# Is pokemon animal abuse? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 14, 2016, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987 "2016-11-14T19:21:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machinaforce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@Machinaforce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machinaforce)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/1 "2016-11-14T19:21:03Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/2 "2016-11-14T19:23:51Z")
Mods alerted ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/3 "2016-11-14T19:27:12Z")
_Sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/4 "2016-11-14T19:28:31Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Machinaforce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@Machinaforce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machinaforce)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/5 "2016-11-14T19:30:46Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > 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 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/6 "2016-11-14T19:34:04Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/7 "2016-11-14T19:40:37Z")
> [@Machinaforce](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Machinaforce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@Machinaforce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machinaforce)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/8 "2016-11-14T19:45:55Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > 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. Not really, that whole “it’s a game” argument is not an answer. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/9 "2016-11-14T19:50:23Z")
Zoophilia for Beginners by A. Ketchum ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/10 "2016-11-14T19:50:59Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/11 "2016-11-14T19:51:15Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/12 "2016-11-14T19:57:54Z")
The games have a fig leaf of sorts; pokemon _want_ to fight. They just resist being caught 'cause they’re testing you. Or something. ---
**Author:** ![Machinaforce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@Machinaforce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machinaforce)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/13 "2016-11-14T19:59:48Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > 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. 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). ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pokemon-animal-abuse/771987/14 "2016-11-14T20:05:44Z")
> [@Machinaforce](#): > > 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. > [@Machinaforce](#): > > Not really, that whole “it’s a game” argument is not an answer. > [@Machinaforce](#): > > 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.