That’s right! Despite having just completed Pokemon Red/Blue after 390 hours, 37 million views and at most 100,000 people contributing at one time, Twitch Plays Pokemon is now moving to continue the sensation that has captured our news headlines this past month, and is set to tackle the next generation of games in the Pokemon franchise. Currently being streamed was originally a countdown to the beginning of a new journey that will take place in Pokemon Crystal, and officially begins on March 2, 13:00 (EST).
Is this the beginning of a new trend in gaming? Playing online with crowd-sourced commands? Twitch Plays Pokemon has already inspired several other streams using the same concept to play games such as The Legend of Zelda, Mario and Street Fighter. And these are all created by just fans. Imagine what could happen if larger companies caught wind of this – after less than a month we’ve already seen how addicted people can become to these challenges. And addiction means profit, as we have seen from Flappy Bird’s recent performance.
But better yet – how far can this go? Some trends have stuck around in the industry, but is playing games through streams really a sustainable option? I find it hard to believe it could be, at least on such a large scale. I mean, I’m amazed that so many people actually stuck around until the end. I couldn’t have done it – spending hours just to cut a tree or leave a building. And god have mercy on them when they reach the Ice Path in Crystal. But then again, the community has proven otherwise, with their dedication leading to the creation of new memes, galleries of fan art and even a religion (praise Lord Helix!). I wonder if Twitch Plays Pokemon will see the birth of a new adventure with Ethan as the lead, or maybe the fans will rationalise that he is still Red in some way. If this social experiment has proven anything, it’s just how unpredictable the masses can be.