Any mainline Pokemon game relies on the mechanic of having different species of Pokemon tied to specific locations in the game. These Pokemon are locked into an area, such as a specific town, and only appear a certain percentage of the time. For example, a Pokemon like Pikachu only appears 5% of the time in Viridian Forest in Pokemon FireRed. To find them, players must explore the world within the game and strive for multiple encounters to “Catch ‘em All.” The dynamic then becomes the player moving to different in-game locations and attempting to encounter and catch every Pokemon in that area. Even after the main story has ended, players are encouraged to register every type of Pokemon into their Pokemon encyclopedia: the Pokedex. This task creates two different types of fun for the player. The player is pursuing discovery as they attempt to learn where every possible Pokemon could be located and discover where they are. This discovery is rewarded with a completed entry in the Pokedex, along with information about the species, such as fun facts, dimensions, and personality. In the process, they also discover the areas created by the game developers, allowing them to explore the game’s geography in its entirety. The next type of fun this dynamic fulfills is a challenge, where players fill up the Pokedex as a secondary objective throughout the game. The player must explore each in-game area at different times of the day in different weather conditions and linger there long enough to encounter every Pokemon that resides there. Once encountered, they must battle it and ultimately catch it to add another entry to their Pokedex.
