The Weird Psychology of Shiny Pokemon

[@Moon13Dreams]

I will say that we still have a lot of my mom's old Pokemon. She didn't shiny hunt, just played the games casually with us to beat the Elite 4, sometimes naming a Pokemon after us, our dog, or our toys just for fun. She passed almost a decade ago and we refuse to get rid of them.

[@lupeylycan]

( animal/pet death ) Man, I really relate to this sort of crystalized nostalgia. When my cat passed, the first pet I had and one I got as a baby, I named a meowth after him. when the same thing happened to another cat, I named an alolan meowth after him. stumbling on those meowths when I'm going through pokemon home always feels so profound. like a visit from the ghost of an old friend. and that's an experience so particularly pokemon

[@hpsmash77]

you have the save files backuped right?

[@Its_Asteria]

to be safe you should back up the save files to protect them in case of corruption or loss of files

[@mikeymichmike]

@@lupeylycan this is me with my cat stripes who disappeared a few months ago. he was an indoor/outdoor cat and very intelligent. his dad was a feral cat who got his mom pregnant while she was outside and he was raised around barn cats. he knew how to defend himself and could be gone for 2-3 days at a time but i would always count on him to come back. one day he just didn’t. incineroar always reminded me of him and the one who took his namesake now just means so much more to me

[@onlineskitty]

@@lupeylycan i named the event gmax meowth from sword/shield after my cat who went missing. it was special to Me, even if a bunch of other people also got it

[@crushcreate1461]

I still remember finding a shiny Feebas by random in Emerald. I was around 10 years old at the time and I had no idea what a shiny was, I had just heard about Feebas from a friend and that was the first one I found. I caught it and showed it to my friends, who also had no idea why it was a different color. It wasn't until about 2 years later that I realized exactly how rare that was. I still have this, it's a shiny Milotic now on my version of Diamond.

[@Kaiji...]

I got a shiny Zigzagoon as a kid, I released it because I thought the star effect meant it was someone's released Pokémon... I thought I'd find it again because it'd go back to the same spot of grass if I was right lol

[@TomBombadil123]

I found a shiny ho oh in gold on my fifth catch attempt as a kid and had no clue what a shiny was. I just tried catching it like normal, but it killed itself with struggle. Edit: grammar

[@madduxnagel6935]

When I was 8 or so, I had Diamond and was surfing Lake Valor trying to fish for a Gyarados. After a while of fishing for one without success (because I was using the wrong rod) I encountered a blue Psyduck. "Hey, that's weird... Psyduck isn't blue..." I thought to myself. "Maybe it's a glitch or something? Still, I guess I'll catch it, it looks cool" Hooooly crap am I dumbfounded that my dumbass self didn't kill it or run away. Still have it to this day

[@ARCHIVED9610]

when i was 11 i found a shiny buneary in eterna forest but cheryl killed it with her chansey. i cried and if i could i wouldve smacked cheryl

[@gonzalodiaz9326]

Wow, shiny milotic is glorious.

[@Butterism]

Pokemon Go. My mom wanted to give it a try and caught a Pidgey. It wasn't even a good Pidgey. Low stats and I always delete multiples. But she caught it, and that's been my primary Pidgey (now fully evolved) since 2016. Sure, I can catch a better one. I have caught better ones. But those are always traded for candy to level it up.

[@AshenDust_]

It’s not like you need stats on Pidgey though, you’re never gonna use it in battle

[@Knightros]

@@AshenDust_ Bruh stop ruining the mood You go, Butterismum!

[@tesshildebrand6561]

In every Pokemon game I play I get super attached to the Pokemon I play the story with, even if they're not technically good. I have a box in Pokemon Home named "Retirement Home" for those Pokemon and I'm never getting rid of them.

[@IXPStaticI]

History is also a form of unique value. Even if it is just relevant to one single person. Often the history around something can be much more rare and valuable than the thing itself. Personal attatchment and experiences to something is a valid form of value, but it cannot be shared with others.

[@chimeramanticore]

this reminds me of when i managed to get my dad to try out shovel knight (my favorite game) on my switch. he barely got past the first level but i haven't deleted his save file because it's his

[@laggingdragons]

One of my favorite pokemon of all time is Crobat, and I was just 7 years old when I was leaving Dewford Cave on Sapphire. I, of course, knew several pokedex entries by heart, and so when I stepped into that little circle of light in the entrance to the cave and saw a green Zubat, my mind flashed to the report that it gets sick if exposed to sunlight. I caught the green Zubat, ran straight to the Pokemon center, and tried to heal its sickness. It didn't work. Crying, I reset my save file as I didn't want to run through the game with a suffering Zubat.

[@imtheonewhoaskedlol]

And they say video games make you violent. How do you feel now about your choice?

[@laggingdragons]

@@imtheonewhoaskedlol disappointed but it makes for a funny story. I felt the karma come back when I caught a shiny Phanpy in the safari zone in Emerald.

[@SomeGaymerNerd]

that is so sweet, not wanting your favorite pokemon to suffer :( (even if it was a shiny and healthy, lol /lh)

[@CheeseThePurpleDragon]

This is adorable. Wholesomeness straight to the gut

[@miaomiiao]

Fake and stupid-

[@BeyondGhibli]

I spent 500 hours resetting for my shiny Mewtwo and I approve this message.

[@nameputhpong9041]

Jesus.

[@gamerhero9559]

Do you even sleep?!

