>>36548220To me the games won't be dead so long as I still enjoy the community built around them.
Even the worst Pokemon games have been kino experiences to me. Gen 7 was the first time I felt a huge disconnect but I still enjoyed the hype cycle and discussing the countless 'leaks' with others. Gen 7 shit as it was also gave us great fuel for fanart, comics, R34s, fanfics and memes.
Those first few weeks where everyone is still figuring everyhting out, where we discusss our teams, post images of little easter eggs we find and discuss the lore/story are still great for me. Hell, just fucking around with people in /vp/ is entertaining.
Pokemon is no longer the amazing franchise about which my life used to revolve around. That's soulcrushing for me, but at least I still feel a sense of belonging towards it's world. It remains my ultimate escapist fantasy.