The creator of Twitter Plays Pokémon is launching a new social experiment by having Discord users go through Pokémon Emerald. Twitch Plays Pokémon was a legendary success during its debut, and this new experiment attempts to replicate the same level of chaos.
Some may remember Twitch Plays Pokémon’s debut in 2014, as it is widely remembered among those who partook in it and those who learned of its legacy. It was a simple concept: players around the world would input commands in the Twitch chat to determine the trainer’s actions. The result was a huge success, with many Pokémon gaining new legacies as a result of the experience. The most well-known example is Omanyte, which was nicknamed Lord Helix as the worshipped god of the playthrough. The creator behind the experiment also recently made a documentary behind its legacy and history.
Twitter Plays Pokémon was built on a similar concept, albeit on Twitter, and the programmer behind the social media experiment Constantin Liétard has now tweeted a link to a server that is currently playing Pokémon Emerald. The game is played by using Discord reactions to determine the action the player will take, a far cry from the chaotic nature of the anarchy mode of the aforementioned Twitch Plays Pokémon. The gif under the server link shows the party currently at Mauville city with Shroomish, Marshtomp, Sableye, Ralts, Taillow, and Whismur in the party. Anyone can join in on the server to be part of this adventure.
The third generation of Pokémon has been beaten with bots before. Twitch Plays Pokémon has beaten both Pokémon Emerald and Pokémon Omega Ruby during its lifespan, and one creator even managed to beat Pokémon Sapphire with a pet fish. It would take a truly hefty feat to overthrow a fish beating a Pokémon game, but if Twitch can beat Pokémon games across generations, then the sky’s the limit.
With all of the previous records of success, then it’s probable that Discord will also be able to succeed at beating Pokémon Emerald. Granted, this might not reach the same levels of popularity as Twitch Plays Pokémon. After Twitch concluded its playthrough of Pokémon Red, subsequent games haven’t been able to reach the same peak that the first game did. But the legacy of that first playthrough still lives on in the projects of other creators. The fact that people like Constantin Liétard continue to find new ways to allow fans to beat these old Pokémon games shows just how powerful of an effect Twitch Plays Pokémon had on the community.
[Editor’s note: The original article claimed that the creator of this social media experiment also created Twitch Plays Pokémon, which was incorrect. The creator of this mod, Constantin Liétard, instead created Twitter Plays Pokémon. The article has been updated to reflect this.]