[@davidcady630]

Lol my friend got it on accident

[@soccerandtrack10]

Justice has infinite patience.

[@soccerandtrack10]

@@gamerhero9559 HE! Does. I need medicen too, We both get similar sleep numbers. I might be awake A LITTLE more. I feel like writing and talking writing, I know I'm good at talking writing, I'm usually bad at spelling ups/downs though.

[@barnyjoseph1257]

As someone who has spent an enormous amount of time shiny hunting, I would warn people that it really is the ultimate time sink. I got into it during college because I was depressed and isolated, and I craved the comfortable nostalgia that came with Pokémon. I’ve hunted more than a hundred shinies in various games, Gen 5 - Gen 8, with all the various methods (Masuda hatching, SOS chaining, horde encounters, straight random encounters, etc.). The easy, repetitive grind was very soothing and helped when my depression and anxiety got the best of me. I found a shiny hunting streamer that I liked, and I became very active in their chat for a good two years. The sense of community and belonging that came with that helped me feel not alone. Eventually though, college ended, I had a real job now, and I was still depressed. I started making difficult lifestyle decisions to improve my mental health (eating healthier, starting an exercise regimen, seeing a therapist, getting better sleep). My time became a lot more precious. At the start of this process, I still shiny hunted regularly. Slowly, I began to realize that my favorite pastime had become a crutch. I prioritized shiny hunting over exercise or hanging out with my IRL friends. Every successful hunt brought a momentary high followed swiftly by the desire to start the next hunt. Like you said in the video, I began to have these “Come to Jesus” moments where I realized that no, I didn’t want to spend my time in this way anymore. I think shiny hunting can be a fun, soothing way to pass time, especially if you struggle with anxiety/depression. But if you’re like me, the addictive nature of it can make it difficult to move forward. If anyone reading this is thinking about shiny hunting, I would at the very least find people to do it with, whether that’s IRL friends, your discord buds, or a streamers chat. Hell, start streaming it yourself and build your own community. Just don’t let shiny hunting become the only thing you do. There are over 1000 Pokémon now. You will never run out of things to hunt. Tread carefully.

[@gunit2678]

Wise words! Thanks for the comment

[@GreedyGreedent]

I always shiny hunt to pass time and I do it while watching my favorite streamers do it too but this was an awakening amd now im having a crisis

[@Vieislost]

That or you could play let's go and accidently get a shiny ______ while playing normally lol

[@3amhellbeast]

Thank you!! It's so hard to find a healthy balance. I usually recommend doing easier hunts that are less time consuming (like sandwich outbreaks in SV) because you still can get a shiny (or 2... or 4 in my case with Pawmi cause apparently they love me lol) without completely destroying your life over it. I'll often throw on a show or movie while hunting too, and it can be really relaxing. That being said it can get addictive if you're not careful! I generally have a rule where after each big shiny hunt (like eggs, radar, ect) I'll take a week or a month off of shiny hunting before going to the next one. For SV I'll maybe do 2 or 3 hunts a week seeing as they can be done pretty quickly after a hard work day to help destress. The most important thing is just knowing when to take a break!!

[@connorthomas4826]

Nearly anything can be like this man. Alcohol, smoking, drugs, food, gambling, sex... People become addicted to all these things chasing momentary highs. Personally I say life is meant to be enjoyed and as long as you are enjoying yourself then who cares? But take things in moderation and be careful because you will develop a tolerance to nearly any dopamine hit you can receive. Learn to delay the gratification and I believe you will be much happier. And most importantly happier people are generally seen as ones who have good balance in their lives.

[@djroscurro9859]

12:26 I think this is why a good amount of people don’t count the red gyarados from johto as a first shiny It’s not hunted for or rare, just given to you to let you know shiny pokemon are a thing

[@raziphaz2219]

I never played gen 2 or even hgss, so I was able to form a personal connection to a shiny gyrados. It was caught on the plane ride back from vacation, and still my favorite.

[@masmurdermonkey9233]

@@raziphaz2219 Neat, I’m glad you got to experience that. I’ve gotten the red gyarados twice now. And it wasn’t all that special the first time XD So good for you, seriously.

[@morphstarchangeling8024]

I didn't even bother with the side quest for the shiny ponyta because it's just given to you.

[@djroscurro9859]

@@morphstarchangeling8024 same here

[@jasonreed7522]

Exactly, the red Gyrados is just a mandatory plot encounter so its no more special than your starter or the box art legendary. My first shiny was a zubat in pearl found in oreburg mine several years after release, its the first time i actually used a zubat and learned the value of golbat and crowbat. (Green zubat/golbat also look pretty cool)

[@Corescos]

A long time ago in the days of DPP, my older brother was the first of us to find a shiny for the first time. A west sea shellos, level 8. And over the years of us playing games and playing through them over and over, poor shellos, now a gastrodon, was lost. We don’t know where it could have possibly gone, where it might’ve been deleted. But it was kinda heartbreaking. Years later, in SwSh, I got my hands on a west sea shellos. Which, if you know the history of shellos, is extraordinarily rare. The games have primarily featured East Sea shellos ever since gen 5 and up, making 3D west sea a major rarity. So I decided to shiny hunt shellos. I was lucky enough to finally breed one, and gave it to my brother for his birthday. Level 8. All this to say, digital connection is powerful

[@imtheonewhoaskedlol]

Oh, that's...wholsesome. Thanks for giving me a smile.

