How Pokemon GO Trading Could Work
By John Jacques 24 December 2016
A YouTuber takes an in-depth look at how Niantic may choose to integrate Pokemon trades for Pokemon GO, using a unique patent from 2012 as the basis of his theory.
YouTuber and Pokemon fan PatentYogi has assembled an in-depth video theorizing how he thinks Pokemon GO will handle Pokemon trades, a feature that Niantic announced would come at some point in the future. The video lays its premise on an old patent that was originally registered in 2012, and while it would certainly be an innovative way to introduce trades, it’s not a perfect solution. None the less, PatentYogi evidently thinks that his Pokemon GO trading theory has promise.
Gamers can take a look his video below, where the YouTuber gives a quaint visual representation of how a virtual transportation system would mirror actual real-life counterparts and tie those in with the game itself, allowing players to travel to actual transport hubs in their area in order to send and receive Pokemon:
While this would certainly encourage players to go out and travel (especially if they know they have Pokemon like Mewtwo waiting for them at various destinations), mirroring the schedules of an actual transportation system would put a lot of undue strain on Niantic’s servers, which didn’t exactly handle the global launch of Pokemon GO without problems. On top of this, many players simply wouldn’t want to have to go wait at a bus stop or trek to the airport in order to receive that precious Santa Hat Pikachu.
Then the virtual trainers from rural locations come into play, who wouldn’t have access to these transportation hubs as PatentYogi describes them. Most small towns don’t have airports or town-funded bus lines, and even more don’t have bus stops to begin with – meaning Niantic would have to either have a backup trade location for such areas, or even worse, gamers in those towns would have to travel even further to pick up their trades. Even if such locations were available, it would then mean players would crowd bus stops and airports just for trades, and that’s something that both city officials and security guards would be vehemently against.
Pokemon GO has already run into problems with players inadvertently causing problems with distracted drivers, workplace violations, and even becoming involved in a late-night shootout. While it’s more likely that Niantic will come with a simpler solution like allowing players to trade with others PokeStops and gyms, only time will tell what the developer chooses to do. In the meantime, fans can enjoy the brand new holiday event, or ply their Pokemon trade from the Apple Watch for the first time ever.
Pokemon GO is available now on iOS, WatchOS, and Android.
