Yesterday, The Pokémon Company surprised the internet with the launch of an official Pokémon forum. The new community is intended to bring trainers from all around the world together to discuss all things Pokémon, including anime, video games, and the TCG (among others).
It’s theorized that this may be in response to the recent Reddit drama that’s seen many subreddits lock their doors, as at least their own forum gives The Pokémon Company a chance to take the pulse of the fandom.
But perhaps they should have put a firmer moderation system in place, as immediately after opening the doors, the forums were hit by a wave of sicko trolls doing what they do best:
Most of these topics seem to have already been deleted, though we’re sure at least a few slipped through the cracks. The forums’ official rules prohibit “foul language or inappropriate themes,” insisting:
Pokémon is for everyone! We want to make sure everyone feels welcome, and that means keeping content clean, inclusive, and for all ages.
The traditional internet forum has been practically erased by the twin steamroller of Reddit and Twitter, though with both those platforms apparently having slapped the “self-destruct” button in recent months, perhaps the time is right for “forums culture” to make a comeback.
But in this specific case, we’re gobsmacked The Pokémon Company didn’t see the trolls coming. If a quarter century plus of the internet has taught us anything, it’s that any unmoderated vacuum will quickly be filled by people you really don’t want associated with your family-friendly all-ages franchise.
Published: Jul 5, 2023 08:36 am