This is a re-upload to fix a few technical issues. I sincerely apologize for the deleted comments. From now on, I will change the way I do final checks, because small mistakes keep cropping up. I also didn't know my editing software couldn't handle the THRILLING EXCITEMENT that is... Doduo Cherry Picking Believe it or not, there are more censorship shenanigans I didn't even mention, so if you enjoyed this video, please tell me and we'll do a follow-up!
The funny thing is, as a kid who grew up with RBY, the casinos made me despise gambling. Taught me it was better to just spend money on what you want rather than wasting it trying to win big.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time on the slot machine as a kid, yes most kids will probably get bored, but if you have ADHD and some predisposition towards addictive tendancies it can get pretty bad.
I've been saying this for years. Especially when real slot machines don't even have any kind of timing involved, it's just 100% RNG. These gambling mini games (including the SM64DS Luigi mini games) really shows how these games can drain your money with just a little bit of bad luck, and you have next to no control over that luck. Why would I ever play that in-game and think it's a good idea to use all my money on that irl?? And if I did, these mini games taught me to cash out instantly if I do win big, because those winnings can disappear in the blink of an eye
@pinkie723 Exactly. Those who know the danger of gambling games would never wager real money, especially if the need is greater for all the necessary things.
to refer to my old comment "fake gambling with fake money in a game for kids? that's a big no-no. Real gambling with real money on the gacha games tho, that's the spice"
Europe is the only place they're actually cracking down on those too, funny how they were also the only ones to implement this gambling = higher rating in games lol
@@kryzethxNot really, a game that only uses poker/casino aesthetics and zero microtransactions got rated higher than multiple series that actively have real money lootboxes (which are just gambling). It's super inadequate and doesn't actually target problem mechanics.
@@InnocentGuillotine I mean obviously, but literally anything is better than the absolutely nothing we have done in the US I didn't mean historically, I meant moreso *recently*, Europe has been the only place in which games with lootbox and gacha mechanics are being cracked down upon. My main point was that these early gambling laws which got Pokemon restricted (warranted or not), were the basis for which microtransactions and other scummy practices are now being restricted.
Said kids can also just up and leave home (in fact they are encouraged to), travel alone through cities and mountains alike, catch/fight with animals... The Pokémon world sure is something.
Reposting my comment from the old upload because I think someone might still find it interesting: Like a lot of things in Pokemon, the Game Corners were likely rooted in developer experiences and culture. Gambling remains a fairly popular activity in Japan in spite of it being "banned". The original idea of the setting for the Pokemon games was real world Japan (specifically Kanto, which is why Kanto is named what it is), so it was kind of a no-brainer to include some kind of Game Corner, but pachinko was likely too complex for a minor side activity in a GameBoy game - slots being much simpler to code and very universally understood. The setup of the Game Corner is probably based on how real-world pachinko parlors circumvent anti-gambling laws, allowing players to convert their money into pachinko balls (or Coins) but not allowing them a conversion back, instead allowing them a conversion to prize tokens. A separate, definitely unrelated business nearby (in Celadon's case, literally next door) will convert their new fake wealth into prizes or cash. As you can imagine, this questionable legality classically drew yakuza to love the places, which is probably why Celadon Game Corner is also a Team Rocket hideout.
My ONLY gripe about Voltorb Flip in HGSS is the fact that you couldn't buy coins outright anymore. So you were forced to play the game instead of just being able to sidestep it with your character's own money when you don't feel like spending time on it that could go to other things. If the purchase coins option weren't removed, or you could just buy the prizes outright with money, I wouldn't have been so unhappy about it. It hurts to remove options. Something I do like about LGPE is that they changed the game corner to literally just be an arcade for playing games, not a casino. They could have easily removed the gambling elements and just made them mini-games you could play without paying anything, for a chance to get tickets to purchase prizes if you get high scores. Too bad they didn't put anything in there.
This is what I've been begging Game Freak to do for years! It's literally the one casino alternative that makes any sense. Keep the Game Corners, but have them be arcades with actual minigames because in truth, Pokémon has a solid history of having some pretty baller minigames. The best ones were in Stadium and Stadium 2, but there's been a number of other good ones in both main games and spinoffs.
THE VOLTORB FLIP CYCLE: 1. "Hey, I haven't played Heartgold/Soulsilver in a while, I should check in with my old team!" 2. Open the game, see you last saved in front of the Voltorb Flip table 3. Save game at that same spot, hours later, flipping voltorbs, ignoring the fact that your game case has been full for years 4. Repeat
I did this once, and ended up continuing the run with a team of several Dratini with Flamethrower, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, all bought with "gambling" coins. =') Turns out Dratini really sucks mid-game, though... Otherwise I would eventually have beaten Lance at his own game!
I’m cool with gambling being removed because it was boring to grind for such good TMs. But the future remakes should have added mini games like Voltorb Flip to replace them.
I played a slot machine in Pokemon Firered to get porygon. I hated the whole thing. Years later... I went to an actual casino, and realized pokemon hadn't prepared me for just how boring the real thing actually was.
pov lyra who made the video export: LETS GO GAMBLING pov lyra after seing the comments about the video bug: AW DANG IT you could make a website out of this.....
Some unfortunate implications with the Celadon Game Corner: You're funding Team Rocket when you buy their coins. You're probably buying stolen TMs. You're probably buying Pokemon that were brutally kidnapped.
Pokemon Gens 1 and 2 being re-released to the 3DS with their Game Corners intact: PEGI 12 NBA 2K20 prominently showing off opening card packs, pachinko, slot machines, and a roulette table: PEGI 3
There is one minor thing about game corners that this video didn't mention, in Australian version of Pokemon Crystal, they actually changed a lot of dialogue to avoid portraying gambling as exciting. For instance: It's this machine I want. It cleaned me out yesterday, so it should pay out today. Changed into: The weather outside is very nice.
I'd still say these games are less harmful than the gatcha and lootboxes of today. For a start, it doesn't ask you for your dads credit card to buy coins. The games themselves are not too exciting. The real casualty is the game corner music.
So true, it's a free in-game mini game that uses in-game money, vs literal gambling with real money for some digital items that gets wiped from existence when the game's service inevitably gets discontinued. I really question people's priorities sometimes 😔
Oh yeah absolutely, while I believe gambling in those games is bad, gacha games should be treated the same way as online gambling. Pokemon game corner shouldn't be something a young child gets to play. Gacha games shouldn't be something a minor gets to play.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. They could easily reintroduce the gaming center to the series. Just revamp it into an arcade, and include the awesome mini games from Pokemon Stadium 1&2! Update: to clarify, I'm thinking of making it like a Chuck e Cheese style arcade. You get tickets for winning the games, And take those to get prizes.
