All the screenshots in this post were taken directly from the game by me. The cover was using Canva and Bitmoji.
A couple of days ago, I was talking to a friend and started talking about all the changes Pokémon TCGP has undergone, including, most notably, the increase in in-game rewards (more watches) and a revamped trading system, with mechanics that made it easier to find the cards we needed and those our friends needed.
Honestly, since its release, I've spent several months playing religiously, waiting for these kinds of changes to be implemented, frustrated by the way the game intentionally limited our ability to progress, but at the same time quite immersed in what has been one of the most addictive mobile experiences in recent years.
Why do you stop playing? She asked, while I thought of several reasons, including all the ones I just mentioned... However, if I had to summarize everything in one, I'd say the real problem was the releases so close together between each collection, making it impossible to keep up without spending an absurd amount of hours playing, or failing that, paying with real money.
I understand that this is partly essential to maintaining a game that sells itself as a live service, and it's not a strange practice in the industry. In fact, several of today's most successful games are based on the same philosophy.
The problem, at least on a personal level, was the regularity with which these new sets were released, which, combined with the cumbersome trading system, seemed to be organized so that we were always close, but which we never fully completed.
As the weeks passed, apathy took hold, and I paid less and less attention to the game. It's painful to see several collections (like Johto) arrive so late, considering I'd been waiting for them from the start.
Still, I don't rule out the possibility of picking up the game again at some point. In fact, I had to go back in just to check out all these changes. But for now, at least, I prefer to return to something like Marvel Snap, ironic considering I thought Pokémon TCGP might replace it.
Twitter/Instagram/Letterbox: Alxxssss