[@milesabaughan]

That Syndrome "When everyone is super, no one is" be hitting different here. I get a very similar sort of feeling you had with the Moonlight Greatsword when I'm playing something with my friends (be it online game or TTRPG or... anything else really) where one of them ends up getting a skill or item or what have you which has them encroach on what I was doing/ getting good at. I feel its a very sort of, territorial feeling in a sense.

[@SeppelSquirrel]

That's interesting! I feel the opposite way. When I'm playing a game and I see a rare achievement that comes with a secret scene or a rare item, I feel bad that the developers made something that only 2.6% of everyone who played the game got to experience, so I try to go for it in order to pay my respects to the people who made my beloved game. And I feel a sense of community with everyone else who did so. And that's my excuse for why I got the good ending of Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight on insane difficulty.

[@cyncynshop]

@@SeppelSquirrel Same, when I get something, I recommend other people to have what I have. Because I wish to see the same excitement I have again.

[@FelisImpurrator]

@@cyncynshop "I want more people to enjoy things" gang rise up.

[@twixchexmix]

I totally get that especially with competitive games, took me a long time to find who I wanted to main in strive because my friend already mained the character that I initially really liked.

[@SnailHatan]

In other words, you’re insecure.

[@naominerd4075]

"When everyone's super, no one will be." Not super important, but thank you for using that Syndrome quote. As a kid, I thought it was menacing, and that's it. As an adult, I use it regularly when making points like that. Even here in the lead up to it, I was thinking about that quote and got surprised when you used it. Anyway, good video, thanks Daryl, have a good one my guy.

[@someoneawesome8717]

I didn't even start looking for a shiny Pokemon for the rarity, I mostly just like the small aesthetic change, my shiny Ponyta is a proud member of my team. However, the Pokemon I hold the most pride in is my Absol that I have brought from game to game since Ruby and she is just generally one of my favorites

[@roadsofar7989]

As someone whose favorite mon is specifically Shiny Mega Absol, I approve

[@someoneawesome8717]

@@roadsofar7989 I mean Abby isn't even Shiny, she's just been with me since before I lost contact with my best friend from the time

[@Xx_Oleander_xX]

Absol has always been one of my favorites as well! Most are nicknamed and even now i go out of my way to catch one, even in showdown I'll use Absol over "stronger" dark types

[@johnschwalb]

I has a blastoist from fire red I brought up to pokemon y, it got wiped by accident and I lost her.

[@lablunt6190]

Same. Shiny Gardevoir for me!

[@LegoEngineer003]

I’m roughly 4 years (off and on) into hunting a shiny Giratina at full odds in Ultra Moon. You’d better believe that thing’s going to have some value to me, because even though it’s not my first shiny Giratina, it’s the one I’ve worked the hardest for.

[@sleazymeezy]

Shiniest aren't work, they're special encounters. What you will have there is an idiot badge of time lost.

[@sh1n0bu2]

it’s been 9 months since you left this comment but did you get your shiny best boy yet?

[@mostafaahmedibrahim2541]

I got a shiny giratina in alpha sapphire but reset my console because I like red and gold more than blue and silver ngl

[@thealmightysting1115]

@sleazymeezy by definition, to soft reset for a shiny is putting in work If it is stupid and a waste of time is a different conversation

[@aramitamaman7881]

Dude I spent a year on and off hunting for an alpha magnezone I understand the struggle 😂

[@sanguiniusszuiriel4984]

The “you’ve been a lovely audience” made my morning feel a lot less dark today, so thank you. Great video, I send these to my family when they need a little repacing in their lives

[@StarDusk17]

I love Stunky, it’s one of my favorite Pokémon. It has a cute design, it has an awesome shiny, and poison/dark is an amazing typing, having an immunity to psychic and only one weakness to ground.

[@brightonpauli3916]

I think least favorite pokemon play into the whole identity thing in the video, too. Being the "person who doesn't like stunky". I'm a ledyba-hater, personally. But yeah, stunky's a super solid pokemon!

[@Tw0point0h]

I was playing shield when he said that and I looked up at my skuntank and was thinking “he’s not that bad, wtf??” (Stunk/skuntank is my favorite Pokémon)

[@deedumeday518]

​@@Tw0point0hhave u played pmd 2?

[@excalibur493]

I really only like shiny stunky because I like to think of it as "cherry" stunky, and it makes me giggle.

[@Amins88]

I've finally fully completed my pokedex in Arceus. And to this day, I still have the very first Bidoof I caught in-game. Her name is Doobus, and she hangs out with all of my best Pokemon. And even though I've encountered a multitude of shiny Bidoofs in my playthrough, none will hold the value that I have for Doobus.

[@aeden1001]

I can totally relate with the whole Elden Ring thing. I just got the Age of Stars and thought “damn, that entire quest was pretty intimate and emotional.” Let’s just say it didn’t feel that intimate to me soon after when I saw that millions of people got it.

[@RoboJean1994]

Another Banger of a video. As someone who unsuccessfully tried to get into shiny hunting and also fell off from so many gacha games despite them theoretically being my personal honey trap I feel like this video helped me understand what it is that makes those things so appealing, and in turn what it is that I am actually missing. I don't have the exact solution yet, but I think I am one step closer to the solution. Thank you Daryl for everything that you do. Also: Team Blanket. As I am currently sick with COVID, that blanket sounds like a dream!

[@capsey_]

get well!

