Pokemon TCG Pocket, Why Does It Have Endless Allure On Me, A Case Study On Addictive Design

What even got me in the door

• The Pokémon IP for sure. I never once opened the Marvel Snap I had on my phone for over a year, and I even gave up on TCGs ever since my decent stint with Hearthstone, both examples of a streamlined digital TCG(Trading Card Game) similar to Pocket (Pokémon TCG Pocket ). 

• A friend tried to get me into the regular Pokémon TCG app (with unaltered game mechanics to the physical Pokémon TCG). But Pocket’s marketing highlighting their innovative card art, when collected, the camera traveling into an entire scene based on the card art.

• A history of liking TCG games, and having forgotten my personal negatives of the genre.

Engagement building game design practices applied 

• Many collectables of varying types earned by doing actions of varying measures (eg. # of cards, # of types, # of duels won). And some from limited event duel challenges. This can be displayed in my profile proudly and publicly.

• A leveling system, engaging in any core gameplay system of the game can grant you exp (eg. duels, opening packs)

• A booster pack opening is an engaging event:

  • A large circle of randomized card packs are presented for you to choose between.

  • Each card is revealed one by one to maximize the suspense of each card. 

  • All new cards are added in the binder of your full collection one-by-one with a swipe of the finger.

  • Special card art that you travel through on unlock, and when viewed in your collection.

• Rarer cards have flashy animation flourishes when played in battle

• Your entire card collection is cleanly visually displayed.

• Missions that display your entire collection when celebrating how many cards you’ve pulled in the entirety of my play time.

  
  

• Deck building, one of my favourite mechanics in gaming. And a great way for a game to still have a hold on my mind outside of the game.

  
  

• Vs bot duels that let players play without the pressure of competing with other players. And for me, I will also have stuff to do when I'm waiting for the next perfect card to add to one of my decks. 

• Player vs player dueling is free to play anytime. The most fun part for me, and lets you engage as much as you want with the game outside of the limiting gacha systems

• From the perspective of many timer based, idle mobile games. In a game with a big timer, Pocket, allowing me to endlessly duel was very important. And you also have endless time to customize decks. These aspects let me hook myself deeper into the game of my own volition, no timers or daily rewards I am aware enough to resist. 

• Limited time events, keeping up with fresh content to engage in , and rewards for free players like me to draw many more booster packs.

• Friend Lists to build a personal community around the game with. Hooking me into the game harder.

Freemium mobile design practices Applied (it was a fuzzy line in separating this section from the one above)

• System to regularly schedule player engagement, a common freemium-mobile game practice:

  • A daily free booster pack system. A visible meter refills on a 12hr timer for the booster pack. The visible timer makes me crave the next pack every time I pass through the main menu. There are purple hourglass resources that remove parts of the timer.

• The Wonder Pick system. Another system that has a different yellow hourglass resource and timer to pull 1 card from another random player’s booster pack draws. A display of your card options from each player listed are present for you to peruse. There are also events that offer free draws from Wonder Pick to help keep you visiting.

• Daily and non daily missions and rewards that ramp up in-game resource gain to spend on new packs/ cards.

• A Premium Pass subscription that provides 1 extra free booster pack meter per day, its timer sitting right tantalizingly next to the original. They also provide a first-time free trial pass that leads to a paid  auto-subscription, snagging some unintended re-subscriptions from inattentive players.

• There are daily missions that make you engage with an option of the basic systems of the game. (eg. battle, open a booster pack). This offers another avenue for the player to feel compelled to return.

• I’m an avid free gamer when it comes to mobile games (Free-to-play PC games have already broken my seal). And I was surprised by a moment with the Premium Pass’ free-trial. It had expired, and I found myself almost overwhelmed by the itch to buy some real-money resources. I felt like my pace in the game took a huge loss (forgetting i was just returning to the standard pace for most players and me not too long ago). The resources would grant an improved purple hourglass effect, and a tantalizing limited beginner discount on pokegold was calling to me. The itch nearly got me at the end of my willpower one late night walk, but thankfully the winter weather kept my hand phone free for long enough to catch myself. I can only imagine how easy it is to just automatically accept that subscription for another person. I was also blind-sided by the loss of a ready premium pack as soon as the subscription ended, which I’m sure increased the hunger from the loss.

• A commonly awarded shop resource can be spent on purple hourglasses in the game’s shop. And Pocket cleverly offers a cheaper limited stock of purple hourglasses. Then also a monthly resetting limited stock of purple hourglasses a step up in same-currency price. I sadly misplaced a GDC talk that covered this, but from my understanding, this gets a player used to the action of buying in the store in general. And then all it takes is a small scroll away from the real money options in the store, a little more mentally acceptable to be bought by me.

• At the end of the day, This game has the same addictively rewarding quality as most modern gacha games (games with gameplay based around monetizing systems of drawing random chance rewards for varying levels of value). And I'm not immune to the pull, I’m just informed enough about it to set myself rules on how I limit my engagement (and spending) with these types of games. 

