Pokemon Go is everywhere this week, and whenever anything gets popular, there will be haters. Maybe some Pokemon Go haters have a point, though. Go is a bona fide phenomenon, but it’s also not the world’s greatest game. In its current form, it’s rather simplistic and lacks a lot of the features that Pokemon fans love, like custom movesets and direct non-gym battles. Gaming-savvy fans wonder if the app will be a flash in the pan despite its swift and massive rise up the mobile charts. I agree that Niantic needs to keep adding to Go in order to maintain consumers’ attention, but should it add the things that mainline Pokemon game fans want?
I’d argue that the mass Pokemon Go audience isn’t looking for more RPG elements. They love the game not because it’s a good game in and of itself, but because of the adventures they’re having with it. They’re going out, bonding with friends, meeting new people, and exploring the world around them. They’re sharing their adventures on social media, prompting more and more folks to check Pokemon Go out. People who rarely game and have never played Pokemon in their lives are getting hooked because it’s simple and fun.
Think about what mainline Pokemon series fans would love to see added to Pokemon Go : leveling up, playing with stats (even things like EVs and IVs), and competitive battling. Would these more hardcore game additions really appeal to the huge audience that has just picked up Pokemon Go ? Perhaps more importantly, would they actually add to Go in a positive way?
I think it’d be a mistake to turn Pokemon Go into just another Pokemon game on cell phones. Instead, Niantic should get creative and focus on additions that keep people focused on the game’s social and adventuring elements. It could start by using some of its sudden, massive profits to hire people who can curate the Go ecosystem. They could fix problematic Pokestops and populate areas that are underserved by the current setup. I’m hearing stories that rural areas and even poorer urban neighborhoods are currently Pokemon Go deserts. Niantic could also offer events and scavenger hunts that further encourage players to talk to and trade with each other.
If non-gym battles are added to Go , I think they should be fairly simple and reward both players for getting involved. It would be fun to be able to choose some moves for our Pokes, but I don’t think we should make them level up or be able to breed them for the perfect stat balance. Those time-consuming activities would be counter to the casual nature of Go and would take away from its social and adventuring elements. Instead, perhaps we could see social systems like the ability to dress up Pokemon with accessories and trade those accessories around. People would really get into claiming gyms with personalized ‘Mons, I suspect.
For that classic Pokemon thrill, look to Pokemon Sun and Moon . I suspect we’ll be seeing a nice surge in 2DS and 3DS sales this holiday as newly energized Pokemon fans check out the latest the series has to offer. When it comes to Pokemon Go , however, we should keep things simple and focus on letting people have active adventures and interact socially over the game. Regular additions to Go that keep people on the move and interacting with each other are a much better idea than adding hardcore RPG elements into the mobile game.
Update, 7/19/2016! It has just been discovered that Pokemon Go does indeed contain hidden (IV) stats. Needless to say, I think that’s a silly idea, especially since you can’t see a Pokemon’s main stats at all.