[@sunniwithani]

A fellow Covid sufferer! I hope you’re doing alright

[@beyond-journeys-end]

I choose the blanket, maybe i just perfer it ( i sweet easyly )

[@ricardobr1493]

I named jared and im not giving him away

[@internetguy7319]

Why are you TRYING to waste your time

[@PrezAhmdo]

I had a friend who was a big fan of gardevoir, and around the time I met them was the same time I got my first ever official pokemon game (not an emulator), so everytime I get a shiny Gardevoir I name it after them and it really does just connect with me to the point where I never want to put them in the box rather than in my party

[@pedroscoponi4905]

I definitely can't reprimand people for seeing value in things exclusively for their rarity or uniqueness, but I think it's important to also not fall for that impulse too much. The thing you mentioned about Ranni's questline was so strange to me. The reason your were using those equipments was originally to honor the characters and pay homage - what's it matter what the other Tarnished are doing? I couldn't relate to it at all! There's no harm in collection, or being excited about rare events, but these things aren't what make _us_ unique, and it's good to know that and hold that truth with you, I think. You can own something that's completely commonplace and still treasure it just as much, and be none the worse for it. The only defining element of what should matter to you _is that it matters to you._

[@MartinPurathur]

This

[@TardustheToasty]

Well said and very important to keep in mind.

[@FelisImpurrator]

As far as I'm concerned, the fact that so many people seem to enjoy Ranni's questline so much is nothing but positive for me, because she's my favorite character. One of the very, very few in all of media I can personally relate to - I usually don't. So seeing her ending be the most popular three times over and the Dark Moon Greatsword be one of the most popular weapons in the game despite its off-meta status is nothing but upsides.

[@ducky36F]

@@FelisImpurrator I have to say when I picked up Elden Ring I did not expect to fall in love with characters in such a short time like I did with Ranni, Blaidd and Iji.

[@YoshiTheyosh123]

But how do you decide what matters to you?

[@armouredsandbox1863]

Back when X and Y first introduce wonder trading, I was randomly wonder trading and got a shinx. It was a 5 IV shinx and I couldn't just randomly send it off to another trainer. I raised it and it's now one of my my treasured pokemon. Ive transfered it up and it currently sits in Pokemon home. I even took it to the first regional championships and participated with it. It means a lot to me and I doubt the OT trainer who was probably just breeding a perfect shinx will ever know this random pokemon he sent off would become so highly treasured.

[@TheOrian34]

Very interesting, although I'd like to point out that regarding achievements, they still hold personal value outside of just being social collector's shinies. I complete games not to parade my 100% games around, but because it's a way to ensure you've seen everything the game had to offer. It helps experience what the devs considered all encompassed worth playing around for. It's also neat and nice to have a checklist to complete, and they can serve as guides too for content you would miss. Just my two cents because it felt like they were reduced to just bling. Also for the endowment experience, I would choose the blanket or bottle depending on the needs. I feel like it doesn't affect me as much, as I'd prioritize utility over feelings.

[@patrickj]

While that might be true for some, I feel like this holds true for a minority of games only. Often times achievements just cover the campaign / main story and leave lots of extra content unaccounted for, while others drift off to the other extreme and include a hilarious amount of tedious achievements which none but the most hardcore fans would even think of, if it wasn't for said achievements. Personally I think that - outside of really small games with a limited scope - it's nearly impossible for developers to really hit a sweet spot that feels "right" for all player types out there, as well as the devs themselves, simply because there are too many interest clashing. I feel like more often than not, achievements are either a hindsight ("Oh, we need achievements... just add one for every level") or used as some sort of meta-content ("Include achievements for 60,000 collectibles scattered around the world, so we can claim 200+ hours playtime") rather than being the essence of what the devs think you should have done to have fully experienced the game as intended.

[@idjthesmart1363]

At 17:50 he does mention that some people complete achievements as a way to do the game justice and show respect to the developers.

[@TheOrian34]

@@idjthesmart1363 right, but that's not really what I talked about.

[@TheOrian34]

@@patrickj It's true that achievements are definitely under exploited currently. Hopefully more devs realize their use and potential if more worked on.

[@idjthesmart1363]

@@TheOrian34 It does mention that achievements are more than just bling though, and "doing the game justice" usually means seeing all it has to offer.

[@heychrisfox]

I'll say, there have been multiple times that I've looked at a Steam achievement's percentage, see that it's extremely low, and I'm like, "I'm gonna get that." It's like this weird mixture of accomplishment and spiting other players that I'll never interact with; a way to be part of that exclusive club of anonymous people. Even now, at time of writing, I'm in the 6% of people on Steam who 100%'d Elden Ring. It just feels NEAT.

[@BrennaDraws]

The section about digital items and sentimental value makes me think of that story of someone that found their old, xbox I think, with a racing game they played with their dad who passed when he was a teenager. His dad was the highest scorer and so it left a 'ghost' of his car on the track. I play alot of games online, I have so many items I can't bear to get rid off becaus they represent gifts from friends or milestones I accomplished, not always within the game it's self but within my life. Some items remind me of challenges I had to oevr come to become a btter person or of people no longer in my life.

