GamesAdventurePokemonPokemon CrystalVeteran Pokemon developer explains how a single question in Pokemon Crystal led to a major Gen 2 challengeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesAdventurePokemonPokemon CrystalVeteran Pokemon developer explains how a single question in Pokemon Crystal led to a major Gen 2 challengeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)
A veteran Pokemon developer has revealed how a single line in Pokemon Crystal made his life a lot more difficult - but explained that getting things right was a matter of personal pride.
In a recent tweet, Nob Ogasawara, who worked as a translator on almost every major Pokemon game from Red and Blue all the way to Platinum, said that a line right at the start of Crystal offered a substantial challenge.
So, I had to do workarounds since I couldn’t use gender-specific pronouns for the protag.So: “What’s that pipsqueak doing here?““The little squirt’s tough!“When Yellow (?) added a tagalong Pokemon, “they” became an option.The things people don’t see behind the scenes.May 20, 2024
So, I had to do workarounds since I couldn’t use gender-specific pronouns for the protag.So: “What’s that pipsqueak doing here?““The little squirt’s tough!“When Yellow (?) added a tagalong Pokemon, “they” became an option.The things people don’t see behind the scenes.May 20, 2024
According to Ogasawara, that question was evidence of how Nintendo was taking steps to open up to female players. But his elation at that realization was quickly undone when he realized that “there’s no gender-specific text.” That meant that there was no way to easily code in a gendered pronoun (‘he’ or ‘she’) depending on what option the player had chosen.
That meant that words like ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘him’, or ‘her’ didn’t fit in the game, meaning that Ogasawara “had to do workarounds” every time another character referred to the protagonist. That partially explains why words like ‘squirt’ and ‘pipsqueak’ are used to refer to the player so often throughout some of these games. Ogasawara also explained how in the earliest days of Pokemon, even the word ‘they’ wasn’t an option - it was only once Pikachu turned up as a “tagalong” Pokemon that it fitted.
Ogasawara notes that all of this is “the sort of thing most people don’t even notice,” and that that’s fine with him - “as long as people don’t trip over grammatical boobs and can breeze through the text without annoyance, I’ve done my job.” That said, it was a point of professional pride to get this kind of thing right - “I could’ve easily half-assed things and the paymasters would’ve likely eaten such output happily, but I’d’ve known I could’ve done better - and worse my translation moots would have known it too.”
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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1
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”