Game Freak's put this since the start, but many who grew up without friends who enjoyed Pokémon found themselves with two systems and two cartridges to trade for those version exclusives and trade evolutions. So I thought it was time to see how many. Clarifications: *If you have (or had) siblings with the game, you should only vote 'trading with yourself' if you controlled both systems yourself. Siblings are other people, even if it seems a little bit of a 'grey area' in terms of the Socialisation Bonus trading pushes. *I personally don't consider trading using the GTS and Wonder Trade 'trading with others' because the person who owns the other Pokémon isn't really introduced to you. Think of it this way: I could see (and possibly code myself) in game equivalents to these services with auto-generated Pokémon. **However, Link Trading over the Internet (as allowed in the PSS and Festival Plaza) can be considered 'trading with others', especially if you know the other person and organise the trade via other communication channels.
I think that Link Trades was a great way to connect with people though it is a bit tougher to get done since the system in new games make the hoops to get online since it takes ages for it to connect 4-5 systems. I do say wonder trade is trading with another person in XY and ORAS since they get added to your acquaintances and in my case, they often asked for a trade afterward.
I don't have the ability to trade with myself Gen 6 onwards (I can however do it with 6th gen and older ones because I still have my original DS, but those days are long past and I finished all of it during the XY era) so all of any trades are link trades with others or GTS. I like the GTS and use it a lot, I've used it a lot in Sun and Moon in particular because it's still reasonable at the moment before the bank update. I'm also very grateful for Lake Valor when it comes to link trades because I don't have any personal friends who play Pokémon, and people here have helped me out. I've been to other forums where my requests for trades were just utterly ignored because I came too late and wasn't in the "in" clique of old veterans. This hasn't really been the case here and I applaud that. I'm not sure that I can say I have any real friends here yet but it has only been like two months and I hope to forge friendships and build some trust with people. None the less acquaintances with people have been great so far and I am willing to help others in the ways I wish to be helped, if I am in the position to do so. I know very well what it's like to have no one there to help and it makes Pokémon a lonely experience when it shouldn't be...I don't want others to feel that, like I once did.
