WHAT IF: Real-Life Pokémon Gym Challenge (From A Business Perspective)

[PrinceOfFacade]

Now, obviously plenty of fans have thought – and, quite literally, fantasized – about the idea of doing a real-life gym challenge, but I’ve had for long time what I feel is a very marketable way of incorporating a legitimate gym challenge into the real world. Figured I’d share it for the heck of it. lol

1. Pokémon Centers
   • The most commercially viable way to incorporate a legitimate gym challenge would be through Pokémon Centers. The stores themselves are major hubs for all your Pokémon needs, so it only makes sense for them to serve as the locations for gyms. This not only grants a safe and known facility to hold battles, but also a considerable increase in store visitation, thus increasing merchandise sales.
2. Gym Type Marketing
   • Naturally, each gym would have its own type. It therefore is of no surprise that each Pokémon Center would be themed as well. As a great marketing tool, each gym-affiliated Center would contain exclusive merchandise relative to that Center’s gym. For example, the Pokémon Center housing the Steel-type gym would have exclusive Klefki and Togedemaru plushies, while the Pokémon Center housing the Ghost-type gym would sell exclusive Hoopa and Sensu Style Oricorio merch. This offers an incentive for fans to travel to each Center, not only to challenge the gyms, but also to pick up exclusive merch they can’t get anywhere else.
3. Location
   • A Gym League is typically contained within a single region, so in the real world, a single country would take the mantle. Let’s use the United States as the example, since VGC tournaments are held there. There would be 8 gym-affiliated Pokémon Centers across 8 U.S. cities: New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Austin, San Francisco, and Phoenix. It helps to utilize cities with the highest tourist traffic to increase probability of Center patronage. However, I replaced Las Vegas with Phoenix, to keep in tune Pokémon’s kid-friendly vibe as well as due to Phoenix’s relation to the Pokémon World. As an additional marketing tool, each Center’s gym would have a type relative to its city, ergo:
     • New York: Steel (city known for its massive skyline)
     • Los Angeles: Flying (“City of Angels”)
     • Atlanta: Rock (city bordering the Appalachian Mountains)
     • Chicago: Ghost (the largest haunted city in the United States)
     • Philadelphia: Electric (city where Benjamin Franklin conducted the ‘Kite Experiment’)
     • Austin: Grass (top city within the agriculture industry)
     • San Francisco: Water (“City by the Bay”)
     • Phoenix: Fire (city named after the mythical phoenix)
4. Gym Challenge Layout
   • The real challenge comes with actually formatting and operating these gyms. A readily accessible system would be needed in order to make the gyms both fun and competitive. The concept for achieving this would be such:
     1. Gym Leaders are selected from a pool of high-ranking trainers within that gym’s city. Trainers who have won VGC Regionals championships for that city’s region receive top eligibility. The highest-ranking players in Online Ranking for that city are next in eligibility.
     2. Gym Leaders are to assemble a total of 4 teams: three for badge leveling and an additional for competitive players. The team used will be based on the number of badges the challenger has already collected, to ensure fairness and accessibility. Players may request a competitive battle at any time.
     3. Gyms shall utilize Rule Systems for every badge level, with all Pokémon levels capped accordingly. Rules may also include Pokémon restrictions, such as the banning of Legendary Pokémon prior to obtaining 7 badges. Competitive battles will use traditional VGC rules.
        • No Badges: Lv. 15
        • 1 Badge: Lv. 20
        • 2 Badges: Lv. 25
        • 3 Badges: Lv. 30
        • 4 Badges: Lv. 35
        • 5 Badges: Lv. 40
        • 6 Badges: Lv. 44
        • 7 Badges: Lv. 49
        • Competitive: Lv. 50
     4. Gym Leaders are to maintain a minimum 1:1 win ratio in order to ensure gym productivity, and will have their performance monitored accordingly. All Leaders will undergo performance evaluations at the end of every fiscal quarter. Gym Leaders who accrue a low win ratio will receive a strike. Conversely, Leaders with too low of a loss ratio may be required to adjust their teams. Leaders who repeatedly fall below a 1:1 win ratio will be subject to termination.
     5. Gym Battles are held upon reservation. Battles are to be held between 11:00 and 16:00 Monday through Thursday, and between 10:00 and 17:00 Friday through Sunday. Up to 5 battles can be held a day, and battles can only be held 5 days a week. Days of availability may vary by location. Gym Challenges are only available May 1 through August 31, and November 1 through December 31.
     6. Gym Leaders must be at least 16 years of age to obtain the position. Leaders are paid on commission: $100USD for every battle reserved and $100USD for every battle won. Leaders under 18 years of age must receive written permission from a parent or legal guardian to obtain the position.
5. VGC Link
   • The greatest incentive to the real-life Gym Challenge would be its link to the VGC World Championships. Players who obtain all 8 badges will receive free entry into the VGC International Championships for the following year. Players who obtain all 8 badges in the competitive category will be granted an invitation to the VGC World Championships. Players may also win prizes for defeating gyms, such as a Mimikyu Merch Box in Chicago, a Life-Size Ho-Oh Plushie in Phoenix, or a Shiny Metagross + 10 Rare Candies Mystery Gift in New York.

I’m certain I’ve left out something important, but that was essentially the gist. I think this would make for a commercially viable and player-enthused system. At the base, it would just be the United States, but if proven successful, Gym Challenges could appear in countries all over the world, including Japan, France, Canada, and the UK. I’d certainly be down for it!

 

[EmberFireTrainer]

This is a great idea. Since I reside closer to Philly than I do any of the other Pokémon gyms you mentioned within the U.S., I'd no doubt start my gym quest at the electric type gym. It would also be cool to travel to these various places on a quest to collect badges. One thing is for certain, if gym challenges were real, I'd be doing some serious training!

 

[PrinceOfFacade]

This is a great idea. Since I reside closer to Philly than I do any of the other Pokémon gyms you mentioned within the U.S., I'd no doubt start my gym quest at the electric type gym. It would also be cool to travel to these various places on a quest to collect badges. One thing is for certain, if gym challenges were real, I'd be doing some serious training!

I'm glad you like the idea! Since the Northeast is both the most populated and most visited region in the United States, I felt it would make sense to have two nearby Pokémon Centers within that region. Philly is only a 90-minute drive away from Manhattan, so fans could easily obtain two badges in one day. This greatly increases drive and desire for players to take on the entire Gym Challenge.