Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket has potential, but this feature worries me

Key Takeaways

• The digital Pokémon Trading Card Game needs a fair pricing model to avoid exploiting fans’ nostalgia.
• The game offers two free booster packs daily but may heavily rely on microtransactions for progression.
• A deep understanding of psychological manipulation could lead to excessive in-game spending on virtual card packs.

I was there for the initial wave of Pokemon feverin the early ’90s. The first game I got with my Game Boywas Pokemon Blue, and I was diligent about storing every single Pokemon card I got in a protective binder. Despite my school banning the cards, friends and I would still sneak them in to trade duplicates amongst one another and never bother to learn how to play the actual game itself. Collecting was the draw, and it was intoxicating. Eventually, the combination of my lack of incomeas a kid and so many new cards coming out made the idea of collecting them all unachievable and I stopped.

I never got too deep into the franchise as I was in those early days, but when I saw the announcement for Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, it instantly grabbed my attention. Sure, there were plenty of other games that replicated the card game, but this one looks to focus on the actually collecting aspect first and foremost. Digital cards can never be as satisfying as the real thing, but the convenience and gamification might be enough to bridge the gap. But this game has one dark shadow cast over it that could turn a possible dream game into a nightmare.

Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket needs to nail its monetization

The ability to exploit fans here is deep

If there are two things that prey on people’s psychology to spend money more than anything else, it is collectibles and mobile games. Combine the two, and you have a recipe for an extremely exploitative game that only rewards those willing to shell out cash. We’ve seen it time and time again, but with something as deeply rooted in nostalgia and pop culture as Pokemon, it will take a massive amount of restraint for Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket to resist the urge.

From what we know, Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket will be a free game and give players access to two booster packs every day at no cost. You could teach a class on psychological manipulation based on the animation we see of packs opening. The way you swipe, the sound effects, the flash of light, and the slow pop of gems below the card all feel scientifically designed to trigger your dopamine receptors.

The way you swipe, the sound effects, the flash of light, and the slow pop of gems below the card all feel scientifically designed to trigger your dopamine receptors.

Add in the ability to battle and show off your cards to friends, and this game is primed to deliver extreme amounts of FOMO.

As much as I want this game to reinvigorate my love for collecting cards, I have to be realistic and temper my expectations based on the current pricing trends. There’s a way it can be fair and balanced, allowing people an alternate and free path to earn everything, but until I see otherwise, I have to assume the worst.

A fair pricing model is the key

I’m ready to pay, but only if the price is right

I fully accept that Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket will have microtransactions for cards and packs. It is a free game, and that’s how real trading cards work. What I won’t stand for is the game making that the only viable way to enjoy the game. I will reserve judgment until I know all the details, but two free packs a day feels like more of a way to get people to open the game every day and get a tiny taste before dangling better packs in our faces that we could purchase. There’s also the question of rarity and pack types. Will there be certain packs you are only able to buy? Can you get every card by playing for free? How long would that take?

In the end, the cost will be the most important factor. I can’t put a set number on what packs should cost without knowing how many cards they hold or if there are ways to earn more packs for free. However, I can say that I will not be picking this game up until I know for sure it isn’t praying on my nostalgia to gouge me until I get that holographic Bulbasaur. What’s worse is that this is such a powerful IP that it could likely get away with predatory practices no matter how much it is maligned. As long as it captures a few “whales” it just needs to hold out until the bad press moves on to something else, which would be a shame for a game that has so much potential.