Trainers, some of the comments and feedback from my recent article on implementing the Shiny Charm into Pokémon Go proved that there is something that lots of Trainers would love to see in-game: A Shiny Medal.
I’m talking about an in-game medal just like the one for catching 10, 50 and 200 of a specific type of Pokémon or hatching 10, 100 or 1000 eggs. Featuring a Bronze, Silver and Gold Tier (and maybe even a reward for unlocking each tier, but alas, let’s not get ahead of ourselves…)
Initially, I feel as though this is another implementation that would divide the community entirely. With some players choosing to embrace it and show off the medal with pride…. while others would say it was “yet another reason why Niantic is so out of touch with the Players” etc.
I want to discuss the options for and against whether a Medal being introduced is a good idea, as it’s one of those things that would take very little work on Niantic’s side to implement. This idea is in a similar vein to that of the recent addition of the “hatched” and “baby” search filters that players had been asking for quite a bit.
I want to preface this by saying that I am aware that some players have yet to catch a single shiny Pokémon while others have multiples of each available form. Unfortunately, that is just the cruel nature of the beast when it comes to dealing Random Number Generation. Part of what makes being an avid Shiny Hunter such a satisfying experience is the fact that you might spend an entire weekend hunting during an event and still have nothing to show for it. You might also have a couple of new shinies, some high IV Pokemon and a new Dex entry – You don’t know what you’re going to end up with. I see that gamble isn’t to some peoples tastes, but nothing beats the feeling of clicking something and noticing that its shiny before the sparkles and symbol come up (like finding a shiny Lunatone on the first night of the Equinox event and seeing its eye being blue before anything else!)
With that out the way, let’s take a look at some of the reasoning behind each argument before discussing each point in more detail:
Reasons For A Medal:
- Give players a running total of all shinies collected in-game so far.
- Another medal to chase.
- Easier to obtain for certain players.
- Would make finding a shiny more rewarding.
- Similar to The Unown Medal.
Now let’s look at each point in more detail:
Give players a running total of all shinies collected in-game so far
Lots of players in my community say to me how they have no idea how many shinies they have or have lost count (not that they couldn’t find out by searching “Shiny” and counting.) Adding a running total to the Medal screen would let players compare numbers with one click instead of several.
Another medal to chase
Most players have (by now) obtained almost every Gold medal or gym badge available. Players in my area mostly only have the Ace Trainer, Trading and PvP badges left to get before they have a clean sheet.
Adding a new medal would give players something else to chase — especially those already at the level cap.
Easier to obtain for certain players
This is in the “for” and “against” section as I see it as both a pro and a con. As we all know, players that play every single day encounter more Pokemon on average then those who only play casually, more encounters (with the right Pokémon) means more chances at finding a Shiny. Of course, random means some players have lots of shinies that put very little time into the game and those that play lots and have none. But if you look at Community Days, for example, players who spend the full three hours walking up and down catching the featured Pokemon, generally, end up with more Shiny Pokemon then those that are stuck at work or can only pop out for an hour, etc.
Therefore those people that can play more frequently are more likely to complete the medal quicker than those that are not, which is both a good and bad thing.
Would make finding a shiny more rewarding
As if finding a shiny Pokémon wasn’t enough of a reward in itself. Adding a medal to keep track will make finding that Shiny (whether it be random or from a boosted rate event such as Community Day or a Safari Zone) to take you from a Bronze medal to a silver one, that bit more special.
Similar To The Unown Medal
This Medal would be one of those medals that are just harder to obtain – Like the Unown Medal. Sure, there are events that increase your odds or chances of being able to complete it but having a Medal that doesn’t allow you to go out and finish it in a weekend would be a good thing for the game.
Reasons Against A Medal:
- Reminds players that don’t have shinies what they are missing.
- May inadvertently increase spoofing rates.
- Easier to obtain for certain players.
- Divides an already split community even further.
- Difficult to know where to “set the bar.”
- Hard to quantify as a medal.
- Lots of players can only contribute during Community Days.
Lets again look at each of these points in more detail:
Reminds players that don’t have shinies what they’re missing
As I mentioned above, random is random. This can lead to some players feeling a little cheated when it comes to Shiny Pokémon. Giving these players, in particular, a new medal which only reminds them how little they have would likely not go down very well.
May inadvertently increase spoofing rates
This is a big sticking point for me. Enough players spoof (seemingly without enough consequence) already without being given another reason to or possibly even a reward for getting more shiny Pokémon.
Easier to obtain for certain players.
See point above – Both a pro and a con. Players that play more often are “technically” more likely to get more shinies as more Pokemon are encountered. This makes the medal harder to complete for Rural or casual players.
Divide an already split community even further
Some believe shinies are already too easy to obtain, and others think that they are super unlucky – This would only serve to widen the gap between players opinions.
Difficult to know where to “set the bar”
It’s difficult to assume the numbers required for each Tier of the medal – Would it be as low as the Unown medal or as high as the type Medals? My opinion is that it would have to be some small numbers to not alienate itself from the rest of the medals.
Hard to quantify as a medal
It’s a tricky one to have a measure of something that is in fact down to Random. How long is a piece of string? It’s one of those things that would be seemingly impossible for some players and easy for others.
Lots of Players Can Only Contribute during Community Day
There is definitely a part of the playerbase who don’t get any shinies from Community Days, but generally speaking, most who play it get at least one. If they do not get one, there are many players who are willing to trade! They are few and far between, but CD is the time at which the Shiny Rates are at there highest and therefore you have the highest chance of finding the featured Pokémon in its Shiny colors.
Parting Thoughts
It certainly seems like there are a lot more reasons against having a medal compared to having one but this kind of addition is the sort of thing that Niantic could implement relatively quickly and with the need for little effort.
The implementation would undoubtedly be a controversial one, but that hasn’t stopped Niantic in the past.
I think it’s about time that this medal was implemented into the game.
What are your thoughts?
