Pokemon fever has hit our household, as it can in even the best of families. For those readers who have been in solitary confinement for the last decade, Pokemon is a collectible card game with hundreds of little creatures that “evolve” from one bodily form to the next. The word “evolution” gets tossed around early and often.
Weirdly, I happen to invest a lot of time thinking about how to explain actual biological evolution to little kids. The result? My kids are world-class experts on the epic, shattering, and inevitable smackdown between Pokemon evolution and biological evolution.
And now, into the wrestling ring with my 10-year-old:
Mom: How much do you love Pokemon?
Son: A lot. Two kilothinks.* They have cool pictures and you can do a lot of things with them. I really get addicted to these kinds of games, and a lot of the kids in my class like Pokemon too.
Mom: What do you think about evolution? What is it?
Son: Evolution is when a creature’s body adapts to the environment surrounding it in a slow period of time. One creature might have a baby that was more adapted to its environment. So that creature would survive long enough to have babies. And its babies would either have better adaptability than that creature or worse adaptability. Through the years, every species would evolve to have whatever the first one had.
Mom: And what is evolution in Pokemon?
Son: When one of the creatures changes to be more powerful. It’s sort of the same concept except without the environment, and it happens in two snaps of a finger.
Mom: Is Pokemon evolution teaching kids about biological evolution?
Son: I don’t think so. Biological evolution is when a creature adapts to its surroundings, while Pokemon evolution is when a creature adapts to nothing in particular so that it can knock out other creatures.
Mom: There’s another big difference I’m thinking of too.
Son: Um….what!?
Mom: Pokemon evolution happens to individuals and real evolution happens to populations.
Son: Oh, RIGHT! Write that down!
There you have it folks. Straight from the next generation: Pokemon evolution has nothing to do with biological evolution!
Pokemon is SMACKED DOWN!
* A “think” is a unit of measure expressing how much mental energy or excitement something generates. Pokemon = 2 kilothinks. New book about monsters = 5 thinks. Cleaning out the cat litter = 1.5 microthinks.
My 9 year old and I have had very similar conversations. He’s also waiting anxiously for the release of the newest Pokemon Black & White games.
Ask him what any of the critters in Pokemon can do and he will answer with encyclopedic accuracy but ask him about biological evolution and he’ll sit there thinking for a minute and usually answer with “Isn’t that where that Darwin guy says animals get used to the place they live a little bit at a time?” and I’ll leave it at that for him until he wants to know more details.:)
My 9 year old and I have had very similar conversations. He’s also waiting anxiously for the release of the newest Pokemon Black & White games.
Ask him what any of the critters in Pokemon can do and he will answer with encyclopedic accuracy but ask him about biological evolution and he’ll sit there thinking for a minute and usually answer with “Isn’t that where that Darwin guy says animals get used to the place they live a little bit at a time?” and I’ll leave it at that for him until he wants to know more details.:)
Have you tried Phylo? It’s a trading-card game (like Pokemon) but it’s based on real animals and plants. The best part is that it’s open source so new cards are being created all the time, and it’s (practically) free (if you have a printer).
Here’s a link: http://phylogame.org/cards/
Have you tried Phylo? It’s a trading-card game (like Pokemon) but it’s based on real animals and plants. The best part is that it’s open source so new cards are being created all the time, and it’s (practically) free (if you have a printer).
Here’s a link: http://phylogame.org/cards/
Wirehedd: Sounds like your 9-year-old is actually ahead of the game in terms of evolution knowledge!
Mulried: Oh. My. God. PHYLO! Thank you SO much for the reference. I’ve been thinking about trying to do something like this through my business, but it’s very daunting. So fabulous that somebody’s doing it!
Wirehedd: Sounds like your 9-year-old is actually ahead of the game in terms of evolution knowledge!
Mulried: Oh. My. God. PHYLO! Thank you SO much for the reference. I’ve been thinking about trying to do something like this through my business, but it’s very daunting. So fabulous that somebody’s doing it!
I run a pokémon fansite, and I work with kids a lot as I run a local league as well. However, I am a paleontologist by trade (currently pursuing my Masters) partly thanks to pokémon. The game presents itself in a very scientific way in some cases (despite the obvious misuse of the word evolution) in that it requires kids to go out an collect specimens (capture pokemon) to learn about them.
