Going For New Competitions

Last Saturday, I participated in a Pokémon tournament, having not participated in one for the longest time. However, it wasn't a VGC tournament for the main series games, but a PvP one for Pokémon Go. The feature as present in the game, introduced since last December, has become an enabler in this regard, allowing for competitions like this kind of tournament to take place. For this game, that's a significant thing, perhaps in more ways than one and for the competitive scene in general.

The day after my raid group tournament, in fact, there was an even bigger and even farther away PvP tournament. It's supposed to be an exhibition to demonstrate the viability of Pokémon Go as an eSport, which is another interesting topic that needs to be discussed later. Given the burgeoning number of participants, the animosity for it seems to be huge, comparable to how it was for my local tournament; had the latter not been planned for that day, a few (more) of my raid fellows could conceivably have come and competed. Even prior to this, there had been a PvP tournament involving some of the elite players from all around. A few of my Pokémon friends theorized that with further standardization, this could become on par with or perhaps accepted as part of VGC. It's a highly dazzling vision that I'm supportive of, but that also depends on future developments.

Meanwhile, the improvements to the camera function have made photography competitions not only even more viable but also more impressive as well. Some time ago, a certain Pokémon photography competition was held, and some of my raid group fellows participated. The result was that altogether, their photos won a few of the prizes that were offered. A similar contest is slated (or in fact, has already progressed) for the rest of my raid group to try their hand at capturing photos of Pokémon that reflect a certain theme. What this tells me is that the camera function is now capable of producing pictures with certain aesthetic qualities, enough that they could be evaluated against one another as per a competition. I would say that this is quite an achievement.

Nearly a year ago, I wrote about the prospect of having other competitions that involve Pokémon; these competitions as achieved through the means of Pokémon Go certainly fit the bill. The former would be expected, given that it pretty much ties to the roots of Pokémon, while the latter is innovative and creative rather than intense and combative. Other competitions are of course feasible, like the one at a gathering of my raid group some months ago, though they may be informal and require further coordination. Yet it's likely possible that things like these may then become standardized and even encouraged with other developments that may become integrated into the game.

If its past history is any indication, Pokémon Go seems to have a broader appeal than most other Pokémon games. With that kind of appeal and given the general history of Pokémon, it's not hard to see how certain kinds of competition can arise. That should be a blessing for me, my raid group, and all other players old and new alike. We can really get into competitions as they are created by the means of the game, and we might even craft a few new ones to keep us going - and going, and going.

One year ago: Artistic License
Two years ago: I Found You, Black and White