Is Pokémon GO A Hardcore Or Casual Game?
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Hardcore Pokémon Go players take their collection very seriously, but does that make Pokémon Go a hardcore game?
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The Pokémon Go community is bigger today than it has ever been and, while many see Pokémon GO as the more basic version of Pokémon (which itself is catered towards children) it’s nonetheless taken quite seriously by hardcore players hunting shinies with perfect IVs. Despite how hardcore some players are, is Pokémon Go a hardcore game?
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Casual: Pick up and Play
In terms of ease of use, Pokémon GO is one of the friendliest games on the app store. There is no tutorial or FAQ to read to understand how to walk around, see a Pokémon and click on it. Likewise, swiping your finger up to throw the Poké Ball takes very little effort and isn’t exactly rocket science. Once the Pokémon is caught, simply walking a little further will present players with a Pokéstop that can be spun for some more Poké Balls to catch more Pokémon. Literally walking forward, holding up a phone, and tapping earns players a reward. Unlike other apps that introduce players to their game through paragraphs of text and slowly adding more difficult gameplay elements, what you see is what you get in Pokémon GO.
Hardcore: You actually have to exercise
There’s a way to get around exercising in Pokémon GO, and it’s called spoofing. It’s also against the Terms of Service, and can get your account banned. With that being said, players who want to catch Pokémon need to get off the couch and walk quite a ways. After catching a Pokémon, there is no way to power it up or evolve it without catching duplicates of that same Pokémon. Every time a Pokémon is caught it will give 3 candies (with more candies being given for their evolution in the most recent update). For reference, evolving a Magikarp takes 400 candies, while most Pokémon require around 100 candies to evolve into their final form. That means a lot of walking and a lot of patience to get the Pokémon you want.
Casual: It’s Pokémon
No matter what you tell your friends who aren’t into the Pokémon, it undoubtedly has a reputation as a kids game. Sure, there is a hardcore community, and adults absolutely play Pokémon games, but Pokémon GO is a step down even from the mainline games in terms of content. Even if you think it’s hardcore to go out in the rain with a group of people to catch a limited time ghost Pokémon that will soon be gone forever, it will be an uphill battle to convince your friend playing Dark Souls on a keyboard that catching a Darkrai is noteworthy, even with exercise thrown into the mix.
Hardcore: Perfect IVs Take Time and Maxing Pokémon Hurts
When it comes to getting a competitive Pokémon that can actually hold its own against the game’s toughest content, players need a Pokémon with good health and better IVs, or individual values. When the game started people couldn’t even calculate these values without an outside, downloadable app. A Shiny Pokémon with perfect IVs equals insane bragging rights in the game, but that comes down to luck, a lot of walking and enough Stardust (the currency to level up your ‘mons) to max it out. Those who do end up with a good IV Pokémon with bad CP, or combat points, must then devote a large amount of resources to leveling them up. Those resources could mean months of hard work, and letting go of them is tough.
Casual: The Game is Too Simple
The Pokémon videogames are generally a bit more involved than Pokémon GO, where catching Pokémon, training them and taking on 5 Star Raids, Team Rocket Grunts and your friends is the end all be all. Sure, there’s limited time events and special hats for your Pokémon to wear, but all it boils down to is a collection game with some exercise added in. Hardcore gaming often means putting nose to the grindstone and working hard on something complex, but the biggest hurdle in Pokémon GO is random chance.
Hardcore: Lots of Grinding, Lots of Investment
There is no way to be the very best like no one ever was in Pokémon GO without a constant walk every day to your favorite Pokéstop, forced socializing to meet up and fight against 5 star Raid Bosses and actually getting out of the house. It means taking time to make it to events, walking 10 km to hatch an egg and having enough Stardust over months of work to trade a shiny to a friend who wants one. In short, Pokémon GO takes time, and that’s one of the major hurdles to hardcore gaming.
Is Pokémon Go Hardcore Or Casual?
“Top tier” players with perfect IV shinies in their party certainly have certainly put a lot of time and energy into the game, but that’s only assuming that mastering something so simple is commendable. To put it simply, Pokémon GO is a time commitment, but playing it on its own won’t win you any bragging rights.
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I’m a graphic artist, writer, voice talent and actor living in Willimantic, CT. I have an Associates Degree in Graphic Design and Multimedia and a Bachelors in Communication from the University of Connecticut, where I graduated at the top 15% of my class. I have a 13 year old black lab named Abbey Rose, and I’m working on a novel!
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