Also, my opinion: I don't mind if it's some minigame like Voltorb Flip, in fact there should be more minigames outside of the regular loop of catching and battling, gambling or not. Or at least more non-self-imposed stuff, let me do a whole run on doubles or triples or reverse or rotation battles.
as an aside, a lot of people seem to think age ratings are legally binding when that is largely not the case. The only reason everyone bothers is because most publishers or retailers require a rating, with the most obvious exception being Steam - who's only rating process seems to be whether something is marked for adults or not
Yeah, what usually happens is a government starts talking about regulating content, so big companies in the industry get together and say "Wait wait wait! We've created this rating board to label products so that kids don't see anything inappropriate! There's no need to regulate us!" Similarly, retailers will restrict sales based on ratings to avoid attracting government attention. That's not to say that there are no laws restricting content in video games or who can buy what video games, just that often it's the video games industry itself that decides on rating criteria. Using Steam in the US as an example, they can sell unrated games because Valve says they can. Games with "adult" content have to be marked as adult because Valve says so, and Valve uses its own criteria separate from the ESRB. In theory, if Valve sold any game to anyone, first of all they'd likely run afoul of COPPA (short version: can't collect advertising data on anyone under 13). They might run afoul of some obscenity laws. And they'd likely prompt Congressional investigation and the creation of new laws regulating video game sales. Basically, the ESRB and Valve's content guidelines both exist to preempt legislators from feeling the need to write laws regulating video game content and sales. The ESRB (and Valve) has been largely successful in the US, though industry groups (and Valve) have failed to do enough to prevent restrictive laws in some other countries.
Gambling facilities were in Pokémon since Red/Blue as the whole franchise was heavily inspired by Dragon Quest. Casinos have been a staple in Dragon Quest games since their early entries. In the same fashion as Pokémon, you can play minigames there and exchange coins for different prizes. I don't think Japan ever saw this as problematic since they "don't have casinos," but their own legal versions of gambling, pachinko parlors...which are still obviously creating a lot of gambling problems to this day, but are perceived differently anyway.
Japanese law sometimes seem very complacent with massive loopholes like this. It's as if nobody cares either way and these antiquated and useless rules will just gather dust till the end of time.
While getting rid of the casino style slot machines was definitely for the best, it's disappointing that the entire concept of a game corner was abandoned entirely. Personally I would prefer to see something similar, but with mini games based on ticket machines from the old pizza arcades or carnivals.
Considering that Pokemon Stadium had some excellent Pokemon themed minigames, (and the extremely idiotic use of e-reader minigames in Gen 3...) I find it so strange that they never did something with this. What a way for niche Pokemon to find their use then in a minigame where only they can be used.
People are ignoring how Nintendo was never forced to remove the game corner, they simply prioritized the E rating over continuing with it. Sure one could make the argument that a teen rating for the game corner isn't valid, i certainly would make that case for the current 18 plus rating they would receive, but a recommendatory teen rating for slot machines is fine i think. At the end of the day this is a recommendatory rating, playing it earlier isn't illegal.
Also yeah all Gacha type games where you spend spend real money on gambling with lootboxes or anything of the sort should all be getting a full 18 plus rating and to be treated like actual gambling places.
Unfortunately, gacha and loot boxes dodge a lot of gambling laws on the technicality that you aren't gambling with and can't cash out for real money. They prey on the same tendencies as gambling to extract money from victims, but they are regulated completely differently.
Gambling in offline Pokemon games ❌ Lootbox keys for real money with tradeable rewards ✔ How are the ratings seemingly still made by people who bought their grand-son an Atari 2600
Pity the Joyful Game Corner of FireRed, LeafGreen and Emerald are multiplayer options on top of requiring Wireless Adapter to function. Which means almost none of us will ever get to experience it. Let alone the intented way and in intended numbers.
There's definitely a pattern worth observing here with other JRPGs that gambling minigames are just kind of a tradition of the genre dating back to Dragon Quest. They don't seem to think of gambling as a problem in Japan, which is certainly one of the takes of all time.
Notably, Pokemon games don't actually have any of the legal ways to gamble in Japan: Horse races, bicycle races, and pachinko. My impression of the game corners is that they got their start as stand-ins for pachinko parlors. Gen 1, 2, 3, and 4 are all set in Japan after all, and the system of winning coins from slot machines then exchanging coins for prizes resembles how pachinko parlors operate.
@@shimotakanaki A Game Freak that slows the f*ck down and carefully goes back to a 20 years old code just to remove a feature? In another dimension maybe.
My main issue with the lack of Game Corners in the latest releases is that they didn't really replace it with anything else that fills a similar purpose. Optional minigames are part of the DNA of JRPGs, and a welcome diversion from the core gameplay loop that can get fairly repetitive after a while. It would be fun if they could replace game corners with arcades so you could win prizes without any of the gambling association present.
it's really funny that for all the handwringing PEGI did about fake gambling, even as a kid i would just avoid the slots and roulettes in earlier games because, back then and now, i find random chance games boring. but with voltorb flip, once i understood how to play i was hooked and could NOT stop playing it!!! i would always ask my friends if they needed a TM so that i had an excuse to keep playing it over and over 😭 i'm so glad i'm not alone in my enjoyment of this minigame!
Timing of this video is great. Earlier today I was just thinking why do so many JRPGs have gambling mini games. Specifically remembering Pokemon because, you know, we're a literal child
Funny they got rid of Gambling in the Mainline games but advertise Gacha Games such as Pokémon Go, New TCG game, Unite, Masters EX... Makes you stop and wonder don't it...
@@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819 You get the eggs for free, the only thing you could spent money on is the hatching things, but you always have a free one, so I don't see how it's bad. Just walk if you want to hatch the Pokemon fast, that bad, no need to buy more hatching devices ^^
Pokemon originally was aimed at more of a 'older kid/young teen' audience, the success of the anime really shifted that. It also just generally had different vibes, the switch in writing from Tajiri to Masuda in Gen 3 was notable in a ton of ways. Legendaries went from strong Pokemon with local legend to gods, the world stopped being OUR world, Gen 2 especially got a ton of changes in HGSS that retconned stuff like Eggs being newly discovered for the first time or those 100 species being previously unknown as that no longer worked in a Gen 3 onward lore context. The original Adventure Manga run is THE closest to Tajiri's vision and a casino is very fitting there. It's actually a bit darker then the games overall(most of the gym leaders are crooked and working with Team rocket). There's a Japanese only Gen 1 lore book that's a delight to look at. A few weird random aspects of it cropped up later in FRLG or other areas people didn't notice. Most notably, Pokemon shrinking on their own and not because of something specific to the Pokeball(something Legends Arceus mentioned that upset a ton of people) was in that lore book(a guy ODed his Primeape on tranqs and it shrunk to fit in a glasses case). Nidoqueen being sterille is in the book and it's a reference to IRL Rhinos. But it also mentions real world spots like France and real animals and the Christian god that don't fit well in a Gen 3 onward canon, but fit VERY snuggly in that classic Tajiri lore. Other stuff like smokers using Charmanders to light up, it's mentioned there, some old card art shows it, seems weird now but fits the orginal vision.