On the concept of pokémon evolution, it’s not a truly evolution.. but to say it’s simply a mode to over power other pokémon is also incorrect. Pokémon evolution is more akin to the real process of metamorphosis. In this concept, animals have a juvenile, a pupa or middle stage, and then the adult stage… for example Caterpillar -> Pupa (Cacoon) -> Butterfly. Many pokémon exhibit this exact type of growth like Pichu -> Pikachu -> Raichu. So in other words, the pokémon (animal) is simply becoming more mature rather than evolving.
Other pokémon don’t follow this trend, for example a Mawile is a pokémon that doesn’t evolve. In tradition terms of evolution, that means it should go extinct… however in pokémon terms.. it just means that juvenile and adult forms of this pokémon are the same.. it doesn’t have stages.. a real work example would be like lizards. Baby lizards are identical to adult lizards outside of size.
Anyway, hope that clears some stuff up.
I run a pokémon fansite, and I work with kids a lot as I run a local league as well. However, I am a paleontologist by trade (currently pursuing my Masters) partly thanks to pokémon. The game presents itself in a very scientific way in some cases (despite the obvious misuse of the word evolution) in that it requires kids to go out an collect specimens (capture pokemon) to learn about them.
On the concept of pokémon evolution, it’s not a truly evolution.. but to say it’s simply a mode to over power other pokémon is also incorrect. Pokémon evolution is more akin to the real process of metamorphosis. In this concept, animals have a juvenile, a pupa or middle stage, and then the adult stage… for example Caterpillar -> Pupa (Cacoon) -> Butterfly. Many pokémon exhibit this exact type of growth like Pichu -> Pikachu -> Raichu. So in other words, the pokémon (animal) is simply becoming more mature rather than evolving.
Other pokémon don’t follow this trend, for example a Mawile is a pokémon that doesn’t evolve. In tradition terms of evolution, that means it should go extinct… however in pokémon terms.. it just means that juvenile and adult forms of this pokémon are the same.. it doesn’t have stages.. a real work example would be like lizards. Baby lizards are identical to adult lizards outside of size.
Anyway, hope that clears some stuff up.
I wrote up a little something about the science in pokémon as someone who both pursues science as a career and someone who plays the Pokémon games.
http://team-knockout.blogspot.com/2010/11/science-of-pokemon-how-far-off-is-it.html
I wrote up a little something about the science in pokémon as someone who both pursues science as a career and someone who plays the Pokémon games.
http://team-knockout.blogspot.com/2010/11/science-of-pokemon-how-far-off-is-it.html
I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here. The sketch is attractive, your authored material stylish. nonetheless, you command get got an shakiness over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come more formerly again as exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this increase.
I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here. The sketch is attractive, your authored material stylish. nonetheless, you command get got an shakiness over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come more formerly again as exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this increase.
nice item GeekMom » Blog Archive » SMACKDOWN! Pokemon Evolution vs. Biological Evolution kqyupnsfkerizv, http://formspring.me/jakejames87 – kim kardashian free sex tapes perfect, msgjqtkqripizn.
nice item GeekMom » Blog Archive » SMACKDOWN! Pokemon Evolution vs. Biological Evolution kqyupnsfkerizv, http://formspring.me/jakejames87 – kim kardashian free sex tapes perfect, msgjqtkqripizn.
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I’ve truly enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again soon!
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I’ve truly enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again soon!
Fantastic piece of writing together with convenient that will understand story. How do That i set about gaining agreement that will put up part within the article in doing my coming bulletin? Offering good credit ranking to your any source together with weblink into the web page will not manifest as a challenge.
Fantastic piece of writing together with convenient that will understand story. How do That i set about gaining agreement that will put up part within the article in doing my coming bulletin? Offering good credit ranking to your any source together with weblink into the web page will not manifest as a challenge.
This web site can simply feel life. Appreciate all you’ve got created on this. I will certainly carry on coming back to browse really your work.
This web site can simply feel life. Appreciate all you’ve got created on this. I will certainly carry on coming back to browse really your work.
….
….
It’s appropriate time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I have read this post and if I could I wish to suggest you some interesting things or tips. Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read even more things about it!
It’s appropriate time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I have read this post and if I could I wish to suggest you some interesting things or tips. Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read even more things about it!
I see that you’re making use of Word press against your site, word press is the foremost.Wi
I see that you’re making use of Word press against your site, word press is the foremost.Wi
hello i stumbled onto your site seeking around the web. I wanted to inform a person I prefer the design of issues around right here. Continue the good work will save for sure.
hello i stumbled onto your site seeking around the web. I wanted to inform a person I prefer the design of issues around right here. Continue the good work will save for sure.