Twitch Plays Pokemon Stories

Since the initial publishing of this page, one entry has been removed by request of the author.

I found Twitch Plays Pokemon when there was a story on Kotaku of the many people playing Twitch Plays Pokemon, and it went on to be on many major news sites, even international ones.

There was all this hype around it, the many fanart and other stuff, it was very crazy back then. In Twitch Plays Pokemon, people could type a command in the chat, and it would reach the game in about 30 seconds. They were playing Pokemon Red. There was stuff in the game that was popular, such as “S.S. Ticket”, and “Helix Fossil”. Those items were picked a lot, so most of the hype was built around them.

A person called Sidney Carr chatted the Google Doc into the stream’s chat. I found it, and at that time, the document was publicly editable, so there was NSFW stuff on it, and anonymous people were always messing it up. I made a mirror, but it was too much work, and I eventually dropped it. Eventually we locked the document and opened it only to a few people, and we just shared the original document. The creator of the document got an interview from Kotaku, and the document was linked to many news sites, so we got a lot of traffic, and so the editors were locked out. We opened up a new site for the Google Document for one centralized site to find the Google document. There isn’t any complicated URL anymore, and all the editors of the Google Document could edit without getting locked out because there was a lot of people. We also got analytics, so we could see how much people was on the Google Document at one time, and to see how much people were on the document over time.

I can’t honestly remember when I first heard about TPP, I just remember hearing about it when we were in Celadon of Pokemon Red. At that time, I’d never really been on Reddit before, and hardly spent time on Twitch.TV - so I had no idea what was going on at first. When I finally realized the pure joy of inputting commands and the struggles that were going on, I was absolutely amazed. I couldn’t believe that many people were even able to make it to Celadon City, especially within the time that they had. When I first started watching, I believed it was impossible to win the game, especially upon seeing the difficulties the stream had with getting through the Team Rocket Hideout. But there was something absolutely magical about it, and I felt myself trying to help as well. My love for TPP only grew from there, and suddenly I was full-blood focused on TPP. Everything else just seemed to come second hand.

When we finally beat TPP Red, I realized we could do this. For me, that made it all the more magical. I remember waking up the morning after it happened and feeling elated. So many people stopped watching the stream after that, but I stayed along. To me, TPP was not over just because we had beaten the first game. I played throughout TPP Crystal, slowly joining up with the Reddit force in commenting. It wasn’t until Emerald that I finally gained the nerve to try and sign up to update for TPP. When I did, I signed up as both a live updater and a Google doc updater. I poured hours into working this, and in the end it seems like ages ago it was such a packed few weeks with Emerald that it felt so much longer than it really was. I got to open up for FireRed as the one to update our first few moments into our first randomized world, and was so ready to just continue on -- then life got in the way, and suddenly I wasn’t able to spend time with the friends I made while doing this. I recently got back into the community and plan to update for Pokemon Black 2 and rejoining with my friends who I have missed from this experience.

The best thing that came from this whole experience is the community. The community is so fantastic and driven, and everyone is awesome. It’s why I keep coming back time and time again.

I found out about TPP from a Facebook page called “Welcome to the Pokemon Center - Rapes A Button.” I remember first tuning in and having a good laugh. I thought to myself “this is going to go nowhere fast.” At this point, we had just entered Celadon City, and little did I know that 40,000 concurrent players was a very significant number.

After a few days of watching, I found the subreddit and the Freenode IRC. I was officially hooked on TPP after that. This was a new community for me to bond with. It reminded me of my old days of being in a casual Halo clan. I became a live updater around the middle of Crystal.

I first found out about Twitch Plays Pokémon around Day 3 or 4, through a site I visit, Dorkly.com. In it, it explained everything that happened up to that point, link to the stream included, and it also had some pictures from the TPP subreddit in it. So I watched the stream somewhat frequently, but I checked the subreddit for content multiple times. I was deeply immersed in the fan art and lore, and I was enjoying the experience.

I continued loving it through Red, and then in Crystal too! (Crystal, Platinum, and Blaze Black 2 are my top 3!) However, when we got to Emerald, my interest plummeted for a little bit. I actually stopped viewing the stream and the subreddit after Zexy was released. I came back around Day 12, hoping to give it a second chance. I started getting back into it, enjoying the rest of Emerald, FireRed, especially Platinum, and HeartGold. Even though we had less people, I felt more invested now than I did before. I would try to keep up to date on it when I travelled, and never missed a beat again.