@@reillywalker195Nope, it works in Yellow too! It was fixed for gen 3. And while a "glitchless" run doesn't allow glitches makes perfect sense, most people don't do speedruns, so...
I miss the gambling in these games. I will *never* touch any form of irl gambling, but having stupid mini games to do on the side was nice. I never got to try out Voltorb flip sadly. I do miss the battle bingo and stuff from the GC game that had them (I can't remember which it was). I hope one day we get any form of mini game back, related to or unrelated to pokemons core gameplay, it doesn't mater. Just something on the side to do.
Europe did not put the PEGI rating of 18 on one of the recent NBA titles from 2K as that game had simulated gambling in it, and it was in your face about it too, and completely ignored that and gave the game PEGI 3. Double standard!!
Reposting the comment of the old video here. Even before everything happened, Australian Pokémon Crystal already kinda sorta censored the Game Corner... by leaving everything as it is except by changing the dialogue of all the NPCs inside to make them duller and less "wow I love gambling" than the other versions. This alteration is so obscure that not only the 3DS Virtual Console release ignored it and just gave Australians the same English script as other countries, but nobody noticed it until 2019.
Ill be honest the game corner actually made sure i never gamble with money as an adult. I noticed that the slots were unrewarding as they depended on luck so most othe times it was loss after loss and the pay out was slow, and purchasing directly was incovenient but not as much as gabling most of the time, in my case thats the message I got across. Then I understood the ties with team rocket and being from latam the real life analogue was so disgusting it killed for me. So its possible that migth be the intention
Didn't realise this got reup'd. Still wish that Game Corners can come back with less gambling and more arcade-esque minigames. Game Corner aesthetic is just too cool.
Gen 1 has also two different hidden modes in the slot machines: Good Mode and Super Mode, which *usually* cannot happen at the same time. Good Mode increases the chance of getting 15 coin prices by a lot (usually in normal/bad luck mode at best you get a cherry or the game just refuses to give you anything on purpose). This mode can be rarely triggered 60 times in a row, which gives overall a better payout than getting 777s or BARs... Which are impossible to obtain in this mode. - Super Mode forces the machine to give more frequently 2 positions of BARs and 7s. It's also the *only* mode that allows you to even get 3 BARs and 777 in the first place. If you hit 777, there's a 50% chance of dropping into bad luck mode (the standard). Triple BARs ends the mode instantly.
I keep thinking that Australia was the reason that the Game Corner gambling, so I was very confused to see us not mentioned! Then I remembered that it wasn't Pokemon that Australia got up in arms about regarding introducing slot machines to kids: It was _Neopets._ A TV news fluff piece about their McDonald's toys spiraled to the point where it forced changes to the site itself. It was a couple years before gen 4 started scaling back the Game Corner, so I think I just assumed those two events were related.
They had to get rid of gambling because of ratings and they can create gacha games with the only downside of only a few countries not allowing those games because of the promotion of gambling towards children.
17:08 Oh no! Is THAT why the classic games never made it to Nintendo Switch Online? And all this time, I thought the obligatory Pokémon Home integration was holding them back…
Such a shame they axed the feature before we got Mr Mime blackjack or ponyta horse betting. Or just betting on simulated pokemon battels. The possibilities for pokemon casino games are truly endless.
I adored the Diamond/Pearl Game Corner. The slots there with Clefairy mechanic were not that bad, allowing you to accumulate coins pretty fast. Just gotta know that when the moon gets red, you must not listen to Clefairy and fail, that makes it stay for another round of free coins.
There's a little missing detail: You know how in the previous three generations you could at least buy the coins? Well, the European version of HGSS doesn't even let you do that, so you're stuck playing Voltorb Flip for a long time considering the steeper TM prices (Flamethrower/Thunderbolt/Ice Beam are 10k each btw).
The comparison of pegi to esrb looks a little more like this Most e for everyone games are either 7 or 3 Most e10+ games are 12s T games are either 16 or 18 M games are generally 18 (occasionally 16) Ao games are always 18 So pegi is a bit less lenient than the esrb and hence was the bane of my existence growing up. Edit: thanks vengir
Well thank goodness the innocent youth have been saved the horrible act of silly slot machines with fictitious money. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll have to go back to the annual EA sport release full of lootboxes, micro transactions and casino mechanics that uses actual real money on game of chance. Cause that's okay and will get a 3/E rating no problem
And that’s why we are not going to see Pokémon games on switch virtual consoles… unless they make GB, GBA and NDS +18 like they did with N64… damn pegi
I love how there's always a glitch mentioned in every video xD I had no idea that there were coins stuck in the same tile as a slot machine so you can't pick it up. Typical pokemon moment lol
I don’t really mind the removal of the Game Corner. Past gen 1, it never really felt like the rewards were worth engaging with the place; Sinnoh’s is the most rewarding on the gambling side of things, but the rewards are way too expensive and way too negligible for a casual play through. My only real grievance is that they didn’t repurpose the theme music from Hoenn’s for the Mauville Food Court in ORAS.
Could have a game corner that just does more skill-based games. Just like the memory puzzle in pokemon amie. Do a flappy bird clone. Reward coins based on performance. Lots of possible minigames that could be included in a way like this.
I absolutely hated Voltorb flip: it takes forever, you can't buy coins and it's just absolutely boring. Thankfully I can just use save states on emulator to spend as little time as possible with it.
I'll be honest here in saying that I hated that they replaced the slots with Voltorb flip in HGSS as I just frankly didn't find Voltorb Flip very fun, so learning now that the slots still existed in the JP versions of HGSS came as a shock and makes me a tad bit jealous of the JP players who got what I had looked forward to back in the day.
It wasn’t just Pokémon. There were companies who just made literal gambling simulators that date back to the 80s. Some were made to advertise Vegas casinos like the Caesar’s Palace games and the Golden Nugget games. While others were basically gambling themed RPGs like Casino Kid or Vegas Stakes. It’s weird because many of these games were released after the creation of the ESRB and when you buy these games for the PlayStation (which has the widest library of games within this genre) almost all of them are rated E. Meanwhile later games of this nature have T ratings or even M ratings. Nowadays gambling simulator games are never released due to even the ESRB having high standards for simulated gambling these days.
Replacing the gambling with other minigames like Voltorb Flip was the best move out of what they did. Shame they never thought to bring in a spiritual successor to the Casio's in the forme of Arcades.