Despite the possible negative connotations of mobile Freemium monetization practices I do try to view them simply as tools, in where the context of its use matters most. In Pocket, there ARE gameplay systems inherent to the TCG genre that go hand in hand with these monetization practices. Some monetization practices are able to fly better under the cover of genre staples, and some monetization to the genres benefit:

• In terms of the important timers, deck building is an important part of a TCG and I can only assume in Pocket(at least from my experience), and through the free booster pack timer, we force the player to have large gaps where they gain no new cards. In the lack of new powerful cards, this pushes the player to engage with the deck building to make up for the raw power of their cards. In a sense building that skill in deck building. And It's that skill that is half the core of the fun in most TCG, alongside the battling portion.

• The Deck building in this case is also supported by the common monetization practice of modern gacha games, in which I am granted many more resources and a constant flow of chance drawn content. Before limiting them after I have invested enough time and interest in the game. The game, then converting to a slow burn, knowing a less frequent booster pack is all that's needed to keep most players like me going. And Pocket follows suit. In this case, you 1. need a starting deck to even play a TCG AND 2. a multitude more cards to properly dig into the full experience of deck building. Pocket, gives you a free starting deck, and then many more cards claimed through the increased resources granted frequently from early player profile level ups and easy missions (eg. collect 10 cards)

  
  

  

  
  

• TCGs were the original loot box dopamine packed bonanza anyways, so a lot about the way TCGs can make money on mobile don’t feel as jarring as another genre. Sometimes buying the lucky pack, drawing things you feel great getting, sometimes not so lucky, on a irregular reward cycle. A classic representation of Operant conditioning, from Skinner box’s studies.( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWtvrPTbQ_c)

• Operant condition is even present all the way down to the core basis of a card game.  At the end of the day what you have in your hand is pure luck. No matter how theoretically efficiently I build a deck to be, I can't hold my entire deck in my hand, so I’ll frequently have to play in less optimal states. Same goes for my opponent. A returning player base is one that will be more likely to play, by my understanding.

• And I suppose by nature of any competitive game, and especially in a game where type matchups matter a lot, Intermittent wins.

Rough moments/potential downsides in Pocket’s design

• The one time I felt like quitting the game was very early on in my time with the game. The combination of the chance nature of booster packs and the speed I climbed the pvp ladder left me within a week of time where I hit a wall. After hitting a certain level in the matchmaking, I could clearly tell most players had stepped up in the power level of the key cards in their deck. It was a step up in power level that my deck building had yet to answer for me. And all I have is what I have collected, and I felt like I was simply waiting for my new booster pack to hopefully get one of these card types. In Pocket, I’m talking about EX cards, Pokémon who are 1 step out of range of the regular power level, and every deck in that tier of matchmaking had at least 1 EX as a cornerstone of their deck. I was seriously considering dropping the game after I dropped from at least a  50% to what felt like a 0% win rate. 

• My point was proven, when I realised that I could buy purple hourglasses in the shop with all the shop currency I’ve built up through early missions. With just one EX that I had the cards to lightly synergize around, there was a clear change in my win rate to a very similar pace before EX cards were in any of my opponents decks.

• EX cards are a clear floor that you have to meet by sheer luck and time or money put into the game. Which felt very unfair. But, after I overcame it, I fell much harder into the game. I was deck building and battling twice as often.

• On reflection, there is the opposite perspective, I did have an EX card that I didn’t feel was good at a glance and with no card to compliment it, so much so that I forgot it came with the first pack they give you for free. And in another time-line perhaps the matchmaking could have been what was needed for me to re-explore the EX card, and might have been enough.

• Big Spender types, the common type of player in Freemium games, and still spends big here. Although a holdover from physical TCGs and no real fair reason here in stopping a product from trying to make money. The virtual space does have one key system they can and do make use of.

• A matchmaking system is the one mitigating tool to keep odds of victory somewhat decent between me and my opponent.

• Most players can't all be big spenders, so it's rare for me to run into one in pvp. For how low odds are for individual cards (2% for the most common cards) you probably need to be a “whale”(the biggest spenders) to really complete perfect decks. 

• I also have the comfort of starting the game near release, where I don’t have multiple booster pack editions to feel left behind on.

Player favouring systems

Pocket does have plenty of measures implemented to help me navigate the hard times that can be inherently experienced in a gacha system.

• A modern gacha mechanic found in games like Genshin Impact and other digital TCGs like Hearthstone, is the way a game grants players a way to mitigate terrible luck, and allows some ability to convert unwanted gains into wanted ones. Pocket’s version of this is Pack Points, 5 points gained per booster pack opened, and a store to buy any specific card with one priced at 35 and ones priced as the only card a free player could buy per expansion.

• The Wonder Pick helps as well.

• By nature of the Pokémon mechanics, there are types, and type advantages. The player wants to create decks for each type to rotate through, and Pocket provides just enough slots for my decks to cover all the types and a handful more. And because it is a digital game as well I can reuse the same 2 cards for all my decks. The cards I’d potentially need compared to physical TCGs are significantly less unlikely to achieve.