[@Dalucy8317]

It’s actually really funny- when I was watching this video I was going through all my Pokémon games and looking at all the teams I’ve had throughout the years and drawing them and writing their personality traits and stuff about them. I don’t know why but the fact that I’ve had such a long and interesting history with these individual Pokémon is really amazing. I’ve had some of these guys since around 2011 and it feels like I have an actual relationship with them. I know it’s weird but I would be absolutely devastated if I lost any of these main Pokémon teams. I haven’t really ever shiny hunted before so I have mostly normal Pokémon but the fact that they’ve been with me for so long kinda makes them feel like family. I honestly have no clue what’s going to happen to them when I die. I hope that if some kind of afterlife exists, the Pokémon that come out of the reset game will be able to be with me or something. I know it’s weird but thinking about them disappearing puts a kind of deep fear in me. I guess that’s why I’m drawing them right now. I don’t want to forget the good times I’ve had with them.

[@yaninacattani5089]

Valid and understandable, i also feel really connected to the pokemon is used to play whit the most in recess whit my friends. Lovely little creatures

[@luiss428]

right?? i just finished my playthrough of scarlet/violet. i have a special box dedicated to the pokemon i finished the game with (not just my 6 pokemon, but additional pokemon i used to prevent overlevelling lmao). i have shinies of some of the original 6 pokemon i used, but my OGs are just as special as them lmao. I've already attached so much labels to them! i realize ive done this more than i thought the past few games!

[@pikmints]

To expand on one aspect that this video delved into; While I am someone that likes to shiny hunt, devs creating limited-time goods like at 8:08 is something that will actively turn me away from some games. I'm a completionist, I like the idea of completing my Pokedex, having as many shiny Pokemon as I can catch, having as many Pokemon with hidden abilities as possible, but if I learn that some Pokemon will be permanently unavailable due to me missing a preorder bonus or a limited-time event, it takes the wind out of my sail to the point where I reconsider buying the game at all. Multiple times I've downloaded a gacha game on my phone and either missed a limited-time event, or even lost my data due to my phone needing to be replaced, and I immediately lose interest in playing the game any more, even if I was obsessing about the game just 48 hours prior. My game's save is permanently tarnished in a way that the developers deliberately crafted, and developers rarely backpedal on limited goods like this, if they do it once then they'll do it again.

[@SuperVoodude]

I've started doing more Pokedex completion and feel ya. I was so distraught when I thought I completed the Legends Arceus dex only to find out I'm missing Darkrai because I didn't have the Gen 4 remakes.

[@gone9820]

Artificial scarcity be like (Sorry, but long text ahead. Read it if you want.) If you're going to read this, I would greatly appreciate a comment with your point of view on the matter! its very interesting to see what people think abt this. But seriously, this type of problem you wrote about (where an item is unavailable forever) is such a big problem. It really promotes toxicity by serving as a stepping stone for trading and in-game economies. What made me laugh hard about the video was the intro: showing how people gave horse sh1t value because it was rare. They did not care if it was horse sh1t or not. I think that this shows how dumb in-game economies can be, because it shows that people really dont care about said item, only about the rarity. Rarity creates this toxic and unsafe hiearchy between the "rares", those who spent thousands of hours grinding for an useless item (the horse sh1t), and the "non-rares". I like the road Pokemon is taking: by making shiny Pokemon more common, this means that more people can get it, but unfortunately, to intentionally get a shiny pokemon, you need to grind, which is also extremely toxic by itself because grinding forces the player to spend inhumane amounts of hours on an item that can either be stolen or artificially injected. I agree with what you said completely. I find it so stupid when games force players to grind for an item that will never appear, like, then why grind for the first place? If the item is going to be gone forever, this means that you basically invested time on something inexistant (and yes, said item never existed in the first place because its *digital* - this is why I find grinding, trading and artificial scarcity in general very "abusive", because you are forcing the player to get a worthless, abstract item). Worth in videogames are basically people projecting their need to be rich, so they force others into this hiearchy to fufill their needs. Imagine a game that simulates real life, with poverty and such. This is what happens with *A LOT* of MMO RPGs, like Animal Jam. Yes, Animal Jam is a kid's game, but I am using a literal children's game as an example to show how toxic artificial scarcity is: If a child wants to get a certain item that is unavaible [and deemed rare], they need to grind for hours and hours on end until they can trade up and get better worth. The hiearchy between the rares and non-rares difficultes this step because... who would want to trade with someone who has basically no in-game worth? The worst part is that worth is EXTREMELY SUBJECTIVE, only serving to benefit those who have the rare items by making these even more rare, thus making certain prices skyrocket because of "demand", making it very hard and psychologically draining for the child to obtain. Lets not forget that said hiearchy I wrote about makes games VERY TOXIC: I remember very clearly being "bullied" by rares because I was just a starter in Animal Jam. I couldn't interact with people because I had literally no idea about worth. Imagine being bullied because you are "poor" in-game. WildWorks (the cruel, hypocrite and leech company behind this game) tries to dissasociate themselves with the fact that *their game is very toxic and unfair. They lie about having "no affiliations" with the in-game economy, yet they had people in their staff that would influence worth as a "game mechanic"* . Remember that these items can be forcefully removed from someone AND forcefully injected by someone. Lets not talk about the trading apologists.... Actually, I will. Its almost... cult like? I don't know, but the people inside trading communities are so weird: when someone loses all their items by being hacked, they go using the talk of "you'll recover your worth one day!", yet the worth the person lost had atleast 1 year worth of time spent. This smells like manipulation... for me, I guess. Other things is that they compare grinding to working in real life: I can agree to an extent, but they literally compare the useless item to an actual, existing, physical, useful item that can be owned. What I find toxic about grinding is because generally, when you grind, you gain money (e.g. jobs), but in videogames, you gain nothing. Only a bunch of pixels that can be hacked. This is what makes this comparaison shocking. *This isn't even all of the red flags* . Children, teens and adults are being subjected to this mindset. I don't really care if they like grinding: they should go grind in a singleplayer game instead of hurting others indirectly for your own idea of fun, because subjecting others into this inhumane practice is sad. You can grind all you want, but if the next person doesnt want to, then they have a right to not to. This is where scamming and hacking/genning comes into play. Because most people don't haver the capacity to get certain items, people use ways, that are against the rules, to get what they want. The only thing I constantly condone is genning, the artificial injection of a certain item into your game. Why? Because you're not hurting anybody - you're not stealing people's lost time, you are just saving time by not forcing yourself to go onto an unethical, unecessary path. However, scamming and hacking are always wrong and immoral. I remember one time that a country tried to make scamming in MMO RPGs illegal and that made me laugh A LOT. They are literally making the consequence illegal, not the root of said evil. This what I find funny - no one blames the greedy, leeches game designers, but instead the people who suffer because of them. I'm not even talking about attachement here. A lot of people here in the description are talking about how attached they are to a certain pokemon/item. Attachement can give said item an individual value, but not worth. Worth on inexistant items should never exist in the first place. *This is literally just the tip of the iceberg - we got lootboxes, items being sold for real life money and much more* .

