PvP – A (Reluctant) Casual Player’s View

There seems to be many voices out there on Social Media who enjoy the PvP Pokemon Go offers and they seem dominating the viewpoints expressed. I do not see too many voices who are casual at best PvP players. I have said this before, and I will say this again, I do not enjoy PvP that much in games. Most PvP in gaming is cutthroat winner take all. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy some competition, but usually it’s in an arena where I get something out of it no matter what. Some examples are a personal sense of accomplishment, camaraderie with teammates during and after the game, post-game camaraderie with the opposition (since I mostly participate in athletic competitions with people I know and/or share other things in common, etc…) With video gaming such as Pokemon Go PvP, I don’t get any of that during or after the competition. Most of the time when I do win at Pokemon Go PvP it’s because I had the right Pokemon leading off (eg. Water for me and Fire for them) or my lineup is slightly better than the opposition’s or just dumb luck. Losses are normally in the same pattern. Even if none of this is true for a specific bout, it just feels that way. Remember, perception IS reality.

That said, at least there is no penalty for losing (eg. no need for Revives/Potions) and there is at least stardust reward for every set. In this realm, since it is “friendly style competition”, the “participation award” is good, since we all are trying to better our Pokemon. There is still good competition since the more wins you get, the better the prizes. Not everyone is participating in Pokemon Go PvP for the mythical Regional/National/World Championship. I know I am not. For me, I do this to get the bonuses and that is about it. Let the others play for a mythical title if they want. The top 50 list does nothing for me. Here are some of the ideas I have that may help the more casual player.

First, keep the walk requirement at zero per set. Frankly, I never thought it made sense to walk for PvP. Frankly, it was annoying during the February Community Day to stop after 3K and have to go through a set of PvP to get a Sinnoh Stone. Fortunately, I was at a park where I could stop and sit for the time it takes to do the PvP. Most days, I cannot just stop where I am an play PvP if I get to a milestone (remember, no sidewalks). I also do not recall that the KMs stack properly, so if you go more than 3K, the overage does not count towards the next set’s credit. If there has to be a walking commitment, make it something a bit more attainable, like 1K per set. Also the walking stacking properly, so if you go 4K (if I remember right, the first round every day was free), you can get all 5 rounds if you so choose with no need to stop after every 1K. Make it attainable for most players.

I would also like a division where it is only casual players. Newer players would have to self-certify, but the game knows how many PvP games we have done and our highest rank. I would like to play those who care for PvP about as much as I do. Even if it starts at Level 7 where the ranking starts. At least then it will feel like I am playing people who are truly of the same mindset and play level. I have not leveled up so much so far in Season 2, so I feel like at least some of the opponents are of similar mind set.

My next though may strike a chord with all players. I would like to see Seasons with themes. One such Season theme would be where certain types are prohibited. I would like to see a No Dragons Season personally. Also, a No Legendary/Mythical Season would be fun. Make it so that we have to explore different Pokemon Characters than we use as our “go to” characters. How about an All-Hatched Season? That could be crazy! The game does keep track of what has been hatched.. How about a Season where only characters from a certain Region (or two Regions) are allowed? Maybe in the future have a Best Buddy Season. I am thinking a year or so on down the road after players have gotten a bunch of best buddies. Why not an All-Shiny Season to really mix it up?

I think most everyone has gone 0-4 or worse (the “play til you win” stage) in a set. How about this… if you are there, you are matched with other players who are also winless. That would at least be somewhat exciting and you know that even if you lost, at least the other player finally got their win to move on through. I would consider extending to 0-3 to open the pool a bit further. By that time the better prizes in the set are unobtainable., so it’s not like a win here would catapult you into the top prize category.