Pokemon GO’s Gyms Is a Great Idea That’s Poorly Executed

Pokemon GO has been a pretty huge success since it began its staggered release early last week. It’s a fact that nobody can dispute that the app has managed to get people running around the great outdoors searching far and wide to complete their mission to catch ’em all. Of course, catching the Pokemon is only a slither of what there is to do in the game, with the Gyms offering a source of longevity for the game. Giving players the chance to pick a team and then help their fellow comrades defend or challenge these points with their strongest Pokemon has given wannabe trainers all the more reason to power up and evolve their Pokemon. There’s a problem in all of this though – while the Gyms certain mean well as an idea, they’ve been poorly executed thus far in Pokemon GO. If the game is to truly thrive and maintain its popularity, then its Gyms are going to need to undergo a few tweaks.

You see, Gyms aren’t just as straightforward as beating the Pokemon stationed there to claim it; there are actually a ton of different little mechanics that culminate into these places of prominence in the Pokemon world. Not only does the amount of Pokemon that a team can leave at a Gym vary from place to place, but there are also rewards that can be gained from having a Pokemon at one, Prestige levels, the ability to perform Special Attacks, and how many Pokemon you can take into battle that all seems to go largely unexplained, or at the least skimmed over by Pokemon GO. It’s not as if these are insignificant aspects of the whole challenging or defending process of a Gym either. In fact, the ability to perform Special Attacks can be the difference between emerging victorious or defeated.

If you’ve not clued yourself up on it prior to your first visit, you wouldn’t be blamed for being a little bit confused by what you’re presented with. Nevertheless, this is just the beginning of the Gym’s issues. With a bit of luck, Niantic will be aware that this feature, full of great little extra distractions and means of bolstering your Gym defenses warrants a little extra explanation and n FAQ or additional tips guide can be added into the game via an update at a later date. It would certainly be appreciated by fans everywhere.

With the tricky details behind you, you’re ready for battle. Your first encounter is against a Krabby that is somehow clinging onto the bottom rung of your local Gym and you fancy your chances at claiming this landmark in the color of your team (or at least lowering the Gym’s Prestige). Many taps and swipes of your screen later and said Krabby is on his last slither of health. A tap of the screen should finish it off, but wait… your attacks have stopped doing anything whatsoever. Ah yes, Pokemon GO’s Gyms suffer from one of the most infuriating glitches, preventing you from winning when you’re more than deserving of the victory. Snatching the sweet fruits of your labor from your hands and laughing in your face. What’s worse is that in some cases the opposing Pokemon can continue to land hits on your own, causing it to faint and for you to have to use some of your Potions and/ or Revives.

It’s a frustrating issue for those who are more than capable of defeating their opposition if the glitch didn’t occur and is likely to put many people off even trying until it’s fixed.This glitch doesn’t occur all the time, though, so at least the feature isn’t entirely broken, but it does seem to be pretty frequent for a majority of players. The solution to this? Well, unfortunately it looks like a case of waiting it out until the patch arrives and hoping you can get through a few battles without the glitch occurring. We’re sure it won’t be too long until it’s fixed, though.

While these are by no means small issues with Pokemon GO’s only place you can battle your Pokemon, they seem menial in the shadows of its rewards system. Having overcome the game’s lack of guidance, and the glitch eager to snatch victory from your grasp, you defeat the Krabby, but a 700 CP Pidgeot makes short work of your team. You exit the Gym and wander away from the real-life location, checking the results screen. A small amount of XP is awarded to you for your efforts and little else but a team full of fainted or near-fainted Pokemon.

Fainted Pokemon are a risk of battle, and so while it may be frustrating that you’ve used half of your Revives and Potions getting your team back to full-fitness, it’s a result of fighting. With little else but a chunk of XP for defeating only one of the Pokemon at the Gym, Pokemon GO offers little incentive for budding trainers but heaps the rewards on those who need it least. That guy who bosses all of your local Gyms with a bunch of ridiculously high CP Pokemon gets 10 PokeCoins and 500 Stardust per Pokemon that they have defending a Gym, allowing them to further build upon their already powerful ‘mon. We like the idea of a nice reward for defending a Gym, but give the little guy something a little more than XP, too.

It’s an issue that’s compacted by the limited spaces in Gyms, resulting in many being dominated by incredibly powerful Pokemon by some dedicated trainers, and no chance for the beginners to get a sniff at the rewards. This is where the heart of the issue lies for Pokemon GO. With little reason for some trainers to check their local Gyms, Pokemon GO could see its numbers quickly decline if Niantic can’t work out a way to keep those less experienced players (or just those with less time to go exploring outdoors) interested. Yes, you can always keep catching Pokemon and grind this way, but a little reward balancing would go a long way in maintaining player interest.

Pokemon GO’s Gyms are a great idea. They’ve got plenty of depth and tie into training and evolving your Pokemon perfectly. However, with these issues plaguing entry, the functionality of the battling itself, and the entry point for beginners, they’re becoming a lot less fun the more time goes on. Hopefully, this won’t be the case for all that much longer.