Twitch Plays Pokémon
Twitch Plays Pokémon is a so-called "social experiment" on the live stream website Twitch . The chat function enables viewers from all over the world to play the Pokémon video games together by entering key commands.
Two different game modes are used during the game. One game mode is anarchistic. Without exception, every input is implemented in the game. In democratic mode, the input with the highest number is implemented. The choice of the mode can also be chosen by the players by entering in the text window by majority principle. If one mode again had more votes than the other, it was implemented until the majority changed again. Democratic mode wasn't added until players got stuck at one point in the first game for a long time.
On February 12, 2014, the project started with the game Pokémon Red Edition . The stream became very popular over time and reached more and more viewers and fellow players. After 16 days and 7 hours of uninterrupted play, the first game was played through and the next game, Pokémon Crystal , started immediately .
Completed games
Pokémon Red Edition
The stream started with relatively few viewers, but the number grew quickly. On February 14, the previous maximum of approximately 175,000 viewers was reached. The game was completed in 16 days, 7 hours and 45 minutes. A total of 30 Pokémon were caught. During the course of the game, the players chose the Helix fossil from two fossils, which was awakened and became Amonitas. Over time, an inside joke began to spread, which became a kind of sect that "Lord Helix" worships. One event worth mentioning is the twelfth day of the stream, which fell on a Sunday. On this twelve Pokémon were released by the players. This event was later referred to as "Bloody Sunday".
Pokémon Crystal Edition
The second game, a Hacked Version of the Pokémon Crystal Edition , began on March 2nd . The players called the protagonist "AJDNNW". After 9 days, 21 hours and 25 minutes, the Pokémon League was successfully completed. After 12 days, 2 hours and 38 minutes, the community reached the game's final opponent, Trainer Red, for the first time, who surprisingly owned the team with which the community had completed the Pokémon Red Edition game. After 13 hours, the players managed to defeat him and thus successfully complete the game. 32 Pokémon were caught.
Pokémon Emerald Edition
The third game was launched on March 21, Pokémon Emerald Edition. The community chose the female protagonist for the first time, as the name "A" was chosen. After 20 days, 22 hours and 1 minute, the Pokémon League was successfully completed after 102 defeats and the game played through. One of the team's Pokémon, Azumarill, reached the maximum level of 100 during this significant number of defeats. A total of 40 Pokémon were caught. On the 8th day of this game, the players caught 27 Myraplas within 4 hours. This event is called "The great Cabbage Harvest".
Pokémon Fire Red Edition
A hacked version of Pokémon Flamingo Edition began on April 11th. The protagonist was called "A" again. The game has been modified so that all wild Pokémon, starter Pokémon and swap Pokémon as well as Pokémon from trainers have been changed. After 15 days, 2 hours and 1 minute, the game was played through and 56 Pokémon were caught. The average attendance was around 3000.
Pokémon Platinum Edition
The Pokémon Platinum Edition was launched on May 2 , the protagonist was named "nqpppnl". The game ended successfully after 17 days, 11 hours and 38 minutes, and a total of 52 different Pokémon were caught.
Pokémon HeartGold Edition
On May 23, a hacked version of the Pokémon HeartGold Edition was started and played through after 18 days, 20 hours and 33 minutes.
Pokémon Black Edition
On June 15, Pokémon Black was launched. The game ended successfully after 12 days, 18 hours and 34 minutes.
Pokémon Black Edition 2
On July 5, 2014, the community started playing Pokémon Black Edition 2. It was completed on July 22nd.
Pokémon X
Pokémon X started on July 27, 2014. The game was already successfully completed after five days and five hours, so the community was significantly faster than with the previous games.
Pokémon Omega Ruby Edition
The project for the game Pokémon Omega Ruby Edition began on November 22, 2014, six days before the European release. In a period of five days or less, all eight medals were won and many Pokemon were captured.
Media echo
The news website Spiegel Online considers the web project to be difficult to classify. “Is it about chaos and anarchy? Swarm intelligence or crowdsourcing? Is it the "social experiment" that the anonymous initiator markets it as? "The idea is so absurd that it is fascinating again, the author continues. The project is followed by tens of thousands. It is so popular that 50,000 people watched on a Tuesday morning in the middle of the week.
The British news website BBC reports that over a million people were involved in the game. During the 16 days of the first Pokémon game, 122 million entries were made. The creator of the project was skeptical at the beginning whether it would be possible at all to end the game in view of the amount of simultaneous inputs.
The technology portal CHIP Online reports on the project: “In the game streaming network Twitch.tv the entertaining chaos is reacting. [...] But TwitchPlaysPokemon is primarily about the Olympic thought "being there is everything" and not about achieving any goal. "
Björn Balg writes on the Eurogamer game website : “Twitch Plays Pokemon was the impulsive sales of a nice and extremely stupid idea.” According to the author, anyone who watched the game could get the following impression: “The process of Twitch Plays Pokemon looks like a hyperactive child is playing , who also suffers from multiple personality disorders and operates the Game Boy with his feet alone. ”Nevertheless, the project was successfully completed:“ The squad moved through the rooms of the terrifying arena with almost no problems and played better than some loners. Even in the anonymity of the internet, which usually drives people to their worst behavior, a group of strangers came together and made the right decisions together. If you look at the entire process, you get the impression of a growing intelligence of swarm thinking. Although an exact agreement in this form, in which absolutely every viewer is allowed to make blind entries, is practically impossible, the players learned to work better together as a common awareness. "
The game presented the players with many challenges. For example, it has proven to be problematic to catch a wild Pokémon through numerous uncoordinated inputs. In the end, the company was a success and the Pokémon had become the best of the team. Other similar incidents followed. A multitude of memes have emerged from such events .
Belg also says he doesn't hold it against anyone for being disappointed with the intellectual level of the game. Nevertheless, one “has to admit that this is an extraordinary social experiment, the development of which defies all logic. Despite the gigantic chaos, people find a way together, learn to behave as a collective intelligence, and constantly adapt their strategies. By the way, a collection of meta-humor is created that I have never experienced before. You don't even have to actively participate to see yourself as part of the experience. I don't have to make any entries, have a say in the process or draw fanart. I can take in all of these things passively and just because of this I feel included in the circle of probably the craziest gangs on the internet. "
At the computer game award The Game Awards , the follow-up event to the Spike Video Game Awards , the project received the award for “Best Fan Creation” in December 2014.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Carolyn Rice: Twitch Plays Pokemon completes game. In: BBC.com. BBC, March 3, 2014, accessed April 22, 2014 .
- ↑ Markus Böhm: Web project: tens of thousands watch the interactive "Pokemon" game. In: Spiegel Online. SPIEGEL ONLINE GmbH, February 18, 2014, accessed on April 22, 2014 .
- ↑ TwitchPlaysPokemon: Gamer Defeat Gameboy Game. (No longer available online.) In: CHIP Online. March 3, 2014, archived from the original on March 10, 2014 ; Retrieved April 22, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c Björn Balg: Twitch Plays Pokemon - The internet gods must be crazy: Dive into madness together. In: Eurogamer.de. March 11, 2014, accessed April 22, 2014 .
- ↑ Patricia Hernandez: The Goofy Religions Of 'Twitch Plays Pokémon,' Explained. In: kotaku.com. February 26, 2014, accessed April 23, 2014 .
- ↑ Marlene Kless: Twitch Plays Pokémon: How a fun religion grew out of the phenomenon. In: onlinewelten.com. March 10, 2014, accessed April 23, 2014 .
- ↑ The Game Awards 2014 - Dragon Age Game of the Year, Sierra Industry Icon