FireRed and Leafgreen had good game corners for one reason alone: the games weren't chance, the slot machines were a test of skill to see if you could properly time stopping the reels.
Since it was omitted, incase anyone cares: The Australian versions of DP/Pt kept the slot machines, despite being based on the European version and having PEGI ratings on the box. I know cause I have a copy of each. Edit: Grabbed my copies and double checked. All three have both PEGI and Australian Ratings Board notices on the boxes. Despite this, the actual ROMs are all the north american ROMs with ESRB notices on bootup.
I found my people in this video. Die hard Pokemon fan AND I work in the gambling industry and none of my colleagues understand the parallels you can draw between both concepts.
I was thinking about the Game Corner not too long ago and wondered "How would you make it, well, child-friendly?" And the solution is simple: Do what was done in Emerald, FRLG, and HGSS and replace them with minigames. Especially since Nintendo is no stranger to these kinda of locations in video games. For example, in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the Pianta Parlor in Rougeport has a matching game as well as four minigames that can be accessed by receiving the Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Special Cards respectfully, which are obtained as reward for completing four different Troubles. The minigames however require the abilities obtained from the black chests. And while the Pianta Parlor also has slot machines (a total of two), they aren't as important compared to the other games. Not that they matter anyway since they're exclusive to the GameCube version (surprise surprise). Now, if the Game Corner were to return, what kind of minigames would it have? Here's the ones I thought of: - A card flip game similar to that in Gen 2. - Voltorb Flip-type of game. - A Magikarp minigame where you jump over obstacles. Basically something among the lines of Magikarp's Splash from Pokemon Stadium. (can be played in multiplayer; Online, Local, Co-op, and against CPUs) - A launching minigame where you launch a Pokemon and see how far it can go. - A matching game of sorts. - A pinball game. (which is mainly just an excuse to bring back Pokemon Pinball or at the very least make an in-game version of it) - A running game where you try to get as far as possible. Kinda like Run, Rattata, Run from Pokemon Stadium. (can be played in multiplayer) Edit: Forgot to mention this, but having Pokemon gacha game like Pokemon Masters (or I guess rather Pokemon Masters EX) is okay. But a Game Corner with slot machines? Nope! Can't have that! It's too much! If anyone here can think of any others, just leave a comment.
Man i wish in the later games, they had an arcade-like place with a few minigames instead of the casino game corners. Especially in ORAS, let’s go P/E, and BDSP
In a similar vein, PEGI's updated rules has labeled Balatro 18+ despite having no real gambling elements, it's just a rougelike with playing cards. And yet, any gacha game with micro-transactions is completely kid-friendly.
My problem with the removal of the casinos is that - Voltorb Flip aside - it's been replaced with nothing. Just like so many other Pokemon features, the effort is just simply not put in any more.
the first attempt to remove gambling dialouge from English versions actually happened with Australian Crystal! Though I can't remember if it was the 1.0 or 1.1 copy where they started doing it.
One thing is there were casinos in child game, but these were casinos WITH LIVESTOCK ANIMALS AS PRIZES. Even our world is so f*** up to allow such things (at least legal ones)
A note about the Sinnoh slot machines is that when the clefairy shows up the music is replaced by some extremely repetitive garbage 😞(oh yeah and it also shows which slot to stop if you want to win so you're going to want the clefairy to win coins (Also also the shiny chance for clefairy seems wayyyyy higher than normal))
It's wild to me that cartoonish references to real world gambling machines are too adult, but the game core loop involves mechanics that are totally just gambling and that's a-ok. Not to mention trading card booster packs. Pokemon by design promotes gambling. That's not a problem, but having a casino is
This is a re-upload to fix a few technical issues. I sincerely apologize for the deleted comments. From now on, I will change the way I do final checks, because small mistakes keep cropping up. I also didn't know my editing software couldn't handle the THRILLING EXCITEMENT that is... Doduo Cherry Picking
Believe it or not, there are more censorship shenanigans I didn't even mention, so if you enjoyed this video, please tell me and we'll do a follow-up!
OH BOY its worth a rewatch but yeah the weird fps thing on doduo cherry picking was weird lol
What technical issues?
Censorship in games and how games deal with it can be a fun topic, so more would be good
Frankly I thought my internet was fritzing out, took me a good three seconds to realize your voice was going on in regular speed.
Umm, don't you mean _Dodrio Berry_ Picking? ☝️🤓
Fantastic work as always tho Lyra!!
Pokemon blue taught me, that slot machines are boring and casinos connected to crime.
this is what they wanted but everyone thought game freak was bad
100% true. Went to a casino 15 yrs later.. was still boring.
Same
This comment is a lie
-Casino gang
@@maykonbrasileiro761 The Big Casino hate this man!
The funny thing is, as a kid who grew up with RBY, the casinos made me despise gambling. Taught me it was better to just spend money on what you want rather than wasting it trying to win big.
Same, I just fought the E4 over and over or duped nuggets to get Porygon
I spent a ridiculous amount of time on the slot machine as a kid, yes most kids will probably get bored, but if you have ADHD and some predisposition towards addictive tendancies it can get pretty bad.
Exactly
If anything having casinos in these games made it LESS likely for me to try out real ones, as I've learned in the game how shitty they are.
That may have been the very reason to rate these games higher. Not because those kids could become addicted adults throwing their money away.
I've been saying this for years. Especially when real slot machines don't even have any kind of timing involved, it's just 100% RNG. These gambling mini games (including the SM64DS Luigi mini games) really shows how these games can drain your money with just a little bit of bad luck, and you have next to no control over that luck. Why would I ever play that in-game and think it's a good idea to use all my money on that irl?? And if I did, these mini games taught me to cash out instantly if I do win big, because those winnings can disappear in the blink of an eye
@pinkie723 Exactly. Those who know the danger of gambling games would never wager real money, especially if the need is greater for all the necessary things.
to refer to my old comment
"fake gambling with fake money in a game for kids? that's a big no-no. Real gambling with real money on the gacha games tho, that's the spice"
Europe is the only place they're actually cracking down on those too, funny how they were also the only ones to implement this gambling = higher rating in games lol
@@kryzethxNot really, a game that only uses poker/casino aesthetics and zero microtransactions got rated higher than multiple series that actively have real money lootboxes (which are just gambling). It's super inadequate and doesn't actually target problem mechanics.
@@InnocentGuillotine I mean obviously, but literally anything is better than the absolutely nothing we have done in the US
I didn't mean historically, I meant moreso *recently*, Europe has been the only place in which games with lootbox and gacha mechanics are being cracked down upon.
My main point was that these early gambling laws which got Pokemon restricted (warranted or not), were the basis for which microtransactions and other scummy practices are now being restricted.
And all thanks to the power of capitalism!