[@spoon7053]

@@gone9820 how did i know this was about animal jame before you even mentioned animal jam…i look back fondly on many of my past gaming experiences, but that one makes me a little sick. It promoted such rampant toxicity for a community of what, 10-14 year olds? Honestly i’m ashamed i even liked the game in my early teens.

[@evasmiljanic3529]

This is also a frustration feature to me. It always upset me that I could never complete a pokedex by simple virtue of not being born in North America or Japan.

[@furthings]

@@gone9820 I agree with a lot of things said here but man, go try to tell a digital artist or commissioner of said artists that their digital piece is "inexistant" (which isn't a word), "never existed" or "worthless" lmao

[@sophria]

I will never forget my first ever shiny. It was an Exeggcute, I was walking with my parents through a Walmart and looked away when I ran into it. I didn't see the shine animation. Something felt off about it so I decided on a whim to catch it and sure enough I had my first ever shiny and it was at full odds at that.

[@saemonarogue787]

Final Fantasy 14 player here. The closest example you're asking for would be in pvp. There were seasonal events - called The Feast - where you've a limited time to rank up and earn a mount or a costume item (depending on what's there to earn). After that Feast was over, that's it. There's absolutely no way to earn those rewards again. There's also collaboration events the game does every now and then. For example back in 2016 they did an event called Yokai Watch for roughly 3 months. After that it was completely gone, there was no way to get the items. Though due to content shortage from Covid they brought it back in 2020 - 4 years later. There's smaller examples with the holiday events where in those time periods you can earn the items in game. They then bring said items back the next year in the online store. There's also time sinks - such as grinding a certain currency called mgp for a 2 million mgp mount or doing 2,000 mentor roulettes (which is a special type of hell all on it's own) for a mount associated with it as well. There are also skill based prizes - such as the mounts from high end content (savages), the costume weapons from the hardest content in the game (ultimates) and some of the out there ones such as completing certain high end content on the "limited" job/class Blue Mage.

[@christophertran833]

*there's also the legacy tattoo and 1.0 goobbue mount

[@freezinater]

Don't forget the whole housing system as well. Even with the recently added lottery system, housing plots are really limited, though you can also get an apartment. However if you get an apartment as opposed to a plot, you won't have the ability to garden, a major feature for houses and method of gaining some valuable plants to sell. Or if you look on the side of free companies, the game's guilds, there's even more mechanics you miss out on if you can't get one of these limited plots.

[@Naixatloz]

I actually think XIV generally does a really good job not gating much content behind artificial scarcity, and it's something I really appreciate. Time-gated content, especially, makes me angry. I actually got into a debate about Feast rewards the other day with an FC member. He's very into skill-based rewards and likes showing them off, so he was vehemently against how several of them have been made available through CC instead. Like, sure, I get the appeal of showing off things you worked hard for. I actually stressed about farming gwibers when they were still relevant content, because oh no, they won't mean anything once Endwalker drops. But while I'm not advocating for skill gates to be removed, at the end of the day I much prefer collectables to be available to more people who can enjoy them. And if that means his hellpup or my Model O aren't as impressive anymore, oh well.

[@boar6615]

as far as live service games go, I'd say FFXIV is actually very good at not gating content beyond time limited events

[@SocraTetris]

I remember how excited I was to have gotten a Jirachi by participating in a movie event... only for it to coincide exactly with the time most my friends stopped playing and talking about Pokémon

[@nateeey_]

The one and only time I've found a shiny was during a replay of omega ruby where i found a shiny zigzagoon. Unfortunately it was right at the beginning where i hadn't had access to pokeballs. 😔

[@Knightros]

NOOO

[@Weavileiscool]

I found a random shiny Rotom in Legends Arceus and the adrenaline rush was crazy. I can’t remember the last time so much came so quickly. Then I got a shiny Skorupi just 30 minutes later. The best part is that they’re both really good shinies.

