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Pokemon: Harmless Entertainment, or Addiction? 12/21/1999 Another craze is seizing the attention of the nation’s kids. From Nintendo’s Game Boy games to toys, cartoons, clothing and now a movie, Pokemon is the new rage. The collectible cards, however, constitute the focal point of this latest craze. But is the mania harmless fun and games—or something more frightening? Beginning in 1995 as a phenomenal Japanese cartoon, Pokemon arrived in the United States as a television show and video game. The game takes place in an imaginary land inhabited by 150 creatures called Pokemon, or ”Pocket Monsters.“ The object of the game is for the player, called a ”trainer,“ to try to catch as many of the creatures as he or she can—hence the slogan, ”Gotta Catch ‘Em All.“ Once caught, the creatures catch other Pokemon, and the trainer receives badges in hopes of becoming a Pokemon master. Interestingly, Pokemon do not die in battles. They simply fall asleep or faint and then are taken to the Pokemon Center where they can be restored to ”fighting fit“ (Time, 11/22/99). Says James Carney of Burlington, Massachusetts, whose 10-year-old son is a collector of some 2,000 cards, ”It’s not blood and guts like the video game Mortal Kombat. It’s a game of strategy, like Stratego“ (Insight, 11/1/99). The New York Times (11/7/99) suggests that the Pokemon cartoon encourages traditional Japanese values such as responsibility, empathy, cooperation, obedience, respect for elders and humility. The human characters of the show all understand that capturing a Pokemon is not enough. Becoming a real ”trainer“ takes compassion, responsibility and teamwork. Some parents think the game encourages reading, critical thinking and social interaction. Susan Reddy of Fort Lauderdale, Florida says that the card trades encourage her 5-year-old son Kalen to read more. ”Pokemon is a great learning tool … It is teaching him what things cost and how to save money. It also teaches him how to negotiate and to get along with other kids“ (Insight). Undoubtedly, it is a fad—and will be replaced in a short time—but it is stronger than most other fads. To date the movie has made $77.7 million (WORLD, 12/18/99). And Pokemon’s creators are planning 100 new characters because of their high popularity, causing what some fear to be a frightening level of obsession in acquiring more cards. But is this just another harmless craze—or is there something dangerous about Pokemon? It’s noteworthy that the cards are the leading property of Wizards of the Coast (recently acquired by Hasbro)—the same company that bought out TSR, which pioneered Dungeons and Dragons. Wizards of the Coast is also the producer of Magic: The Gathering, another interactive game. Like Pokemon (a variant of Magic), Magic players duel with card decks through a combative system, with the most skillful player claiming victory. In 1997, a cartoon episode of ”Pokemon“ featuring a bright flashing light allegedly triggered seizures in nearly 700 Japanese people, mostly children (CNN News, 12/17/99). That lighting effect has since been banned in Japan and is not used in the United States. APB News (11/17/99) reported a series of juvenile crimes sweeping across the country involving Pokemon cards. An 11-year-old Florida boy was so desperate for the cards that he agreed to be scorched on the arm with a cigarette by a 33-year-old man, who offered to give the boy a card in exchange for his suffering the burn. Two Los Angeles-area boys were arrested after they allegedly stole dozens of cards as part of a Pokemon theft ring. The boys allegedly stole as many as 170 of the cards from several elementary schools. And in Philadelphia, in less than a week, four boys between the ages of 11 and 13 were arrested for attacking other children inside their school to get at their Pokemon cards. Authorities believe the popularity of the cards, coupled with their resale value, may be behind the recent violence that has occurred frequently throughout the country in recent months (APB News, 12/9/99). Pokemon’s popularity has also spawned counterfeit products. According to Beth Llewelyn, public relations manager for Nintendo of America, more that $14 million worth of counterfeit cards, plush toys, key chains, figurines and clothes have been seized in the United States. ”When you get a hot property, this tends to happen,“ Llewelyn said (APB News, 10/28/99). One Maine school banned Pokemon cards as disruptive after teachers at the Lyman Elementary School reported seeing kids trading cards during class, creating a distraction for others who were trying to learn. In the cafeteria and during recess, students offered money, scissors or lunch tickets to get a popular or ”powerful“ card. ”It wasn’t, keep these things out of here because they’re immoral and bad,“ said the school’s principal, Jon Gale. ”There were just a whole bunch of scenarios that were kind of inappropriate. Parents are giving kids money to buy lunch, and they’re buying Pokemon cards“ (Fosters News, 10/7/99). Similar bans have been imposed in other schools around the country. It is these ”inappropriate scenarios“ that disturb parents. Some compare their children’s behavior to that of an addict, causing strife between parents and children. One mother compared the trading cards to drugs: ”You give them their first hit, and they want more“ (Newsweek, 11/15/99). In San Diego, California, two parents have filed a lawsuit against Nintendo, the trading-card maker, alleging that card collecting and trading constitute illegal gambling (Newsweek). The lawyer of two New York boys who have joined the suit also likens Pokemon cards to gambling, where you ”pay to play.“ The boys claim that they spent thousands of dollars trying to get a rare card, while their parents claim the game has prompted thefts and fights where kids become unsuspecting dupes in trades (Insight). A WORLD (12/18/99) report also equates the cards to gambling: People buy the cards at a set price in sealed packets without knowing if any rare, powerful cards are contained therein. It’s like buying a lottery scratch ticket in that the buyer has to be ”lucky“ to get a winner, so the buyer has to keep buying until he or she does. Pokemon critics say that its slogan—”Gotta Catch ‘Em All“—contributes to this ”addiction“ in that it feeds kids’ acquisitiveness. One 13-year-old told the Focus on the Family newsletter, Plugged In, ”It’s highly addictive, and I think it’s fun that there’s a world out there with imaginary creatures that you can control and are highly powerful.“ Stephanie Pratola, a child psychologist, told Time that Pokemon appeals to children’s desire for mastery. ”There are so many things to master—the games, knowing all the rules for the cards, what makes a good trade,“ she said. Pratola looks at this current fad from a cultural perspective: ”You have to look at it in the context of our culture. We are all obsessed with acquiring things, and we can’t expect our children to rise above our culture.“ Pratola also holds the parents accountable for their children’s behavior. ”Children will always grab onto fads, but parents are helping to feed this artificial economy,“ she says. For parents who often feel the only thing they can do is buy what their children crave, she reminds them that kids who do not have any Pokemon are ”just fine.“ In the words of CWA staff member Tim McGhee, this and other trends of recent years have taken ”on a whole economy of their own.“ Many people are buying and selling the products as though they are playing the stock market. Given the exceptionally high interest level of Pokemon, this particular ”obsession makes the Pokemon economy seem less like the stock market and more like gambling and all the ‘highs’ that go with an addiction.“ Pokemon is sure to be at the top of many Christmas lists. Parents would do well to carefully consider the moral implications of Pokemon. Then they can decide if it is a worthwhile investment for their children. For more information, listen to the November 23 FamilyLife Today program on Pokemon. |
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