99% of gamblers quit right before getting the shiny of their dreams
Kid walks into a casino
Kid starts gambling
Nobody says anything
Said kids can also just up and leave home (in fact they are encouraged to), travel alone through cities and mountains alike, catch/fight with animals... The Pokémon world sure is something.
@@mokarokas-1727 YEZ iT iS BOY ! [NOT YELLiNG, JUZT LiKE TYPiNG iN CAPZ]
Reposting my comment from the old upload because I think someone might still find it interesting:
Like a lot of things in Pokemon, the Game Corners were likely rooted in developer experiences and culture. Gambling remains a fairly popular activity in Japan in spite of it being "banned". The original idea of the setting for the Pokemon games was real world Japan (specifically Kanto, which is why Kanto is named what it is), so it was kind of a no-brainer to include some kind of Game Corner, but pachinko was likely too complex for a minor side activity in a GameBoy game - slots being much simpler to code and very universally understood. The setup of the Game Corner is probably based on how real-world pachinko parlors circumvent anti-gambling laws, allowing players to convert their money into pachinko balls (or Coins) but not allowing them a conversion back, instead allowing them a conversion to prize tokens. A separate, definitely unrelated business nearby (in Celadon's case, literally next door) will convert their new fake wealth into prizes or cash. As you can imagine, this questionable legality classically drew yakuza to love the places, which is probably why Celadon Game Corner is also a Team Rocket hideout.
My ONLY gripe about Voltorb Flip in HGSS is the fact that you couldn't buy coins outright anymore. So you were forced to play the game instead of just being able to sidestep it with your character's own money when you don't feel like spending time on it that could go to other things. If the purchase coins option weren't removed, or you could just buy the prizes outright with money, I wouldn't have been so unhappy about it. It hurts to remove options.
Something I do like about LGPE is that they changed the game corner to literally just be an arcade for playing games, not a casino. They could have easily removed the gambling elements and just made them mini-games you could play without paying anything, for a chance to get tickets to purchase prizes if you get high scores. Too bad they didn't put anything in there.
This is what I've been begging Game Freak to do for years! It's literally the one casino alternative that makes any sense. Keep the Game Corners, but have them be arcades with actual minigames because in truth, Pokémon has a solid history of having some pretty baller minigames. The best ones were in Stadium and Stadium 2, but there's been a number of other good ones in both main games and spinoffs.
THE VOLTORB FLIP CYCLE:
1. "Hey, I haven't played Heartgold/Soulsilver in a while, I should check in with my old team!"
2. Open the game, see you last saved in front of the Voltorb Flip table
3. Save game at that same spot, hours later, flipping voltorbs, ignoring the fact that your game case has been full for years
4. Repeat
I did this once, and ended up continuing the run with a team of several Dratini with Flamethrower, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, all bought with "gambling" coins. =') Turns out Dratini really sucks mid-game, though... Otherwise I would eventually have beaten Lance at his own game!
I’m cool with gambling being removed because it was boring to grind for such good TMs. But the future remakes should have added mini games like Voltorb Flip to replace them.
i love this cuz "gambling for kids" is exactly what i say every time i buy a new pack of pokémon cards
I played a slot machine in Pokemon Firered to get porygon. I hated the whole thing.
Years later... I went to an actual casino, and realized pokemon hadn't prepared me for just how boring the real thing actually was.
pov lyra who made the video export: LETS GO GAMBLING
pov lyra after seing the comments about the video bug: AW DANG IT
you could make a website out of this.....
Some unfortunate implications with the Celadon Game Corner:
You're funding Team Rocket when you buy their coins.
You're probably buying stolen TMs.
You're probably buying Pokemon that were brutally kidnapped.
The nondescript Rat, Bird, and Carp in Red's slot machine are like Pokemon cryptids, no one has seen them since
Pokemon Gens 1 and 2 being re-released to the 3DS with their Game Corners intact: PEGI 12
NBA 2K20 prominently showing off opening card packs, pachinko, slot machines, and a roulette table: PEGI 3
There is one minor thing about game corners that this video didn't mention, in Australian version of Pokemon Crystal, they actually changed a lot of dialogue to avoid portraying gambling as exciting.
For instance:
It's this machine I want. It cleaned me out yesterday, so it should pay out today.
Changed into:
The weather outside is very nice.
I'd still say these games are less harmful than the gatcha and lootboxes of today. For a start, it doesn't ask you for your dads credit card to buy coins. The games themselves are not too exciting. The real casualty is the game corner music.
So true, it's a free in-game mini game that uses in-game money, vs literal gambling with real money for some digital items that gets wiped from existence when the game's service inevitably gets discontinued. I really question people's priorities sometimes 😔
Oh yeah absolutely, while I believe gambling in those games is bad, gacha games should be treated the same way as online gambling.
Pokemon game corner shouldn't be something a young child gets to play.
Gacha games shouldn't be something a minor gets to play.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. They could easily reintroduce the gaming center to the series. Just revamp it into an arcade, and include the awesome mini games from Pokemon Stadium 1&2!
Update: to clarify, I'm thinking of making it like a Chuck e Cheese style arcade. You get tickets for winning the games, And take those to get prizes.
Also, my opinion: I don't mind if it's some minigame like Voltorb Flip, in fact there should be more minigames outside of the regular loop of catching and battling, gambling or not. Or at least more non-self-imposed stuff, let me do a whole run on doubles or triples or reverse or rotation battles.
as an aside, a lot of people seem to think age ratings are legally binding when that is largely not the case. The only reason everyone bothers is because most publishers or retailers require a rating, with the most obvious exception being Steam - who's only rating process seems to be whether something is marked for adults or not
Yeah, what usually happens is a government starts talking about regulating content, so big companies in the industry get together and say "Wait wait wait! We've created this rating board to label products so that kids don't see anything inappropriate! There's no need to regulate us!" Similarly, retailers will restrict sales based on ratings to avoid attracting government attention.
That's not to say that there are no laws restricting content in video games or who can buy what video games, just that often it's the video games industry itself that decides on rating criteria.
Using Steam in the US as an example, they can sell unrated games because Valve says they can. Games with "adult" content have to be marked as adult because Valve says so, and Valve uses its own criteria separate from the ESRB.
In theory, if Valve sold any game to anyone, first of all they'd likely run afoul of COPPA (short version: can't collect advertising data on anyone under 13). They might run afoul of some obscenity laws. And they'd likely prompt Congressional investigation and the creation of new laws regulating video game sales.
Basically, the ESRB and Valve's content guidelines both exist to preempt legislators from feeling the need to write laws regulating video game content and sales. The ESRB (and Valve) has been largely successful in the US, though industry groups (and Valve) have failed to do enough to prevent restrictive laws in some other countries.