[@pownotthere]

When my friend picked typhlosion as his starter I suddenly feel like typhlosion has less appeal value than it used to so I picked Decidueye in my LA playthrough I grown attached to decidueye and my old and new party members and beat the hardest boss with level 57-67 pokemons ( I had used multiple grit items, 9 and 10 on important stats ) I had never played a mainline pokemon game in a while and I missed this feeling of attachment Can’t say the sames for shinies however, I found my first and then accidentally knocked it out, and then ignored it, found my second, caught it, and boxed it When you asked that question about the waterbottle or the blanket I subconsciously want the blanket more than the bottle but I already put an imaginary sticker on my water bottle so I feel attached Left me in a state of shock and confusion on what I should do, I am unable to answer I know I usually drink from a glass or just a plastic bottle of store bought tea but I put a sticker on that thing already

[@fuse625151]

Man... the cadence of your VO is sublime. This is the second one of your psych of play videos that I've seen (the dark souls one being the first), and I share them aggressively because they are so thoughtful and well written. Thank you so much for making this content!

[@RPGgrenade]

I immediately gave up on the water bottle if I'm being honest. I think the endowment effect heavily depends on several factors, since I didn't really create any attachment to said imaginary water bottle. However the concept of "value" and the factors associated with it is fascinating. It drives markets, changes economies, and in some ways runs the world. It's an intriguing thing that I think we should pay more attention to, because that way we can start to piece together what it is we SHOULD value as opposed to what we normally or automatically do.

[@FlareBlossom]

I've chosen the blanket too because it just seemed like more valuable according to the things he said about it. Comfort is much more important in a blanket than whatever characteristics a water bottle can have. (water bottles are not much different from each other in my opinion (I use a coce bottle and it is just as good to drink from as a premium glass one would be) but blankets differ a LOT) So yeah actual value and what is important to us can overwrite this phenomenon. In the chocolate bar vs mug situation I would always choose the mug since a chocolate bar worth one dollar max 2 but a mug starts at 3-4 dollars, so if they are both similar in quality a mug would always worth more, I can sell the mug and buy 2-3 chocolate bars from it. And yes I agree with you, being told that it is my water bottle now and 20 minutes passed is not enough for me to make a personal connection with said item. That's like being told that this girl you've never met before is your girlfriend/wife now and after 20 mins being asked how much you love your new wife. Connections takes time and being in situations together unless it's a gift or hierloom or something like that but then you had the time with that person instead whose item was that or who gave it to you.

[@renewagain6956]

Also, a mug is a permanent item you can continue to derive use from. The chocolate bar's value is lost once consumed.

[@ricardobr1493]

I was immediatly attached to the water bottle

[@abiotic_sloth1768]

Thank you so much for this video and all the time you put into crafting it. Being unique, especially in modern times, is something a lot of people crave. There is something about being special, standing out from the crowd, and having exclusive items that people desire and you gave a great video going into why. I chose the blanket and decided to relinquish the bottle you gave us. I was cold during the video so a blanket sounded very cozy, but also because I already have a water bottle. My water bottle has been with me for 4 years and has dents and stickers that make it unique to me, so I have no desire to get another one. Even though it was a fake water bottle gift, I still related it to the real one I have. Very interesting to think about.

[@Slick_Tails]

This video sums up one of the big reasons why I absolutely adore Keyforge, a card game in which every single deck in the world is completely unique. No two decks are the same, and each has its own unique name, card back art and deck list. The game takes this concept even further with things like Mavericks, extremely rare cards that appear in a different house from what they're supposed to. (Imagine Sinkhole from Magic: The Gathering, but it requires two WHITE mana to cast instead of the usual black, for somewhat of a comparison) I own a deck with an Untamed Champion's Challenge, of which there are only 6 in the entire world (that have been registered) out of over 2.6 million. There are Legacies, which are cards that appear in a set that they're not usually supposed to, potentially allowing for combos and synergies that would otherwise be impossible. Anomalies are rarer still, and consist of cards that are from future sets that don't yet exist. Enhancements allow for cards to gain bonuses that they wouldn't normally have, and Evil Twin decks are copies of existing decks, but with many of the creatures twisted into Evil Twin forms, changing their attributes and abilities, with some players searching to own both Good and Evil versions of a particular deck. And even without any of those rare oddities, you'll still find decks that are different from what anyone else will have. I own the only double-Ransom double-Borrow deck in the world, the only double-Fangtooth double-Pincerator deck in the world, (the latter of which is so degenerate it's beyond hilarious) and a particular deck called The Vain Rogue that has a certain combo that no other deck on earth is capable of. (Little Niff + Gebuk + World Tree + Assert Dominance + Masterplan) Having unique things is awesome, and it's great to see what other players have, their own oddities, their own combos, and with the second hand market people have bought decks with their name printed on them. And because nobody else has your deck, they feel so much more special. Legacies are made. Decks exist as entities, not merely as a collection of cards that you can make by tearing through booster packs or buying singles at inordinate prices. Fate has gifted you something that no-one else can have, just like everyone else, and those memories you make as you learn to harness these gifts of fate can provide you with experiences that no-one else will ever have. All in service of the jungle that is Keyforge.

[@patrickj]

To be fair, while kinda cool, that sounds like an absolute balancing nightmare...

