Pokemon is a fantastic concept created in 1997 as a GameBoy video game that revolutionized the industry. The concept was so fascinating that there are still products being created that are widely popular. In fact one of their latest games, Pokemon Arceus, made in 2022 sold 6.5 million copies worldwide within a week of release and 14.8 million copies globally as of March 31st, 2023. The first Pokemon game created in 1997, Pokemon Red/Green/Blue, has sold 31 million games globally. In just over a year, this new Pokemon video game has sold half as many as the revolutionary first game has sold since it was released 25 years ago. Now there are a lot of factors that go into this including the fact that gaming systems now are much more expensive than they were before, reducing the pool of people who could afford a Nintendo Switch. But yet, the franchise continues to be extremely popular. It led to not only more video games but also manga series, trading card games, movies, and branded merchandise. So why is Pokemon so popular? Is it luck or did they capitalize on some key psychological phenomena and meet the market's needs in a unique way? This is what we will dig into in this case study.
One of the prominent pillars of Pokemon is “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”. Immediately the users are given a goal that takes a lot of time and effort to achieve but gives you rewards as you pursue the end goal by giving you new Pokemon. Once users start their motivation keeps increasing until the end goal is reached. This is known as the Goal Gradient Effect. Even artificial progress motivates users. For example, in Pokemon you get to choose your starter Pokemon (1 out 4) that you get without having to do any work. This is the same concept as pre-filling spots out of a punch card rather than reducing the number of punches till the free item is received. With 1 Pokemon already in your deck and several easy to catch Pokemon around you in the beginning, the user is motivated to keep exploring and adding to their Poke-deck.
Each different species of Pokemon has its own unique characteristics. You also get to keep these Pokemon and add them to your “family”. These family members and their unique qualities in turn give the players the abilities needed to win battles against other trainers or wild Pokemon. The creatures have almost the same significance to players as their pets because of our ability to rename them and evolve them as we continue through the game. For the same reason that people love to create collections of certain items like stuffed animals, figurines, water bottles and more, the motivation to continue collecting Pokemon is what keeps users coming back.
The Pokemon story allows the user to get immersed in an invigorating experience while still allowing the user to personalize their story by choosing which Pokemon are part of their Party. The story allows us to get attached to their characters and growth but still makes it feel customized to them. The story is an important part of engaging the user because they feel responsible for the character’s growth.
In addition to the story and personalization that the game utilizes they focus on another important psychological principle: scarcity. There are certain Pokemon that are easy to find and are able to provide a common experience to all users. But there are other Pokemon that are incredibly rare to find. When users do find these rare Pokemon they feel special because they got access to something few others get. This makes the Pokemon feel more valuable even if it doesn’t have much better properties than other Pokemon. It also convinces people to continue looking until they do get these rare Pokemon. This is the same principle that gambling uses. The prize is rare and unlikely but with every attempt the player feels as though they are getting closer and closer to the prize which convinces them to keep coming back.
The smartest thing that Pokemon did is that they made their prizes unlimited. Pokemon are made up creatures that often have either cute or formidable characteristics that cater towards all kinds of players. Because these creatures are completely made up there is an unlimited supply of ideas. This is what allowed Pokemon to create so many different versions: Red and Blue, Yellow, Gold and Silver, Crystal, Ruby and Sapphire, FireRed and LeafGreen Emerald, Diamond and Pearl, etc. The reason that they created a new game whenever expanding the pool of Pokemon rather than just adding to the first game is so that the user can actually reach the end of the game and feel a sense of accomplishment. Users need to work towards a goal in order to feel as though their efforts are accomplishing something. If the pool of Pokemon is continuously increasing, users will never be able to accomplish their goal of catching them all. Instead they will be introduced to new Pokemon in a new game giving them a new goal to achieve.
While it is exciting that Pokemon continues to introduce new creatures that keep the user interested, it is important to keep some things the same. This is important for continuity, brand identity and nostalgia. To feel like the different Pokemon games are related it is important for there to be continuity. This is the reason that the main Pokemon show up in every game, especially Pikachu. These Pokemon are essentially the main characters of the game and give the user something to get attached to. Nostalgia is a big reason that Pokemon continues to have traction even 20 years later. People remember elements of the first game that they played on the GameBoy in 1996 and love seeing those follow through in the NintendoSwitch game in 2022. It reminds them of the fun times they had when they were a kid and allows them to still feel connected to parts of their childhood.