No one seems to understand that voice acting would ruin Pokemon (for players like me)

Every now and then I see a comment or a colleague who thinks so Pokémon need voice acting. They claim so Pokemon wind and waves need voice acting when Gen 10 finally drops at least. And every time I hear this it almost feels like a slap in the face. I have played Pokémon since I was 5 years old, and never once in the 25+ years since, has any type of acting meant to me (for Pokémon games anyway). In fact, I think it might be one of the few things that could ruin the franchise for me.

Let's get some caveats out of the way real quick: yes, I'm aware that if Pokemon wind and waves introducing voice acting, I can just turn the volume down all the way. That's exactly what I intend to do if that happens. I definitely agree with that Pokémon games without voice acting shouldn't have cutscenes that require voice acting, ie Gen 8's awkward singing scene with Piers. And I've never played on my Nintendo Switch docked. I love the Switch as a handheld and love it for people who want the hybrid functionality, but I don't care for that feature.

Finally, I think my experience is important here. I've always read at higher levels and incredibly fast, which I partially attribute to my experience playing Pokemon yellow when I learned to read. I was the child who played Pokémon and hid my Game Boy Advance under my pillow at night so my mom couldn't hear I was up past my bedtime. But all of this is to say, while I'm aware that my opinion is colored by all of this to some degree, I still think that the voice acting would fundamentally change and potentially ruin, Pokémon games and what they offer for gamers like me.

Voice acting affects everything about the Pokemon world

Let's put my obvious opinions aside. I think to read the aspect of Pokémon makes it super valuable for younger kids, and as a dad, that might mean more to me than you. Introducing voice acting would drastically change Pokemon's evolution, adding new stages and phases and extending the time between main games. As one of the few franchises that can release games consistently, I don't see why another step should be added to the series. It works, and I'm a big proponent of: “if it ain't broke, why fix it?” Beyond these simple aspects, there are many deeper questions.

Red, Blue & Professor Oak stand in Oak's Lab in Pokemon Red & Blue versions

Everything in game development is a compromise. Time and resources spent on VO recording, localization, audio implementation, and so on are resources not spent improving animations, smarter AI, world density, and post-game content for a Pokemon game – all areas where the games are already inconsistent and where I'd prefer improvement and more resources spent overall.

It immediately breaks the player's projection

Pokémon is not a choice-heavy game, but who the player character is becomes a projection of each child and player who steps into their shoes. Giving them a voice breaks that projection in the same way as Fallout 4 fans weren't happy with a voiced protagonist. They may not be completely blank protagonists, but they are enough that players can project onto them. Now you might be thinking, well, silence the protagonist and vote for everyone else. It also creates big problems.

Some popular ones Pokémon characters appear in both games and anime, and while the anime doesn't break immersion, it's not really a problem with average NPCs, gym leaders, etc. Players lose the “voice in my head” aspect of Pokémon game with voice acting.

Pokemon Dialogue is…something

Pokemon dialogue is good for learning to read, yes, but it's not like it's classic literature or a well-written story.

“I'm too young for math,” says a child in Pokemon sun and moon
“I may be bad and stupid, but I'm serious about Pokemon” – another zinger from Pokemon sun and moon
“Pokemon with cool knees are so cool!” is a line that should never have a voice
“It's like my Rattata is in the highest percentage of Rattatas,” thanks to Youngster Joey.

It is without even elucidating how Pokémon games, like good animated movies, hide jokes for adults that kids hopefully won't get. Pokemon Legends: ZA NPCs make some wild comments about Pokeballs, and there's the classic Pokemon black and white swimmer remark about a “women's secret”. These lines need not be voiced or spoken to children.

The obvious answer to that is, yes, make the writing better, make the translations better, and cut the jokes, but they're an iconic part of the experience. While that is the choice, we immediately circle back to how this could extend development time with extra translations and quality checks. What's good in a text box can be worse when you're in a spoken line. Already many older Pokemon fans find the games too easy…and voice acting would only highlight the painfully childish parts of the series.

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen - the final battle against Blue-1

Scold, Scold, Scold

I love barking in video games, but turn based battles Pokémon games do not need to be read aloud. That would be hell considering Pokemon can only use four moves in battle. The obvious answer here is, well, don't give voice actors lines to fight. But if we don't need that because of how repetitive it would be…I again point to the simplified dialogue in Pokémon games…which are almost certainly repetitive to some extent. I would assume that scolding and voice lines wouldn't be given to Pokemon, but it's even more terrifying, even nightmare fuel. Some Pokemon have basic sounds and stuff, or rarely say their name like Pikachu, but the limited implementation already works. Pushing more is pushing an envelope to push an envelope.

VO would change everything about Pokemon stories

Not even the best Pokémon the game will ever win an award for best narrative in the industry, but it is not meant to be. It's childhood splendor. It's nostalgia. They are funny and cool creatures. I would even argue that most texts in Pokémon games have always been designed to be skimable, not necessarily to be read by more experienced readers. But throw the acting into mere cutscenes, and the self-directed pace of cutscenes is over, tutorials change forever, and replays become more painful. There may be development tricks to mitigate these risks, but give-and-take would make for a less holistic game.

world's greatest pikachu side quest in pokemon legends za-1

Pokemon just don't need it

At the end of the day, I think the possible disadvantages of Pokémon voice acting far outweighs the benefits. At the end of the day, Pokémon is one of the largest franchising companies in the world, and any noticeable attempt to do something cheap – which some have criticized Pokemon Legends: ZAs budget and shortcomings — should be criticized. But adding more money and more time to voice acting wouldn't do any better Pokémon game, it would do different. And I don't think otherwise Pokémon game, at least in this regard, is what is best for the franchise.

It didn't become one of the biggest franchises in the world but at least decent resource management and the ability to prioritize. Maybe it has experimented too much at times and played it too safe at other times, but the priority has always been about what the games need, what the new generation needs and what to give the players. I just don't see voice acting as a priority, far from it actually.