Gambling facilities were in Pokémon since Red/Blue as the whole franchise was heavily inspired by Dragon Quest. Casinos have been a staple in Dragon Quest games since their early entries. In the same fashion as Pokémon, you can play minigames there and exchange coins for different prizes. I don't think Japan ever saw this as problematic since they "don't have casinos," but their own legal versions of gambling, pachinko parlors...which are still obviously creating a lot of gambling problems to this day, but are perceived differently anyway.
"it's not gambling if you can only win chips that can be exchanged instead of money"
Japanese law sometimes seem very complacent with massive loopholes like this. It's as if nobody cares either way and these antiquated and useless rules will just gather dust till the end of time.
@@volbla DQ is a toriyama product, of course every resource, legal or not, will be used to defend it.
@@JuanLeon-oe6xe Oh, if it wasn't clear i was talking about pachinko parlors :)
While getting rid of the casino style slot machines was definitely for the best, it's disappointing that the entire concept of a game corner was abandoned entirely.
Personally I would prefer to see something similar, but with mini games based on ticket machines from the old pizza arcades or carnivals.
@@EmeralBookwise We had these in the Gold Saucer in FF7.
Considering that Pokemon Stadium had some excellent Pokemon themed minigames, (and the extremely idiotic use of e-reader minigames in Gen 3...) I find it so strange that they never did something with this. What a way for niche Pokemon to find their use then in a minigame where only they can be used.
People are ignoring how Nintendo was never forced to remove the game corner, they simply prioritized the E rating over continuing with it. Sure one could make the argument that a teen rating for the game corner isn't valid, i certainly would make that case for the current 18 plus rating they would receive, but a recommendatory teen rating for slot machines is fine i think. At the end of the day this is a recommendatory rating, playing it earlier isn't illegal.
Also yeah all Gacha type games where you spend spend real money on gambling with lootboxes or anything of the sort should all be getting a full 18 plus rating and to be treated like actual gambling places.
Unfortunately, gacha and loot boxes dodge a lot of gambling laws on the technicality that you aren't gambling with and can't cash out for real money. They prey on the same tendencies as gambling to extract money from victims, but they are regulated completely differently.
Gambling in offline Pokemon games ❌
Lootbox keys for real money with tradeable rewards ✔
How are the ratings seemingly still made by people who bought their grand-son an Atari 2600
it is fake gambling whit fake money, but loot boxes and gachas whit real money is fine apparently.
Voltorb Flip is the single best feature of any Pokémon game
Don't forget Pokeathlon! ^^
Voltorb Flip and Pokeathlon were both so much fun ^^
Pity the Joyful Game Corner of FireRed, LeafGreen and Emerald are multiplayer options on top of requiring Wireless Adapter to function. Which means almost none of us will ever get to experience it. Let alone the intented way and in intended numbers.
I purged all memory of Voltorb Flip from my mind until you brought it up in this video.
There's definitely a pattern worth observing here with other JRPGs that gambling minigames are just kind of a tradition of the genre dating back to Dragon Quest.
They don't seem to think of gambling as a problem in Japan, which is certainly one of the takes of all time.
They use coins exchanged from money instead of direct money as a legal loophole.
"dragon" (ball) quest.
Of course they don't see the issue with it even if the arm was raised in a 45 degree angle.
Notably, Pokemon games don't actually have any of the legal ways to gamble in Japan: Horse races, bicycle races, and pachinko. My impression of the game corners is that they got their start as stand-ins for pachinko parlors. Gen 1, 2, 3, and 4 are all set in Japan after all, and the system of winning coins from slot machines then exchanging coins for prizes resembles how pachinko parlors operate.
17:35 And that, children, is one of the many reasons as to why gen 3 will never appear on Virtual Console or Nintendo Switch Online.
It can if they delete the gambling
@@shimotakanaki A Game Freak that slows the f*ck down and carefully goes back to a 20 years old code just to remove a feature?
In another dimension maybe.
@@The_D_ray They did just that with gen 1, so maybe it's not that far-fetched after all?
@@mokarokas-1727 You sure? The Nintendo site still says that it's PEGI 12 and features gambling.
My main issue with the lack of Game Corners in the latest releases is that they didn't really replace it with anything else that fills a similar purpose. Optional minigames are part of the DNA of JRPGs, and a welcome diversion from the core gameplay loop that can get fairly repetitive after a while. It would be fun if they could replace game corners with arcades so you could win prizes without any of the gambling association present.
it's really funny that for all the handwringing PEGI did about fake gambling, even as a kid i would just avoid the slots and roulettes in earlier games because, back then and now, i find random chance games boring. but with voltorb flip, once i understood how to play i was hooked and could NOT stop playing it!!! i would always ask my friends if they needed a TM so that i had an excuse to keep playing it over and over 😭 i'm so glad i'm not alone in my enjoyment of this minigame!
Timing of this video is great. Earlier today I was just thinking why do so many JRPGs have gambling mini games. Specifically remembering Pokemon because, you know, we're a literal child
UA-cam and Google are reading your mind buddy. Time to put on the tinfoil hat. I never leave without mine.
It's because of dragon quest
that's it
Man do I love being old enough for my childhood to become "bizarre history"
Funny they got rid of Gambling in the Mainline games but advertise Gacha Games such as Pokémon Go, New TCG game, Unite, Masters EX... Makes you stop and wonder don't it...
PEGI, ESRB, and the like are a joke...
Pokemon GO isn't a gacha
@@shimotakanakiIt incentives egg Pokemon, which have better stats than wild Pokemon.
@@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819 it cost nothing to hatch a pokemon
@@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819 You get the eggs for free, the only thing you could spent money on is the hatching things, but you always have a free one, so I don't see how it's bad. Just walk if you want to hatch the Pokemon fast, that bad, no need to buy more hatching devices ^^
Huh, this feels familiar...
There's a glitch in the Matrix...
Déjà vu.....
This comment's ironic as hell cuz this is my first time watching this video actually
Pokemon originally was aimed at more of a 'older kid/young teen' audience, the success of the anime really shifted that. It also just generally had different vibes, the switch in writing from Tajiri to Masuda in Gen 3 was notable in a ton of ways. Legendaries went from strong Pokemon with local legend to gods, the world stopped being OUR world, Gen 2 especially got a ton of changes in HGSS that retconned stuff like Eggs being newly discovered for the first time or those 100 species being previously unknown as that no longer worked in a Gen 3 onward lore context. The original Adventure Manga run is THE closest to Tajiri's vision and a casino is very fitting there. It's actually a bit darker then the games overall(most of the gym leaders are crooked and working with Team rocket).
