Is pokemon animal abuse?

Considering the buzz I’m hearing about the new game it got me thinking, isn’t this animal abuse?

I mean the fact that one is catching wild animals and making them fight each other seems rather cruel to me. I never really thought too much of it until now.

Also lets gloss over the fact that it’s fictional and they aren’t real. That shouldn’t be a measure of whether it’s ok or not.

Mods alerted

Sigh

Yeah, it is just a game. No debate here. You’re trying to compare this to raping androids or something. It’s just ones and zeroes. There’s nothing to abuse.

I get that, but I’m talking about in theory here

No. I’m not even going to play your game. I can make my Sims go hungry, go without sleep, piss themselves, but I’m not actually torturing people. It’s just a goddamned game. This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever read. The android abuse thread has more intelligence in it. Game over.

Maybe their lives are just, like, a curse, ever think of that? Dude. Maybe we’re the Pokemons. Just creatures in a game, man, creatures in a game. Whoa.

Not really, that whole “it’s a game” argument is not an answer.

Zoophilia for Beginners by A. Ketchum

He is saying that if Pokémon were real would it be animal cruelty to use them as depicted in the cartoons?
He’s no implying that they are real in any way.

My answer is definitely YES.

If we were talking about simulated electronic dog-fighting or cock-fighting or bear-baiting you might have a point. I think it’s at least worth considering that there could be something morally objectionable or potentially harmful about simulating or pretending to do something that would be cruel or evil if we did it for real.

For Pokemon, though, I think it’s so far removed from any actual cruelty or violence involving actual creatures that actually suffer or have feelings that I’m not going to worry about it.

The games have a fig leaf of sorts; pokemon want to fight. They just resist being caught 'cause they’re testing you. Or something.

I get that it’s very fantastical and not real, but we condemn dog and cock fights (and I’m guessing it’s the same if a game were made based on that). But it seems unsettling that we are ok with making a children’s game based on similar concepts and wave it off as not real (or try to sugar coat it with teamwork or friendship).

Based on your recent history combined with this thread, you’ve been issued a warning for trolling, and your posting privileges are under discussion. This thread is closed.