Random Thought
Have you ever considered that Pokémon, Nintendo's hit franchise about kids who raise and train creatures to fight other creatures, rather endorses and glorifies the idea of sports such as cock fighting and dog fighting? Just an odd thought that struck me today while I was out watering my garden. That is all.
Carry on.
posted by Seth R. @ 11:21 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
But if you're going to make that argument, how is that different than DnD, basically just a game where the point is to fight other people. Maybe not dog fighting, but it could be encouraging school shootings and the like.
Just an idea - playing devil's advocate. >:)
Ironic that you would play devil's advocate there. Actually, D&D - with its extensive use of fantastical realms full of magical powers, some even granted by pagan gods - is more a gateway making its players more susceptible to the influences of Satan. Kind of like Harry Potter. ;)
I would have thought more generally since players take glory from the achievements of little creatures that do your work for you it's a perfect training tool for future management type kids?
In the end though it's just another variant of 'oh my god won't somebody please think of the children'. I mean lets face it, if people's minds were really that malleable i'd be... well let's leave me out of this... Instead lets take you and chris... yes you two are fairly normal or at least you were last time I saw either of you guys.
Dude, gotta catch 'em all.
Pokemon actually teaches children modern Japanese values (which are modified classic 20th Century American values).
The values:
Value 1: Diligence and hard work lead to success/laziness leads to failure.
To succeed in the game, one must spend countless hours training one's Pokemon in repetitive "battles" where no creature dies but faints instead. The creatures level up slowly, which is incredibly boring. Eventually, however, your Pokemon grow and evolve and learn new techniques to help you succeed.
Value 2: Intelligence will triumph over brute force.
Leveling up certainly matters in the Pokemon universe, but levels can only get you so far. To truly succeed, one must understand and utilize the various types (water, electric, ground, etc.) of Pokemon in an elaborate Paper, Rock, Scissors style of strength and weakness. One must strategize and build one's party of Pokemon so as to be able to handle any threat from an opposing trainer. An opponent might have five high level rock-type Pokemon, but if you have a single mid-level water pokemon with at least one good attack, you can easily defeat a single-focus trainer.
Value 3: ... never mind.
There are plenty more values to write about (the superiority of capitalism/free trade, education as a means to an end, the Horatio Alger ideal, etc.), but I've obviously wasted too much time thinking about this.
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