"Criticism =/= Toxicity"

Being critical of something is not toxic. It's a fundamental right which consumers have.Now, I want to be very clear about something: I'm not saying there aren't any people within the community who have crossed the line. It's the internet, and the Pokemon community is massive. Of course there's going to be some idiots who don't know the difference between being critical and being a jerk. Directly messaging individual employees rather than the company as a whole, personal insults, threats... anything like that is unacceptable, regardless of who is doing it.At the same time, there are legitimate concerns that people have about the games, and those concerns are important to us. We're concerned about things like the removal of features like the ability to transfer Pokemon from previous generations after beating the game, the complete removal of fan-favorite Pokemon like Infernape and Dragonite, or the ability to turn off the EXP Share. We're worried about things like a general lack of polish shown in certain areas of the game. We're worried about the long list of excuses which Game Freak have provided, none of which really stand up to scrutiny.It's not that people don't want to use new Pokemon, or don't want change. It's that Game Freak seems to be intentionally limiting player choice, while at the same time offering little of value in the way of new improvements to make up for the removal of what many consider to be key features.If I decide I want to import a level 5 Dratini to us as my "starter" for my 4th playthrough of Pokemon Sword & Shield, why should I no longer have that option? If I decide that the regular game isn't challenging enough for me and want to disable the EXP Share, why should I no longer have that option?You have to realize that some of us have been dreaming of a main-series Pokemon game on home console since we were little kids. Some of us had high expectations (perhaps even too high). To see Sword & Shield be "just another pretty standard Pokemon title" (and that's being generous) is disappointing, especially since they're now $60 instead of $40.Game Freak is a company. They are responsible for one of the largest video game series in existence, and they already get away with lots of stuff that other companies would get absolutely lambasted for (like releasing two versions of the game with extremely minor differences, and then re-releasing essentially the same game a year later again at full price). There's a sizable portion of the Pokemon community that feel like the games have gone somewhat downhill beginning around Gen 6. The whole Dexit/SwSh thing is just the tipping point for frustrations that people have had for years. And on top of all that, Game Freak has not exactly handled the situation very well.If you don't care about the stuff that other people are criticizing, that's fine. I sincerely hope you enjoy the games. But don't try to go telling other people that they're wrong to criticize the games, either. Game Freak does not get a free pass from criticism just "because Pokemon." We're not being given these games for free, and we as consumers have the right to voice our concerns. via /r/pokemon https://ift.tt/2CIwfOb