However, I was only lurking the subreddit, barely watching the stream (although I did keep up to date through the live updater, and managed to catch the FireRed Urn), and I didn’t even submit anything or comment. Heck, I didn’t make a Reddit account until the middle of Black (which Red was the first time I went on Reddit period)! I started commenting, and submitting stuff, and I even made some art! I then joined the live updater crew, and the GDoc team, and I even spoke on TwitchSpeaks! I feel like I’m a part of this community more than ever before!

I want to thank the community, as the people were the best things about this; the substance that glued the whole experience together. Whether it’s the artists who draw masterpieces (sometimes literally, with the artist collab) or who made tumblr ask blogs, the lore writers, who made me really connect with the characters and the adventure that was ahead. Also to the live updater crew, because before this, I never really interacted with people online. This experience is a truly unique one. Finally, I’d like to thank everyone in the community for supporting this, because that’s really the heart and soul of TwitchPlaysPokemon. Whether it’s through the comments, the league, the two games in development, you guys are awesome! So thank you, for this unique and amazing experience. Thank you!

I was first introduced to TPP when it went pretty viral at my college (shout out to UChicago), and I found out most of the beginning lore from a couple articles by Dorkly. That was part-way through Red. After that, I watched a bit (I’ve got a picture of my first input on Red), but I wasn’t too serious about it. To be honest, when it started, I thought it wasn't going to go anywhere. I thought that the whole thing was going to end up running in circles for days until people gave up. To my pleasant and fascinated surprise, we progressed. And we kept progressing. And we beat the whole first game, and I was amazed. ;D

As finals loomed, I had a project that required a lot of time, so I found myself watching TPP as I worked. I began submitting updates for the GDoc through the feedback form around the first Elite Four in Crystal, being particularly careful to document as much as I could when there didn’t seem to be anyone actively updating. After a while of reliably doing that, the team running the doc emailed me to thank me for my contributions and to welcome me to be a permanent editor. >:D

TPP made me go to Reddit and I first joined in Red, but didn’t know what it was, so I left because it was weird (when someone is walking randomly you question why 50k+ are watching it but i'm stupid), then I came back at one of the Crystal E4 runs, then left again. BibleThump ;-; I knew what it was when the Crystal -> Emerald intermission after seeing a video from youtube explaining it(felt stupid). At Emerald, I started inputting. After Zexy the Torchic was released, I came to Emerald less often, just peeking every once in a while (meaning a few mins everyday), then E4 urns were awesome. I’ve been following ever since, only not watching when I don’t have access to internet. :P I’m sticking til the end.

I first heard of TPP on Tumblr, and as more and more people talked about it I was curious and I went to see what it was. I had never even heard of twitch.tv before! I watched Red for a while, but I remember thinking that we would never do it. And then we did it. It was amazing! I stuck around for Crystal, wondering if we could do it once more. By the time we beat this game, TPP was a huge part of my life. I’ve been inputting since Emerald, and i’ve been trying to do some fanart too. TPP has been an huge inspiration for me, and I never thought that this would become such an important part of my life. Thanks to that I joined Reddit and met lots of people. And now that I’m a live updater, I feel like I can help the community a bit, and it’s just so great! I didn’t even realize that I spent so much time on it! But one thing is for sure, I’m going to stay until the end and even after, because this community is just amazing. What I really loved was the lore, and finally, how anyone could have such a big impact on the stream while being at the same time powerless. Anyway, TPP was an adventure, and I’m glad I lived it.

I’m not a person who’s good at talking so I might sound a little strange…

Anyway, hi! I’m GXRevolution. TwitchPlaysPokémon started for me when my friend sent me a link over on Whatsapp, telling me to check out this playthrough of Pokémon Red that had thousands of people inputting at once. This enticed me to check out the stream and for the very first time, be introduced to Twitch itself. It was all so ridiculous and amazing to witness so many people trying to pilot the game in their own way... Needless to say, TPP really drew me in.

