Twitch Plays Pokémon: Difference between revisions

When a game is not being played, the channel instead hosts randomly generated [[Pokémon battle]]s with [[Pokémon Battle Revolution]] (previously [[Pokémon Stadium 2]]). Players can bet [[Pokémon Dollar]]s on a Red or Blue team via the built in chat, and in later updates could vote for what [[move|moves]] their team’s Pokémon could use.

When the channel is not streaming a run, it instead shows randomly-generated Pokémon battles known as '''TPP Bets'''. Using [[Pokémon Battle Revolution]] (and [[Pokémon Stadium 2]] before that), two teams each of three Pokémon are pitted against each other. Players can place bets using [[Pokémon Dollar]]s on either side, with betting odds calculated accordingly. Like the currency used in the games, the money used in-stream is fictional; no actual money is ever spent on betting. If a player runs out of money, their funds are reduced to a minimum limit of {{PDollar}}100 and will not drop further. More features were added to the betting system as time went by.  

Starting after the conclusion of the first run of [[Twitch Plays Pokémon/Season 2|Season 2]] (known as [[Twitch Plays Pokémon/Season 2#R01: Anniversary Red|Anniversary Red Version]] by fans), a run of the [[ROM hacks#Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal|Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal]] [[ROM hacks|ROM hack]] was started as a filler in between betting matches. Players are able to vote for only one command at a time, after which the game is paused and only resumes after the next betting match. At the end of each vote, a player is randomly selected to receive a token. Players who already have tokens can choose to donate them to the pool, causing multiple random players to each receive a token; this is nicknamed a 'token storm'.

| {{game|Red and Blue|s|Pokémon Red}}

| Randomized {{game|FireRed and LeafGreen|s|Pokémon FireRed}}

| Randomized {{game|HeartGold and SoulSilver|s|Pokémon HeartGold}}

| {{game|Black and White|s|Pokémon Black}}

| {{pkmn|X and Y|Pokémon X}}

| {{pkmn|Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire|Pokémon Omega Ruby}}

| Randomized {{pkmn|Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire|Pokémon Alpha Sapphire}}

[[File:TPP screenshot.png|thumb|right|250px|Navigating the {{safari|Kanto}} in the original run]]

The original run of 10 games starting at Pokémon Red and ending with Pokémon Omega Ruby came to be known collectively as the first season. It was during this time that the channel received the most media attention, since at the time of the original playthrough it was wondered whether completion was possible and a marvel that ''any'' progress had been made at all. It is also the season where the vast majority of lore and most well-known memes originated from. The lore of this season was particularly potent, as fans drew together a vast, overacting story that interconnected every game, incorporating characters such as caught Pokémon and hosts and interpreting in-stream events.

This run introduced many concepts which would become core to the channel's format, including command inputs through the chat, anarchy and democracy, donations, command stacking and the betting intermission. It also introduced the idea of playing [[ROM hacks|ROM hack]] versions of official Pokémon games, including randomized runs for [[remake]]s such as Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon HeartGold and a playthrough of the ROM hack [[ROM hacks#Dex hacks|Pokémon Blaze Black 2]] in place of the original {{game|Black and White|s 2|Pokémon Black 2}}. A notable breakthrough in this season was a specially modified 3DS that could accept inputs from the chat and stream out video via a capture card.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20140711035242/http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articles/23719/20140707/pokemon-x-y-news-twitch-event-omega.htm Twitch Plays Pokémon Event Will Continue Livestream Series With Gen 6 Games On 3DS - iDigitalTimes] (archived link)</ref>  This was necessary, as 3DS emulators are currently unavailable. Several concepts, such as "Demoarchy/Anarchracy" (a hybrid of the Anarchy and Democracy systems), were not retained in later seasons.

Fans generally consider the first two runs, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Crystal as the most exciting, with players gradually losing interest through Runs 3 and 4 (Emerald and Platinum). A comparatively smaller group of dedicated fans have continued to play and generate lore, with some lore becoming more 'niche' in the process. As the season progressed, and the players became more adept at the control system, the runs became quicker to play. This culminated in Run 10, Omega Ruby, taking only 9 days to complete compared to the first run's 16. Complaints that the games were becoming too easy prompted the streamer to promise a modified harder version of a Pokémon game for the start of the next season.

This season introduced the concept of two games being played simultaneously with both games accepting the same inputs, with a playthrough of the popular [[ROM hacks#Moemon|Moemon]] and Touhoumon (both modifications of FireRed) for Run 2. It also introduced a randomized version of a [[Generation VI]] game (Pokémon Alpha Sapphire) for Run 3, a concept that is still relatively new.  Randomized battles of [[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U|Super Smash Bros.]] running natively on a [[Wii U]] console were also introduced with this run, taking the place of Pokémon Battle Revolution whilst the betting system underwent an upgrade.

The season is currently playing its fourth and final run, which started on October 12, 2015 at 21:00 UTC.  In a first for the channel, players were polled on what game they would like to play next.  [[Pokémon Colosseum]], the stream's first [[Nintendo GameCube]] game, was selected.  So far, the run has been using only the anarchy system for player commands.

Twitch Plays Pokémon has arguably had an impact on [[Pokémon]] as a whole by introducing new users to the games as well as rekindling interest from older fans.  While it is yet to be specifically acknowledged by [[Nintendo]], [[Game Freak]] or [[The Pokémon Company]], the channel has been referenced by regional parts of the Pokémon group.  The channel’s name was used as a [[Pokémon Trading Card Game Online|TCGO]] redemption code during the [[2014 World Championships|2014 Pokémon World Championships]], enabling up to 10,000 players to redeem the [[Furious Fists (TCG)|Furious Fists]] [[Booster pack (TCG)|booster pack]].  A direct reference also exists in the French translation of [[Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]]; before being battled, [[Brawly]] says, "{{tt|J'ai découvert le secret de la vraie puissance en fixant un [[Dome and Helix Fossils|Nautile pendant]] des jours et des jours...|I discovered the secret of true power by staring at a Helix Fossil for days and days...}}", referencing the popular meme in the first run.

Apart from the stream’s Twitch channel page and chatroom, there are no other locations that are considered "official" to the channel.  However, several of the more popular hubs do act as the community’s main location to gather; the Twitch Plays Pokémon Reddit site being a prime example as the closest analogy to the stream’s official discussion forum.  Documenting the channel’s events, lore and statistics is split over multiple sites and contributed to by the community; examples include the stream’s TV Tropes page, Helixpedia (a Wikia-hosted wiki encyclopedia) and this [[Bulbapedia]] page.  Video and screen captures of the stream are often taken by members of the community and posted on sites like YouTube.  This has been expanded upon with sophisticated capturing systems designed to automatically record and upload video of the stream in very high quality; community members have even set up dedicated computers to perform these tasks.   

Character names are sometimes romanized versions or interpretations of their in-game nickname. For example, a {{p|Pidgeot}} on RED's team in the original run named "aaabaaajss" was translated as "Bird Jesus". Other characters were created in response to freak events. For example, the [[Dome and Helix Fossils|Helix Fossil]], somehow at the top of the [[Item]] list was inferred as some kind of consultation in hardship, as since it was in the first item slot it was constantly being selected. This was compounded when the fossil was revived at the [[Pokémon Lab]]; fans interpreted this as a 'resurrection', transforming the character into a kind of god. Other pivotal characters, such as the False Prophet (a {{p|Flareon}} 'blamed' by players for the unintentional release of a number of Pokémon, including the run's {{pkmn2|starter}}), were created in similar ways. Lore is still created today under similar circumstances.