• Collecting duplicates of cards allows you to trade the duplicates in for visual FX that can be applied to cards in battle or display situations. 

• You are granted limited use rental decks after you collect the key card for said decks.

  
  

Effects on different player types, based on Bartle's taxonomy gamer types

If you are familiar with the taxonomy you might place me somewhere deep in the explorer’s spectrum. I have hefty hours playing the deck builder in my head. 

But aside from just me, Pocket seems to do its best to target a wide variety of player types.

A refresher on Bartle’s Taxonomy:

”1. Killers

They want to win and take the first place. More than that, they play not just to win, but to defeat others. A win by a single point won’t prove satisfactory to them; they want a crushing advantage. They are motivated by change and chaos, and need adrenaline.

2. Achievers

They play to gain points, higher levels, and equipment. They are interested in measurable achievements, even if the achievements are purely cosmetic, like a piece of equipment in a rare color. They are motivated by prizes, and aim at mastery.

3. Explorers

They enjoy discovering new and hidden areas. They imagine living in the game, being a part of it. They will be equally happy to discover surprises and bugs, which makes them great testers. As such diligent exploration requires time, explorers resent any time limitations. They are motivated by both the exploration possibilities and by helping others.

4. Socializers

Socializers play to interact with others. They want to meet and cooperate with other players, with games being just an excuse to do that. Surprisingly, though, they can be equally happy interacting with Artificial Intelligence (AI) controlling a persona under the condition that the simulation is convincing enough. They are motivated by bonds and cooperation.

…[the taxonomy is] more of a typology, allowing a person to incorporate traits of different gamer personas. Still, there is always a dominant type.”

-https://elearningindustry.com/gamification-vs-gamer-types-bartles-taxonomy-revisited (and an interesting read on the limitation of the taxonomy)

1.  Killers

• Pvp and vs bot duels where killers find victory over others, probably with a deck they looked up.

• The limited time events they must beat other players and gain trophies for how many wins in a row they can achieve.

• Real money purchasing opportunities, to get strong cards at a faster pace.

• An upcoming system to be unlocked/released, trading.

• player profile displays battle records, from pvp duels: wins, damage and points(3 required to win a duel)

• Wonder Pick, to get strong cards at a faster pace

2. Achievers

• Real money purchasing opportunities, to get rare cards at a faster pace.

• An upcoming system to be unlocked/released, trading, for rare cards. To get rare cards at a faster pace.

• Badges earned from challenge events that can be displayed in the player’s profile, public to other players. To show off their achievements.

• Trophies from doing actions  of varying measures (eg. # of cards, # of types, # of duels won). To show off their achievements.

• The clean card collection display. Feeling of achievement in collecting.

• Missions that display your entire collection when celebrating. Feeling of achievement in collecting.

• The whole show of opening packs. Feeling of achievement in collecting.

• Emblems players can display in their profile earned from doing simple missions from opening specific booster packs (eg. collect an amount of cards from a specific booster pack). To show off their achievements.

• Rare cards’ animations played in battle. Feeling of achievement in collecting.

• Limited time events that reward limited time cards and resources. Cards to add to their collection.

• Duplicate cards, visual FX. To show off their achievements in collecting. 

3. Explorers

• Deck building, testing out strategies and cards to test for undiscovered equations for successes.

• Decks as space to test limits of mechanics(eg. How little item cards can I get away with?)

• Real money purchasing opportunities, to get packs at a faster pace to experiment with.

• An upcoming system to be unlocked/released, trading. To get packs at a faster pace to experiment with.

• Cards that have a joined narrative in the card art. Assisted by some missions highlighting the connected card art between multiple cards.

• A new player to Pokémon in general, would be discovering the evolutionary paths of individual Pokémon .

• The display of your entire collection of owned and missing cards.

• Drawing unknown cards from booster packs.  To experiment with.

• New Booster packs updated into the game. To experiment with.

4. Socializers

• Real money purchasing opportunities, to get packs at a faster pace. To display and discuss with others.

•  Sending an opponent a like at the end of a duel. To socialize.

•  Wonder Pick, you can send them a like at the end of a draw. To socialize.

•  Binders and card displays you can make public for others to like. To socialize with the community.

•  A friend list, and opportunities to add friends at end of pvp duels, and from a friend ID code in the player’s own profile. To add to their community.

•  A community showcase page  to view random publicly shared binder and displays from other players, where you can send likes. To socialize with the community.

•  An upcoming system to be unlocked/released, trading. Opportunity to socialize with the community.

  
  

Things of Note

• If you are invested as a player, All players seem to benefit from spending money.

  
  

• Achievers are served very well by Pocket.

Final Takeaway

When it comes down to it, I was brought into the fold by a combination of love, luck and strategy. The childhood IP, an intriguing visually appealing hook, a solid building and testing gameplay loop, an addictive reward structure, and a lucky personal underdog story to keep me invested.