There's a Japanese only Gen 1 lore book that's a delight to look at. A few weird random aspects of it cropped up later in FRLG or other areas people didn't notice. Most notably, Pokemon shrinking on their own and not because of something specific to the Pokeball(something Legends Arceus mentioned that upset a ton of people) was in that lore book(a guy ODed his Primeape on tranqs and it shrunk to fit in a glasses case). Nidoqueen being sterille is in the book and it's a reference to IRL Rhinos. But it also mentions real world spots like France and real animals and the Christian god that don't fit well in a Gen 3 onward canon, but fit VERY snuggly in that classic Tajiri lore. Other stuff like smokers using Charmanders to light up, it's mentioned there, some old card art shows it, seems weird now but fits the orginal vision.
Lyra: In gen 1 you HAVE to enter the Game Corner.
Me: *using the pokedoll to skip the Marowak*
The Poké Doll skip is patched out in Yellow Version if I remember correctly and invalid for the Any% Glitchless (Classic) speedrun.
@@reillywalker195Nope, it works in Yellow too! It was fixed for gen 3. And while a "glitchless" run doesn't allow glitches makes perfect sense, most people don't do speedruns, so...
Gambling for kids? Super Mario Bros. 2 had a slot game between levels to win 1-Ups
I miss the gambling in these games. I will *never* touch any form of irl gambling, but having stupid mini games to do on the side was nice. I never got to try out Voltorb flip sadly. I do miss the battle bingo and stuff from the GC game that had them (I can't remember which it was). I hope one day we get any form of mini game back, related to or unrelated to pokemons core gameplay, it doesn't mater. Just something on the side to do.
They really need to bring these back in the form of minigame and arcades. Some romhacks did that and it's so fucking good
Europe did not put the PEGI rating of 18 on one of the recent NBA titles from 2K as that game had simulated gambling in it, and it was in your face about it too, and completely ignored that and gave the game PEGI 3. Double standard!!
If Pokemon casino taught me anything, it's that gambling leads to poverty.
Reposting the comment of the old video here.
Even before everything happened, Australian Pokémon Crystal already kinda sorta censored the Game Corner... by leaving everything as it is except by changing the dialogue of all the NPCs inside to make them duller and less "wow I love gambling" than the other versions. This alteration is so obscure that not only the 3DS Virtual Console release ignored it and just gave Australians the same English script as other countries, but nobody noticed it until 2019.
Ill be honest the game corner actually made sure i never gamble with money as an adult. I noticed that the slots were unrewarding as they depended on luck so most othe times it was loss after loss and the pay out was slow, and purchasing directly was incovenient but not as much as gabling most of the time, in my case thats the message I got across. Then I understood the ties with team rocket and being from latam the real life analogue was so disgusting it killed for me. So its possible that migth be the intention
Didn't realise this got reup'd. Still wish that Game Corners can come back with less gambling and more arcade-esque minigames. Game Corner aesthetic is just too cool.
Gen 1 has also two different hidden modes in the slot machines:
Good Mode and Super Mode, which *usually* cannot happen at the same time.
Good Mode increases the chance of getting 15 coin prices by a lot (usually in normal/bad luck mode at best you get a cherry or the game just refuses to give you anything on purpose). This mode can be rarely triggered 60 times in a row, which gives overall a better payout than getting 777s or BARs... Which are impossible to obtain in this mode.
- Super Mode forces the machine to give more frequently 2 positions of BARs and 7s. It's also the *only* mode that allows you to even get 3 BARs and 777 in the first place.
If you hit 777, there's a 50% chance of dropping into bad luck mode (the standard). Triple BARs ends the mode instantly.
I know this is a technical issue, but I will always watch your videos. you do a great job and I always look forward to the next upload!
I keep thinking that Australia was the reason that the Game Corner gambling, so I was very confused to see us not mentioned!
Then I remembered that it wasn't Pokemon that Australia got up in arms about regarding introducing slot machines to kids: It was _Neopets._ A TV news fluff piece about their McDonald's toys spiraled to the point where it forced changes to the site itself. It was a couple years before gen 4 started scaling back the Game Corner, so I think I just assumed those two events were related.
They had to get rid of gambling because of ratings and they can create gacha games with the only downside of only a few countries not allowing those games because of the promotion of gambling towards children.
17:08 Oh no! Is THAT why the classic games never made it to Nintendo Switch Online? And all this time, I thought the obligatory Pokémon Home integration was holding them back…
Such a shame they axed the feature before we got Mr Mime blackjack or ponyta horse betting. Or just betting on simulated pokemon battels.
The possibilities for pokemon casino games are truly endless.
Special shoutout to the Netherlands and Belgium for banning Pokemon Unite because of gambling
I adored the Diamond/Pearl Game Corner. The slots there with Clefairy mechanic were not that bad, allowing you to accumulate coins pretty fast. Just gotta know that when the moon gets red, you must not listen to Clefairy and fail, that makes it stay for another round of free coins.
Don't care for re-upload.
Finally another quality video ❤
Love your vids truly. Binged them when I found the channel.
15:00 Started to play HeartGold recently and I have more V-Flip hours than actual gameplay hours, it is so fun and addicting
FRLG was my favorite. Always the the Triple 7 with the cherries to make a Z formation consistantly.
I love these little mechanic videos from Lyra! Hope you have been well!
They never should have removed it.
There's a little missing detail: You know how in the previous three generations you could at least buy the coins? Well, the European version of HGSS doesn't even let you do that, so you're stuck playing Voltorb Flip for a long time considering the steeper TM prices (Flamethrower/Thunderbolt/Ice Beam are 10k each btw).
You say having to play Voltorb Flip for a long time like it's a bad thing. ;)
@@mokarokas-1727 I do like it until the literal 50/50 guess destroys my progress and I have to grind from like 30 ccoins to get a 10000 coins item.
@@elneco4654 Well, if it was any easier they would have to set the price to 50 000 instead.
The comparison of pegi to esrb looks a little more like this
Most e for everyone games are either 7 or 3
Most e10+ games are 12s
T games are either 16 or 18
M games are generally 18 (occasionally 16)
Ao games are always 18
So pegi is a bit less lenient than the esrb and hence was the bane of my existence growing up.
Edit: thanks vengir
You forgot about M games, which are also generally rated as 18. ESRB's Ao rating is a pretty rare rating, at least in the mainstream releases.
1:22 In Brazil is Cassino, not Casino, and believe, in Brazilian Portuguese, just one more S changes de enunciation a lot.
Well thank goodness the innocent youth have been saved the horrible act of silly slot machines with fictitious money.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll have to go back to the annual EA sport release full of lootboxes, micro transactions and casino mechanics that uses actual real money on game of chance.
Cause that's okay and will get a 3/E rating no problem
And that’s why we are not going to see Pokémon games on switch virtual consoles… unless they make GB, GBA and NDS +18 like they did with N64… damn pegi
i can't believe you made a video about competitive pokemon.
