How many Trainers does it take to beat a game of Pokemon Red? Over 80,000 at once, it seems.
Earlier this week we reported on the live event Twitch Plays Pokemon, in which tens of thousands of people are currently attempting to control the same game of Pokemon Red Version. Since our last update, after overcoming sabotage, a pitch black cave, a Rattata with Dig and the Celadon Game Corner, the legion of Pokemon trainers has managed to guide Red all the way to the Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town. With an abundance of Normal-type moves, the struggles continue within the Ghost-filled Tower.
Some changes have also been made to the game, with Democracy and Anarchy modes added. They can be changed by a majority vote of over 75% and determine whether every command is performed or only the most requested command within each 5 second block. At this point, Anarchy mode seems to be prevailing. No surprises there!
The play-through has gained quite a following, and has even made it to the mainstream media, with both CNN and the BBC reporting on Red’s unconventional adventure. So far over 250,000 people have participated in the game and over 10 million have viewed the main page. At peak times, over 80,000 people have been playing at once. If nothing else, this is truly a remarkable social experiment and a lesson in perseverance and determination.
There’s still time to join in or watch the live play-through at Twitch.tv. Alternatively, Reddit has a live updates feed where you can keep up with the latest shenanigans.
