The Follow-Up To Twitter Plays Pokemon Is Here

Earlier this year, "Pokemon" fans began an amazing quest together. Players around the world collaborated to play "Pokemon Red" on Twitter. Constantin Liétard, a 3D programmer at Gameloft Montreal, began a Twitter thread asking players to comment what the next move should be in the game, and with one comment leading to another, and a helpful bot tallying the most popular comments, the world completed "Pokemon Red" together. Now, Liétard has planned a new way for gamers to work together, and it involves Discord.

Liétard tweeted, "I made a Discord bot that plays 'Pokemon Emerald!'" And with that, he signaled to fans to join him on his server. Liétard's new bot is even more advanced than the one he used to play "Pokemon" via Twitter. 

As explained by Game Rant, instead of tallying votes and progressing in a constantly playing game, the new Discord bot refreshes the game every few seconds, giving players slightly delayed updates on what's happening in "Pokemon Emerald," all in handy gif form. Fans vote for what the next move should be by responding to Liétard with emojis of arrows (for movement direction) and letters (for button input). So far, the bot is playing just fine.

Gamers responded with mixed opinions regarding the new project. For some of them, the chaos of Liétard's Twitter playthrough left them in need of a break. One commenter said, "PTSD flashbacks to Twitch plays 'Pokemon' ... I can't do this again man!" Another player disliked that the emulator updates via gifs, rather than smooth video. Most fans seem happy, though, and congratulated Liétard on his accomplishment. Even though playing through "Pokemon Emerald" together might take ages, players are excited to get there through "every little click."

Since Discord servers remain largely out of the public eye (unless something goes wrong), dedicated players might be able to make it through "Emerald" in peace. During Liétard's Twitter playthrough of "Pokemon Red," a group that called themselves Team Rocket released the collective Twitter team's best Pokemon, wreaking havoc on the playthrough. Though the group eventually recovered, it was a sad event during an otherwise delightful gaming experience.

While some multiplayer games can ruin friendships, playing games collaboratively with a massive number of people is an impressive technological feat that should be applauded. On its own, Liétard's bot is technically impressive, but it also achieves the goal of bringing people together to reach a common objective.

Gamers wishing to jump on Liétard's latest gaming event can join his Discord server via a link on Twitter.