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Comment by umvi | Hacker News Reader

I'm honestly surprised Pokemon is still around. The first one came out in like 1996, and it was initially addictive because there were a fixed number of pokemon to try to collect (150). But each iteration was basically a carbon copy of the previous gen with some map and monster changes. 7(?) gens later and now there are what 500? 600? More? I just don't understand the motivation to collect something now that you can no longer "catch em all". Is it like Hearthstone or Magic where you just collect what you can knowing certain cards will forever be beyond your reach?

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> I'm honestly surprised Pokemon is still around.

I'm honestly surprised baseball is still around. The first game came out in like 1839, and it was initially addictive because it was easy to play. But each season is basically a carbon copy of the previous season with player changes.

> I'm honestly surprised Pokemon is still around.

I'm honestly surprised chess is still around. It's basically the same game with the same rules from centuries ago.

Chess is not a game based around collecting a fixed number of items.

Pokemon isn't based around collecting a fixed number of items.

There's strategy to pick an ideal team. To ev/iv farm if you're really into it.

There's a story, you can battle friends, you can make trades.

Pokemon isn't pog collecting.

Can you understand how one might believe that the franchise with the slogan "Gotta Catch 'Em All" might be about collecting a fixed number of items?

It's understandable, though not accurate.

Some people (I know one of them) carry their pokemon from the first generation, so they can still catch'em all. My friend's case is a mix of nostalgia and just knowing what they will get from the experience.

But Pokemon is not just about collecting pokemon, there's the competitive scene for one, where people will welcome new pokemons to shake the meta and not always care about a mon being available or not.

IIRC, it was actually possible to collect every Pokémon across all the games released on 3DS. A service facilitated transferring them between games. Several of the rare Pokémon were related to limited time events, but the opportunity was there. I’m sure it’ll be possible to get pretty close to a complete collection by the end of the Switch lifespan as well.

this holds true for new pokemon games, i'd never buy that shit. however sometimes i want to have a good afternoon. no wife, no kids, smokin weed killin time playing and old school pokemon game. sounds delightful haha.

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