Pokemon B Button Superstition

[Demon_Skeith]

Some people think that walking under a ladder is bad luck. Some people knock on wood so they don’t tempt fate. Some people avoid the number 13. Some people even press “down B” after they throw a Pokeball in Pokémon games, because they think it will help them capture whatever monster they’ve set their eyes on. Wait, what?

Ever since the release of Pokémon Red and Blue, there has been a constant superstition in the Pokémon fandom: if you press something specific, you can alter how effective a Pokeball is whenever you try to capture a Pokémon. The specific button presses I’ve heard about the most is “down B,” which involves pressing down on the D-Pad while simultaneously pressing the B button the second that a Pokeball closes around a Pokémon. There are variations of this practice. I’ve heard of “up B,” I’ve also heard of only pressing B. Hell, I’ve heard of alternating mashing both the A and B buttons.

The most fascinating part of this superstition is that most Pokémon players know it doesn’t work. The only things that can affect capture rates are the type of Pokeball you’re using, as well as the health and status of the Pokémon you’re trying to capture. The more damage a Pokémon has taken, and the more status effects they have, the easier it is to capture something—especially if you’re throwing a higher-grade Pokeball into the fray. There is no special code or button presses that can change the capture rate of a Pokémon. And yet, a sizeable chunk of Pokémon players press Down B whenever they throw a Pokeball anyway.

Why do they do it? The reasons are varied, as I found out after polling my Twitter followers. Some people press Down B because it’s a habit—it’s pretty common to hear that people have been pressing down B since childhood, when they were initially tricked into thinking the button presses had an effect. Others press Down B because it’s comforting. Here is some of what people said to me after I asked them why they pressed Down B:

more here

Anyone else do something like this?

 

[lb]

I don't really believe in superstitions, but if it makes people feel more comfortable while playing the game, I don't see a problem with it. A lot of people have personal tics or OCD-like habits... :unsure:

 

[PulkitGoyal1997]

Whenever I throw a PokeBall I press the D-pad in the direction the PokeBall budges towards and then press the Down button when the Pokemon is supposed to be captured.
It started out as a superstition, my brother told me it works, and I captured quite a few Pokemon because of it. (The Pokemon were of course the weaker ones)
I still do it now, but it's because it has become a habit. :wallbash:
My hands automatically do it. :yuck:

 

[MikoWonko]

I'm so used to press up + B that everytime a pokeball is thrown I do it without thinking, even though I know it's not going to make a difference I just do it.

Been playing since Gen I btw and the up + b or just "b" tip used to be big in magazines back then.

 

[primaLucid]

Yeah haha, I used to do this ALL THE TIME. Spamming 'b' while anxiously waiting to catch that special legendary pokemon.. brings back the memories. I never really had trouble catching any legendary except for maybe Rayquaza in Emerald.. that was a real pain to catch. I didn't have any other major superstitions, but I am surprised that other people did the 'b' trick. I guess we all used to look up 'pokemon cheats and tricks' or something, and being the gullible tweens we were, we followed whatever the website posted. Good memories..

 

[Yosh]

hahaa, when I was younger I used to be convinced that holding A and B or tapping on B would increase my chances of catching a pokemon