#tlhm

- follow you by bring me the horizon

- the word "shadow" (hedgehog context)

- trees (this happened multiple times)

- vancomycin (it's an antibiotic)

This is the first in our series of guest blog posts! This one comes from Takumi, our lead programmer.

As our office’s resident Pokémon addict (according to everyone else, naturally), the subject of my writing today is shiny Pokémon. There’s nothing different about them really - it’s just a cosmetic change. A color palette switch. Some Pokémon barely look different at all.

Yet, despite that fact, the allure of these rarities calls to many trainers. Many will spend hours, days, perhaps even weeks, chasing after the perfect shiny. These aren’t the only features trainers will sink time into acquiring. IVs, the individual values that Pokémon are created with, are often bred to perfection by the hardcore. But, the shiny is a bit simpler to discuss.

It’s remarkable what people will do for something special, something rare; even if it’s just a little cosmetic change. The rarity itself oozes value to many players, whatever the game. Pure rarity won’t grab people by itself, but if you have something that a player cares about (say, a Pokémon they really like), then reveal a special, rare version of it - that will grab some attention.

There are many intriguing things about shiny Pokémon; the first being the value of of cosmetics. This is something already being explored by the video game industry. Team Fortress 2 and League of Legends both make a lot of money selling cosmetics to players. We’ve long known that players enjoy customization and control over their looks. In Pokémon, you can also control the hair and clothing of your trainer. I've spent a non-trivial amount of time getting the right clothes. I’m sure others have spent even more.

So looks can matter. Being special is something that players can care a lot about. And players are in control of options like skins in LoL, or a Pokémon trainer’s clothes. But with shinies, there’s a tantalizing barrier. It takes more than just time or money; it takes luck.

1 chance in 8192.

But the rarity is completely fabricated. It’s the same as any limited edition action figure, or trading card. The value of the good is dramatically increased by simply making it rarer. This tactic is used in many industries, - be it cars or cards or toys or anything else. However I think that shiny Pokémon are superior to most limited commodities. My reason lies in its fairness.

Most limited commodities aren’t fairly distributed. They go to the most hardcore or richest people. Waiting in line overnight to get the limited action figures at Comicon, or being able to afford one of the 5 special cars being produced this year - these sorts of commodities reward the already special. Shinies are different. With a little luck, anyone can become special by running into and catching a very rare Pokémon. Heck, even if you don’t catch it, you’ve got a great story of “the one that got away.” Sure, going after them betters your chances. Some might become very good at it, and provide shinies to those willing to pay the price. But it also welcomes everyone else by giving them a chance to join the club. It can create special people in the world of the game.