I want to begin with a little aside – I love the double meaning of the phrase “the power that’s inside.”  On the one hand, it can be understood in the same sense as another phrase Pokémon quite likes, “the power that’s in your hand,” referring to the fact that Pokémon trainers quite literally hold incredible power in their hands, inside their Pokéballs, while on the other, of course, in the context of the line itself it can be taken to refer to a Pokémon’s inner potential, which it is a trainer’s job to nurture and hone.  It’s the latter of these meanings that I really want to talk about today, though, with particular reference to some of my old favourite subjects: the ethics of Pokémon training, and the mutually beneficial aspects of the relationship between humans and Pokémon.

What do Pokémon get out of being with humans anyway?

Continue reading “If I Were In Charge: Teach Pokémon to understand the power that’s inside” →

(It is rapidly becoming clear to me that many entries in this series are going to be prohibitively long.  You have been warned.)

As we travel across the land, searching far and wide, players of the Pokémon games have always had to deal with a set of annoying little restrictions – the need for ‘hidden’ moves that help us navigate through the overworld.  These moves can be taught to compatible Pokémon using Hidden Machines, HMs, and once learned cannot be forgotten except with the aid of a specialist move deleter.  They are also, for the most part, absolutely terrible.  Let’s look at their history.

Continue reading “If I Were In Charge: I will travel across the land, searching far and wide” →

Gotta catch ‘em all.

As we discussed last time, the phrase doesn’t get used so much these days, but in the early years of the franchise it was quite liberally plastered all over everything Pokémon-related, and it still strikes a chord today with ex-fans from the first two generations.  Interviews with the creator, Satoshi Tajiri, suggest that the whole idea of Pokémon had its conceptual roots in the hobby of insect collecting, a hobby which is becoming increasingly impractical in the real world as Japan (along with just about everywhere else) becomes more and more urbanised with every passing year.  This makes the significance of the catchphrase readily apparent; an important part of Pokémon’s ‘mission,’ as it were, is to encourage players to explore and understand the diversity of life.  Even though the words themselves have lost their central position, their legacy and the impact they have on the philosophy of the games is still important, so let’s talk about that.  How does “gotta catch ‘em all” still shape the way Pokémon works?

Continue reading “If I Were In Charge: To catch them is my real test; to train them is my cause” →

So what are these games about, anyway?

We want to be the very best, of course!  You know, like no-one ever was!  Become Pokémon Masters!

…right?

What… what is a Pokémon Master, anyway?  How do you become one?  Why does everyone want to?  What are we doing with our lives?

The title is much more prominent in the anime, where Ash’s explicit goal in life, which he states with some regularity, is to become a Pokémon Master, but the games occasionally use it too.  Lance, for instance, grudgingly acknowledges the player as a Pokémon Master when defeated at the end of Red and Blue.  The implication is that one attains the title, in its most strictly literal sense, by defeating the Elite Four, whether or not one actually becomes Champion by this act (in Red and Blue you don’t – at least, not immediately – since your charming rival got there first).  Maybe, although there can only be one Champion at a time, anyone who has ever qualified to challenge a sitting Champion is considered a Pokémon Master?  This is all academic, though.  The important point to recognise is that, whether you’re aiming to become a Pokémon Master or the Champion, or obtain all the badges, or work up an awesome winning streak on the Battle Subway, or whatever, it’s always about battling and being the very best, like no one ever was.  Yes, I’m going to keep saying that.  In fact, it’s actually quite an appropriate phrase for the degree of power players seem to obtain in the games, much more so than it is for the (perhaps more realistic) periodic waxing and waning of Ash’s career.  It’s not uncommon for players to remain undefeated throughout their single player runs, and even the most elite of NPC trainers in the overworld never come close to a team of six level-100 Pokémon.  In the context of the game’s plot, you are the unbeatable Pokémon Master Ash wishes he could be… until the introduction of special battle facilities like the Battle Subway, which unexpectedly introduce dozens if not hundreds of trainers capable of going toe-to-toe with a team of the League Champion’s strongest battle Pokémon.  Even then, of course, the game’s expectations for your performance are measured in terms of winning streaks; your implicit goal is still to be not just good but unbeatable.  Odd, isn’t it?  And doubly so if taken in the context of the anime’s persistent message (typical of 1990’s children’s television) that winning is of secondary importance to simply enjoying the game.

Continue reading “If I Were In Charge: I want to be the very best, like no-one ever was” →