Monetization can be a sore point for fans of any game, and recently, Pokémon Go players have expressed frustration on social media with how the game incentivizes them to spend their money.
Any time a game features microtransactions, you can be sure that fans will spend a lot of time talking about it. Pokémon Go has an in-game store with exclusive content, and it’s a source of lively debate in the community.
Recently, a Pokémon Go player took to r/pokemongo to share his anger regarding the state of the game. As expected, this sparked an in-depth discussion about monetization and how much is too much when This is a free mobile game.
Pokémon Go players divided over paid content and items
Originally appearing in this post, Pokémon Go player jayclomma described himself as a “hardcore gamer”and noted that he had been playing for 6 years.
Anyone else starting to realize that this game is a sham? I don’t say this lightly. byu/jayclomma inpokemongo
He shared his frustrations with the monetization of Pokémon Go, calling the game a “scam”and describing the player experience as “betting real money for Shinies.”
The post goes on to talk about how Shinies can be purchased for real money (likely referring to event tickets which offer increased chances of getting Pokémon Shinies) before noting “and you can get Pokémon Shinies in any other Pokémon game. Also for free.
Some Pokémon Go players in the responses agreed, with one person calling it a “gacha game”and another saying “the game has been a bit stagnant in recent months”before describing how they felt there hadn’t had any decent additions for players in quite a while.
A Pokémon Go player shared his experience after using 20 Incubators and getting neither Shinies nor Hundos, even vowing not to buy tickets again and saying, “Good luck getting my Niantic money.”»
Other fans in the thread disagreed with the premise of the post, with one person responding, “You can still get Shinies for free.”They’re not supposed to be easy to get” and another saying, “I get Shinys for free, your problem seems to be spending money.”
There were a few players who were confused by the premise of free Pokémon Shinies in other games, with some pointing out how you have to buy a console/handheld and the game then grind for hours to get a Shiny in titles like Pokémon Scarlet or Purple.
Regardless, as monetization methods in Pokémon Go continue to increase, it’s clear that fans are hoping for changes to the game to better incentivize existing players to stick around.
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