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.
