In some ways I agree they are pretty different, but fixating too much on particularities while glossing over core mechanics is a bit strange. We have space for a plethora of FPSs and action games of different styles, why are turn-based RPGs dismissed like this on a regular basis? Every gen or so we have yet another reminder that, yes, people do still like RPGs.
Baldur’s Gate may not have all ages cutesy characters, but D&D-style fantasy has its own appeal.
There’s definitely some overlap. Almost all D&D players have played at least one pokemon game at this point. Hell even us old M:TG holdouts that thought that “Pokemon was for kids” when it came out when we were teens played Pokemon GO, though I know enough to know that PG wasn’t really a pokemon game.
I will admit that D&D players still make a minority of Pokemon players, but I maintain that’s mostly because people think D&D is way more complicated than it actually is. The rule books don’t help here. In all actuality most players will never read most of those books, because 90% of the “rules” won’t apply to your game.
These things don’t necessarily follow one from another. Just because many fans are casual players, it doesn’t mean they don’t have a liking for the genre. D&D is not inherently repealing to the same group either. As much as Baldur’s Gate targets an adult audience, Pokémon as a series is over 25 years old, there is a sizable number of adult players. Not only there is an overlap, the differences may make it appealing to players with differing interests too.
Mind you, I am an adult Pokémon fan who plays D&D. As much as I understand that not everyone is like me, it’s not like Pokémon fans all evaporate when they hit 18, or they never again care for turn-based games.
Ultimately, the success of the game vindicates that there are people who want that.
