Pokémon and eSports

In my previous post about other competitions that arise by way of Pokémon Go, I mentioned the term "eSport" because the exhibition competition for it that was held the other day was to show how it could very well work out as an eSport. This is a term that has gained quite a bit of prominence (especially in my local region) recently, particularly in regard to the workings related to the term. Even so, in general, this is a term that seems to work and play well in relation to Pokémon.

Like many terms that begin with "e", the "e" in "eSports" is for "electronic" and therefore it stands for "electronic sports". It's a sport that is played electronically, specifically through video games. In more recent times, this term has come to relate to competitions involving players of certain computer or mobile video games who may be associated in teams and play professionally for sums of money, and of course the glory associated with it. It's easy to see how Pokémon can relate to this. It has games that can stand to be played by individuals, even teams of individuals, and they can earn nifty prizes from doing so.

Moreover, this has already been established. There is, of course, the Pokémon VGC World Championships, which has already become its own thing even before eSports became recently popular and Pokémon Go came into being. I liken it as the "eSport before eSports" due to the way that it's organized, and I'm sure many of my fellow main series players would agree. The only thing that may be a little lacking in some respects is recognition and/or popularity. If my main series group is of any indication, the main series games are relatively less popular in the country and one could be hard-pressed to find players that do play, let alone compete against; because there are hardly any local competitions, it is also hard for it to become recognized as eSports. Elsewhere, it has its own local competitions which tie into the grand event and could be recognized as such.

And then there is Pokémon Go. If that exhibition competition/tournament was of any indication, its potential as eSports seem to be high. It was reported to be attended by so many competitors that it set a new world record. And yet, this is only one competition; more would have to be organized and networked in order to really make this viable eSport. Meanwhile, Niantic and The Pokémon Company may sooner or later have to move to lay down some competition guidelines - perhaps also to restructure features in the game - as has been done for VGC. This is (or would be) the "standardization" as I mentioned previously; it's just a natural step for parity with or even entry to the existing VGC.

Evidently, eSports and Pokémon appear to be quite connected. Its VGC already has its standards and followers, and it could certainly pass off as an eSport, barring other factors. With the recent developments in Pokémon Go, its PvP feature seems to lend itself as a strong candidate for an eSport. Whichever way players decide to go, to be able to compete on a very high level and be rewarded for it would certainly a very nice thing indeed for everyone involved. And that is surely a premise of any eSport, even with Pokémon in the mix.

One year ago: Fondness for Latias and Latios
Two years ago: A Story of Love, A Story of Passion