāku]

Well... why do I play Pokémon? Why am I here? Well, Pokémon seems to be my best hobby, as I happen to play too much of it, but it all started in 1rst grade when mom got some random Old Pokémon crap... I knew I would have the time of my life exploring the world of Pokémon.

Then, my real journeys began several years later. I think I either started with Silver, or Diamond. I'm not sure anymore <.>

[Dragoniss]

Hmm...why do I still play Pokemon... a lot of reasons...mostly cheesy ones...

One of them is because even though i'm turning 21, I still meet a lot of great people who also play Pokemon. Its something that I can talk about with people, share a common interest with. Plus a lot of the fanbase is really nice and fun to hang around with and talk to, especially the people my age.
Pokemon was my childhood, so I have really deep emotional ties with it as well. I keep looking back and seeing how much its grown and expanded. Plus its one of the only series that I play that hasn't been screwed up. Unlike Sonic the Hedgehog.
I also play pokemon, most notably red and blue, because I can so easily get lost in the game. I can picture myself in reds shoes, walking around the Kanto region. I can picture myself making my way through the elite four and squaring off with Green. I can't get as lost in the new games because the story holds me back a tad bit, but overall I still get that feeling of freedom and exploration. And I still have the ability to make a team of whatever I want. I don't have someone telling me what to do, or having to go down a linear path. I can have whatever Pokemon I want, grind how I want, and play how I want.
I also like the challenges it brings. I STILL have yet to run into 1 wild shiny Pokemon, and I will keep working on that till I do. I also want to get my team to 100. Be able to do the impossible. Catch all of them.

All in all, the reason I like Pokemon is the people, the worlds, the adventures, and just being able to loose myself. Let all my stress melt away and just have a good time. No other game really brings me as much joy as Pokemon does.

[card986]

I play pokemon because it relaxes me. Its one of those games i rage on very few times. Overall there are more good times then bad.

[jstinftw!]

Why do I still play Pokemon?

I think this is the most interesting question to ask any Pokemon fan that has been around for more than 2 years. A long time ago, Pokemon was a children’s game, and it was very difficult to convince anyone who was skeptic of it otherwise. So what could convince a person to continue playing Pokemon even when everyone was calling it a kid’s game? Seeing in-depth answers to this question are really interesting for me to read/hear. I love it.

Anyways. Personally, there are a couple of factors as to why I still play Pokemon. A fan of over a decade, I never actually put Pokemon down, playing since Gold and Silver were first released in the US. Besides the hype of the series at the time, what really sold me on Pokemon was the idea, and customizability of Pokemon.

I luckily have enjoyed drawing and writing since I was a kid, so I was always able to think up of teams, and imaginary situations and stories to put myself in. I played with the toys, supplementing Pokemon I didn’t have with other toys and pretending. As I grew older, the imagination and customization part of Pokemon has stuck with me, and, at times, was the saving grace of my love of Pokemon. Thinking of new teams, drawing them, writing stories about other teams, or even people in the games; all of that gets me super excited about Pokemon.

The actual adventure of the video games is also a big reason I kept playing. I loved going around, exploring the region, treating it like I was just some random trainer in the game and just wanted to go around and talk, battle, etc. Seeing improvements each game also increased my drive to play and explore the game. It’s a fun little role playing moment.

And for the longest time, that is what kept me into Pokemon. However, when Black and White were released in the US, I started doing new things.

I started listening to Pokemon–themed podcasts, which helped me start trying to branch out into an actual community and try to communicate with other Pokemon fans.

I started getting into Competitive Battling, which also worked with community, as I made friends who were into battling, and being knowledgeable of those aspects. Finding out the Pokemon Company International actually had a real-life tournament, the VGCs, yearly also helped me really dive into Pokemon battling. I wanted to be competitive with other trainers in the world, ones that went around the US and tried to win actual prizes. Even if I couldn’t go, I wanted to be capable, like a small-town trainer would want to in real life. Competitive Battling helped me feel like I was actually a Pokemon trainer, as opposed to role-playing as a Pokemon trainer.

So I guess you could say that the social interaction and community part of Pokemon is what keeps me playing today. I would still keep playing even if I didn’t get into the community thing, but it’s got me firmly supplanted now. I love the idea of having friends in real life and around the world who play Pokemon with me, who I can bounce competitive ideas off of or fanboy about certain aspects. Things like medals, and Join Avenue are also really exciting for me. The Wi-Fi Tournaments are a really big factor as well; I can’t participate in those real life tournaments that Pokemon officially holds, so these Wi-Fi ones are the closest I can get to testing my skill and seeing it officially posted are the next best thing.

TLDR; what keeps me playing Pokemon is that fact that it is as much an introvert gaming experience as it is a social gaming experience.

[Lucario95]

I learn many things thanks to Pokemon, thats why Pokemon is a big part of my childhood.