I love how there's always a glitch mentioned in every video xD I had no idea that there were coins stuck in the same tile as a slot machine so you can't pick it up. Typical pokemon moment lol
fans wonder why GF doesn't release old titles on the switch and it's literally just because of gambling
Now it's just in Go in the form of incubators.
In fr&lg, remember to do the nugget Bridge exploit.
I don’t really mind the removal of the Game Corner. Past gen 1, it never really felt like the rewards were worth engaging with the place; Sinnoh’s is the most rewarding on the gambling side of things, but the rewards are way too expensive and way too negligible for a casual play through. My only real grievance is that they didn’t repurpose the theme music from Hoenn’s for the Mauville Food Court in ORAS.
I still remember the disappointment I felt after spending all that time grinding to get the cool sounding “porygon”… 😂
Could have a game corner that just does more skill-based games. Just like the memory puzzle in pokemon amie. Do a flappy bird clone. Reward coins based on performance. Lots of possible minigames that could be included in a way like this.
I absolutely hated Voltorb flip: it takes forever, you can't buy coins and it's just absolutely boring. Thankfully I can just use save states on emulator to spend as little time as possible with it.
Love your content. Gives me an injection of equal parts knowledge and nostalgia
I'll be honest here in saying that I hated that they replaced the slots with Voltorb flip in HGSS as I just frankly didn't find Voltorb Flip very fun, so learning now that the slots still existed in the JP versions of HGSS came as a shock and makes me a tad bit jealous of the JP players who got what I had looked forward to back in the day.
It wasn’t just Pokémon. There were companies who just made literal gambling simulators that date back to the 80s. Some were made to advertise Vegas casinos like the Caesar’s Palace games and the Golden Nugget games. While others were basically gambling themed RPGs like Casino Kid or Vegas Stakes. It’s weird because many of these games were released after the creation of the ESRB and when you buy these games for the PlayStation (which has the widest library of games within this genre) almost all of them are rated E. Meanwhile later games of this nature have T ratings or even M ratings. Nowadays gambling simulator games are never released due to even the ESRB having high standards for simulated gambling these days.
Replacing the gambling with other minigames like Voltorb Flip was the best move out of what they did.
Shame they never thought to bring in a spiritual successor to the Casio's in the forme of Arcades.
7:18 a yes back when Mauville was still outside,also BOOOOOING
Such a thoughtful video. Great idea and very well done.
FireRed and Leafgreen had good game corners for one reason alone: the games weren't chance, the slot machines were a test of skill to see if you could properly time stopping the reels.
Since it was omitted, incase anyone cares: The Australian versions of DP/Pt kept the slot machines, despite being based on the European version and having PEGI ratings on the box. I know cause I have a copy of each.
Edit: Grabbed my copies and double checked. All three have both PEGI and Australian Ratings Board notices on the boxes. Despite this, the actual ROMs are all the north american ROMs with ESRB notices on bootup.
Any time you click Hydro Pump or Fire Blast you are gambling. Any time you throw a pokeball, you are gambling.
Oh, I was just watching and the video got removed, heyo I'm back
I found my people in this video. Die hard Pokemon fan AND I work in the gambling industry and none of my colleagues understand the parallels you can draw between both concepts.
I was thinking about the Game Corner not too long ago and wondered "How would you make it, well, child-friendly?" And the solution is simple: Do what was done in Emerald, FRLG, and HGSS and replace them with minigames. Especially since Nintendo is no stranger to these kinda of locations in video games. For example, in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the Pianta Parlor in Rougeport has a matching game as well as four minigames that can be accessed by receiving the Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Special Cards respectfully, which are obtained as reward for completing four different Troubles. The minigames however require the abilities obtained from the black chests. And while the Pianta Parlor also has slot machines (a total of two), they aren't as important compared to the other games. Not that they matter anyway since they're exclusive to the GameCube version (surprise surprise).
Now, if the Game Corner were to return, what kind of minigames would it have? Here's the ones I thought of:
- A card flip game similar to that in Gen 2.
- Voltorb Flip-type of game.
- A Magikarp minigame where you jump over obstacles. Basically something among the lines of Magikarp's Splash from Pokemon Stadium. (can be played in multiplayer; Online, Local, Co-op, and against CPUs)
- A launching minigame where you launch a Pokemon and see how far it can go.
- A matching game of sorts.
- A pinball game. (which is mainly just an excuse to bring back Pokemon Pinball or at the very least make an in-game version of it)
- A running game where you try to get as far as possible. Kinda like Run, Rattata, Run from Pokemon Stadium. (can be played in multiplayer)
Edit: Forgot to mention this, but having Pokemon gacha game like Pokemon Masters (or I guess rather Pokemon Masters EX) is okay. But a Game Corner with slot machines? Nope! Can't have that! It's too much!
If anyone here can think of any others, just leave a comment.
Doesn’t matter if it’s HGSS or Pokemon Reborn. I’ve played Voltorb Flip for hours on end! That game is so addictive!
Man i wish in the later games, they had an arcade-like place with a few minigames instead of the casino game corners. Especially in ORAS, let’s go P/E, and BDSP
Gotta love in game slots using in game money = 18+
Random, heavily obscured and scewed lootboxed that cost real life money = not gambling
In a similar vein, PEGI's updated rules has labeled Balatro 18+ despite having no real gambling elements, it's just a rougelike with playing cards. And yet, any gacha game with micro-transactions is completely kid-friendly.
I despise Voltorb Flip. I never managed to do it.
There is are definitions of the words game, gamer, and gaming that refer to gambling.
My problem with the removal of the casinos is that - Voltorb Flip aside - it's been replaced with nothing. Just like so many other Pokemon features, the effort is just simply not put in any more.
the first attempt to remove gambling dialouge from English versions actually happened with Australian Crystal! Though I can't remember if it was the 1.0 or 1.1 copy where they started doing it.
One thing is there were casinos in child game, but these were casinos WITH LIVESTOCK ANIMALS AS PRIZES. Even our world is so f*** up to allow such things (at least legal ones)
They honestly could've changed the Game Corners into Arcades.
Would've loved more games like Voltorb Flip, with insane music.
A note about the Sinnoh slot machines is that when the clefairy shows up the music is replaced by some extremely repetitive garbage 😞(oh yeah and it also shows which slot to stop if you want to win so you're going to want the clefairy to win coins (Also also the shiny chance for clefairy seems wayyyyy higher than normal))
Let’s go gambling!
Aw dang it!
Aw dang it!
Aw dang it!
Aw dang it!
It's wild to me that cartoonish references to real world gambling machines are too adult, but the game core loop involves mechanics that are totally just gambling and that's a-ok. Not to mention trading card booster packs.
Pokemon by design promotes gambling. That's not a problem, but having a casino is
Life is gambling. It’s just that most governments don’t like when money is involved.
A reupload ha? I’m rewatching!