When I was first introduced to TPP, I was only a regular viewer of the stream. Eventually, I also discovered the TPP community on reddit and whilst I lurked for quite a while, I loved with all my heart the content that emerged from this stream. From the numerous art and stories that emerged in the community I too was inspired to contribute in my own little way.

I joined the TPP community on Reddit during the beginning of TPP Heartgold. I was shy, and all I ever posted was art. You may have seen them around. I don’t think it’s changed one bit because I’m still posting art now HAHAha.. ha :3c. I love it, because if the stuff I make, bad doodle or not, can make one person smile or laugh, go woah or maybe brighten up someone’s day after seeing it, it makes me very happy too. It’s a very rewarding feeling.

As time passed, I also got to be part of the live updating team. It’s amazing too because everyone I’ve met so far from the updating team has simply been a joy to work with, and I’ve met some wonderful people I don’t want to forget. I certainly want to continue with TPP for as long as I can, because it’s been such an unforgettable experience! Thank you to everyone who made TPP what it is!

It’s a bit hard to remember how I first joined up with the TPP experience, but I’ll try my best to recall every little detail (funny that I can’t easily do so for something that has taken over my life for the last six or so months). Life has taken so many strange turns since I first joined up, so please forgive me if my memory isn’t as perfect as I wish it to be.

I first encountered TPP while browsing 4chan’s /vp/ board. It had been something I glanced at in passing at first, but curiosity got the better of me, and I soon found myself inputting here and there. I had never expended a great amount of energy into it, but I enjoyed watching our exploits as we puppeted Red around Kanto, laughing as we jumped off the ledges, expressing surprise as we released one of our Pokémon, and shouting incredulously as we pulled off something that could only be described as absolutely ridiculous. Yet it had not been a large part of my life, and I would never have expected the stream to have become so.

It was during Crystal in which I found myself involved in the subreddit, watching the Gator Wars unfold, the unity we displayed during in the Ice Path. Here, I would develop a far greater connection to the team than I had during Red. Their struggles felt real to me, and I felt as if I had become part of something greater than simply myself. Indeed, the march up Mt. Silver and our stubborn resolve to complete the game in seven days was a turning point in my TPP experience - to see all of us united in a quest to defeat Red resonated with something in my heart.

Obviously, I stayed for Emerald when it began six days after the defeat of Red (which I missed, along with the victory over Blue in TPP Red).

At first, I spent much of my time in the chat, trying to ensure that our progress was undeterred by whatever obstacles lay in our path. I remember choosing Zexy, catching M4 and Dottie. I remember all the Poochyena. It had been fun and amusing as we attempted to evolve Zexy, and I was there, trying to ensure that he did.

It was at Mauville where I would realise that my cause had become a failure. I could only watch the updater at school as Zexy was released to the heartbreak of many, only mere minutes after /u/yelnaX accidentally updated that our lovable little chicken had actually been released (a false alarm, but it ended up coming true). Or did that happen after I joined the updating team? I apologise, but I cannot truly remember.

On the topic of updating, it was in Mauville where I joined up with the team, signalling the beginning of heavy involvement in the TPP experience. I applied one Friday afternoon at school, wishing to become an updater. I would not get any reply, and as I discovered several months later, I had not even been shortlisted. However, my chance came when /u/buttertits3 had to leave for the night, leaving the updater unmanned. /u/danceswithlupus requested a substitute, and I seized the opportunity. Despite a first session with the stream time screwing up hard, I believe I managed a good job, and I was immediately promoted to a full updater.

The rest, I suppose, was history. I became an updater, constantly updating throughout each game. Somehow along the way, I became quite a prominent one, and according to Sandy, was one of the backbones of the team. Never really understood how, but I simply rolled with it, enjoying the presence of my fellow updaters and working with them to ensure that accurate information was provided to the audience. Indeed, I would join the Google Doc team during Black as well, hoping to assist TPP in a greater manner.

It’s been a fun ride, yaknow, but now with the end of X … I suppose I’m retiring from the Live Updating team. Still gonna stick around with the GDoc (god knows if there are any other Australians who can do the deadzones), but a chapter of my life has closed.

Who knows, I might rejoin the team for OR/AS (if Sandy accepts a possible future application), but until then, this is /u/super-redguy, signing off.

Ja.