By now, you've probably heard about the app sensation that is Pokémon Go! This downloadable application is currently the most downloaded app in the United States, and it is available on Android and Apple, as well as other devices. Inspired by the cartoon animated series, it allows you to search for nearby Pokémon creatures that you can capture and collect. In level 5 the players are given the opportunity to choose between three teams: Valor, Mystic, and Instinct.
Besides the pretty colors and cool designs, these teams are significant because they offer insight into the player's character. A closer look at the game reveals that what a player chooses as a team, gives you a glimpse into their personality. Their ethics and morals, their likes and dislikes, their strengths and weaknesses, all of these things make up one's personality. When one plays this game, they get to see their true colors shine through, and get to participate in a game that actively shows them as they are.
If you are an extrovert, chances are you chose team Valor. Extroverts are known to be very ambitious and kinda hostile in games. Valor's description is, “Pokémon are stronger than humans...I'm researching ways to enhance Pokémon's natural powers in the pursuit of true strength." It makes perfect sense that the motto adheres to the description of extroverts, as well as people who seek strength over wit.
Introverts fall into team Mystic. In games, they are full of knowledgeable insight and intelligence. The description reveals, “The wisdom of the Pokémon is immeasurably deep. I am researching why is it that they evolve." Thoughtful strategy is significant to the players that choose this team, Mystics are not likely to engage openly in a duel with another player, unlike Valor which will have a battle regardless if team Mystic wants to or not.
People that trust their gut fit well with team Instinct. If you are intuitive and tend to follow paths that you feel are true, rather than going through the labor of observation and caution, you most likely fall into team Instinct. Intuitors are puzzle makers, piecing together what they know, with other information that they have. The description of Team Instinct is, “Pokémon are creatures with excellent intuition...You never lose when you trust your instincts." Their brains process and store data for later use and when they make a decision, they pursue what feels right.
I personally chose team Mystic. To my surprise, it is the most popular team on Pokémon Go! When I think of Pokémon Go! I think of it as a social game, but I guess introverted people are the most likely to play video games. In this game, I'm able to freely express myself while living in a fantasy world and not having to worry about any propriety. Most gamers fall into Team Mystic because it is a team where players outsmart the system with their innate knowledge, and ability to analyze the world around us.
So, the next time you play Pokémon Go!, try to use what you know about your personality and your opponent's to your advantage. Your chosen team will showcase your interpretation of the game first hand: some of you will watch attentively, some of you will wait till the enemy is worn out, and some of you will trust yourselves wholeheartedly in your journey. At the end of the day, the Pokémon team you chose will make you aware that there's more to you than just being a Pokémon master.
