The slots are based upon Smeargle's drawing of the icons and its mood. These moods have an affect on the Game Corner and on the icons you can match. They change based on how much you win or lose against the Slot Machine. Green Background: Everything. All of my art is about immersing myself in fictional worlds. Even as a small child I was making my own Pokemon cards and stories. I’d draw made up Pokemon maps, make pretend wanted posters for Star Wars characters, craft Lord of the Rings weapons like bows and arrows with elvish writing on them, make Harry Potter wands and pretend shopping lists for Diagon Alley and homework for.
Non-Japanese Version
The Game Corner - Voltorb Flip Outside of Japan, the Game Corner got completely replaced. All slot machines were removed but replaced with a special game, the Voltorb Flip. In addition to this, the coin exchange has been removed so you can no longer purchase the coins in order to play the game. This game is a low risk game and works in a similar means to MineSweeper & Picross You get given a small game board with 25 tiles in it. Your task here is to get multipliers. Intermixed with the multipliers are Voltorb tiles. However, on the sides, you get told how many Voltorbs are within the row and columns. As you get each multiplier on each board, you progress up a level. Each level has further Voltorb cards and less, but more powerful multipliers are placed. You have the ability to put notes of what you think the tile may be, so you have a reminder of what a Voltorb card may be. This makes it easier for you to get the coins you need to get the prizes. |
Japanese Version
The Game Corner - Slots The Game Corner has bween present in all games since the inception of Pokémon. In Heart Gold & Soul Silver however, it is found in two locations; Goldenrod City & Celadon City. The game however, remains the same and to use it, you need the Coin Case and some coins. You can buy some to get you started from the counter; 50 Coins for 1000 and 500 for 10000. Like previous games, you place one coin into the machine and you start running slots. Your task is to get three icons in a row at any point, diagonally or horizontally. There are six different icons for you to get and the price is dependant on them. The prizes are as follows:
However, the values may differ depending on the Machine. Specifically one in Goldenrod next to the gentleman in the middle on Sunday Mornings and one next to the large man in Celadon Game Corner | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Backgrounds The slots are based upon Smeargle's drawing of the icons and its mood. These moods have an affect on the Game Corner and on the icons you can match. They change based on how much you win or lose against the Slot Machine Green Background: Everything is normal and it is the first background you will see | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bonus Mode The Bonus mode is activated when you obtain 3 7s or 3 Pokéballs. In this Bonus Mode, you have to match up pictures of the starter Pokémon of Johto (Chikorita, Cyndaquil & Totodile). You have 8 tries to do this, and you get told the Pokémon you are to get. Usually, the machine will give you one or two of the slides and you have to stop the other one with perfect timing to win the prize The prizes begin at 20 coins and progessively go up as you succeed more. The speed of the slots also increase to create a further challenge. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prizes Both of the Game Corners have a Prize area where you can exchange your coins for a variety of prizes varying from TMs to Hold Items and even Pokémon Goldenrod Game Corner TMs
Items
Pokémon
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Celadon Game Corner TMs
Items
Pokémon
|
Pokemon advocates gambling. Children as young as four had access to slot machines where coins could be staked with the promise of increased returns. In a society where underage gambling is seen as unethical, we ask how Nintendo ever got away with it.
Pikachu, the face of the not so family friendly game!
The innocent Pikachu. The smiling face of a game that advocates gambling!
Imagine returning home from work to find your child had lost all their money gambling. Today that would be impossible, never mind unthinkable. Unfortunately, during the golden era of Pokemon the feelings of loss and dread usually reserved for a select few could have been felt by children all across the world. Before anybody makes any assumptions we’re not talking about real cash, but the in-game currency used to assist players in their travels. Players would collect coins as they progressed through Pokemon and were used to purchase poke balls, potions and other pieces of equipment. Without coins, completing the game was nigh-on impossible — especially as enhanced poke balls, which captured high-level pokemon, had to be bought from the store. Sadly, if they lost all their cash, the once enjoyable experience soon became an uphill battle.
Pokemon Go is the latest iteration of the popular video game
It’s not like the slots were purely for fun either. No, it was fashioned like a regular Vegas-style slot machine each with identifiable symbols and very specific payouts. It may have been different if, for example, the players regularly won and prizes were completely random, but they weren’t. Throughout the series the slot machines, much like any modern Vegas slot, used the number seven as the highest paying symbol, with a main prize of 300 coins. This gave the children something to associate reward with, much like Pavlov’s dogs, or Skinner’s rats. From initial thoughts of ‘imagine all the poke balls I could buy with my winnings’ to more nefarious thoughts down the line such as ‘imagine how much cash I could win’, instilling gambling in the young was certainly a risky strategy.
300 coins, we’re sure, is a prize that could constitute as a legitimate reason to carry on playing in the mind of the old, especially when they lacked the mental capacity to understand that enough is enough. Furthermore, identifiable Pokemon also had a part to play as they starred as slot symbols, further associating Pokemon — a kid’s game — with gambling. By using the cheerful happy faces on their monster companions it may have reduced the overall importance of what they getting were involved in. Much like hooking ducks or shooting coconuts appears to be a harmless, yet if done over and over again could become a serious problem.
Due to this, the slot element of the game was banned in South Korea. This was likely due to gambling being illegal in Korea, but it soon set the precedent for other countries to consider the same stance. Not long after this the UK, along with various other countries followed suit after PEGI adapted classification standards.
Fortunately though, it seems that the gambling element didn’t strike a chord with the youth of yesteryear, but it does go to show that even the most innocent of games can have side-games which are geared to an adult audience. Video games have often come under scrutiny for their somewhat inappropriate themes; Bully, for example, was one that came under extreme scrutiny for advocating child violence. Call of Duty has also come under immense pressure to tone down the gore; while games such as Viva Pinata — where players were tasked with building their own pinata farm — was criticised for its violent undertones when children had to smash open their livestock to provide candy for other animals.
Pokemon Slot Machine
Either way, it’s not what you’d expect from a childhood favourite like Pokemon. With the recent rise of Pokemon Go, are we going to see a revival of the in-game poke-slot? Who knows, but we hope not! Either way, be wary because you don’t really know what goes into these games!