[@Slick_Tails]

@@patrickj It's not as unbalanced as it might sound, and the various formats go some way to levelling the playing field. In the Adaptive format both players offer up their decks to be chosen and check each deck list, then choose which deck they believe has the best chance of winning. If both players choose the same deck they then bid on that deck with chains, which are a handicap mechanic that reduces card draw over subsequent turns. Essentially, bidding for the highest handicap that you think the deck still has an advantage, with the player who bids highest being able to use the deck, but with the extra handicap on top. This promotes high levels of knowledge, skill, matchup analysis and adaptability over simply bringing a strong deck. Then there's the SAS rating system that can be used to balance games. SAS being a community developed deck rating system that assigns an overall number to the deck's perceived strength based on its various attributes, synergies and efficiency. Though not perfect, it still allows for pretty well balanced matches between decks of a similar level by enforcing "SAS caps" and has been developed and tweaked to keep up with current player knowledge. This promotes rigorous testing with numerous decks, rather than finding a perceived "best" and sticking with it. Then there's Tesla, a round robin tournament structure in which you swap between playing your own deck and your opponent's deck each game, meaning you ideally want to bring a deck that can be difficult to pilot, but that you have a lot of experience with and can unlock its potential. Close, nail-biting games are more common than you might think, and since there's no blog post to find the "best decks to play" it's often in your best interests to keep playing and experimenting, gaining skill and experience.

[@patrickj]

@@Slick_Tails I see, so it's the surrounding matchmaking and tournament mechanics that do the balancing, rather than the decks themselves. Sounds like a pretty smart approach, given the prerequisites.

[@Slick_Tails]

@@patrickj Yep, that's basically it. When the game first released there was much more of a rat race for high level decks, and certain deck archetypes ruled the roost making for something resembling an established meta. Lots of decks were invalidated at the competitive level due to certain cards and factions reigning supreme. But as time went on both the game and the community evolved, with many players wanting to explore their collections more thoroughly in the competitive space rather than being pushed to play specific types of decks. Nowadays there are plenty of options depending on your preferences, newer sets have added complexity and raised the skill ceiling, previously dominant cards now have counters while many previously weak cards have become more viable, the "meta" (if it can even be called that) is extremely loose, and all sets see competitive play. The big shame is that many players dropped the game not long after launch and still have the perception of it being a pay to win loot box simulator, with people tearing through display boxes searching for aember rush and hyper steal decks. Not that it's surprising it happened, considering what is often seen in the world of TCGs, but the game's current state doesn't deserve the stigma of its early days.

[@angeldude101]

How does the game actually enforce uniqueness? How can it ensure to have a completely different name and back for every single deck? Does it have a list of potential names that it picks based on its content or at random, or does it actually procedurally generate them on the fly? Any finite set will eventually have duplicates unless the size is so ungodly high that it could only have been built by a machine. The fact that your comment includes "cards that are from future sets that don't yet exist" implies that the game somehow has time travel, or that the anomalies are procedurally generated and that future sets include a curated set of past anomalies. The former is obviously impossible, while the latter implies that there is a finite curated list and also that the cards were designed entirely by a computer with no human oversight. After double checking, this seems to be a physical card game, which makes the advertised uniqueness even more dubious, especially since there's nothing stopping people from bending the rules in ways such as just photocopying the cards, or mixing cards from different decks even if the game officially doesn't want that.

[@shyonae]

This video came at the perfect time for me. I just finished my first full odds hunt in Pokémon Black, one of the first Pokémon games I've ever played, and got myself a shiny Snivy. I called her Fubuki and to me, she's a very precious bundle of pixels. I loved this game back when it came out and I was little, I made friends thanks to it, I will never forget the awe when I discovered the Victini and Meloetta events. This video is very dear to me, it made me understand things that were oblivious to me up until now, thank you.

[@yakumorisuke9403]

I've never got into shiny hunting, but I admit that I have been really enjoying finding and catching Alphas in Arceus. I know it's not the same, but being rather time poor, it's what I'm able to do!

[@PredictableEnigma]

Sometimes having a big un is more exciting than a barely different color pallette

[@yakumorisuke9403]

@@PredictableEnigma Absolutely :) I love the way they tower over the other Pokemon 😂

[@SuspiciousZorua]

honestly considering how disappointing or bad plenty of shinies are a big garchomp is better than a sparkly one, less effort and tall!

[@commYT]

@@SuspiciousZoruacap

[@normal6483]

I think this explains why my friends and I all reacted to #dexit so badly. Every pokemon is unique and easy to get attached to, and they took great care to make sure you could take your Pokemon forward with you each generation that they could. And suddenly, they took it away from you. They did so arbitrarily, picking and choosing which ones stayed and which ones left. And they lied about the reasoning, saying it was to improve animations only to largely reuse animations from the older games. And then they offered to port over all of your Pokemon into a one-way hostage chamber where you need to transfer them into a game that may not even allow the transfer to occur or else you have to keep paying a subscription just to avoid losing them for good. The appeal of Pokemon was, in large part, the fact that each Pokemon felt so personalized and personal. And at the last moment they decided that being attached to your Pokemon was a bad thing.

[@niki482]

You can clone your pokemon in gen3 using the glitch in the duel tower and also in gen6 and 7 using a 20$ 3DS saves device. Or with a custom firmware 3DS. That’s how I do it, I transfer my pokemon forward, but I clone them in the Original game, so my Emerald Pokemon for instance stay forever in my Emerald save, but also are in the newest games or Pokemon Home. That has been a good solution for me at least, because I hated the fact that my beloved gen3 pokemon leave for good to the new games and can never come back to it.

[@djroscurro9859]

I remember my first Shiny Pokemon, being a Fletching I found in X and Y while I was trying to find Pikachu. …Unfortunately, my 3ds’ battery was low, and I was much less mindful of saves back then. You do the math.

[@Lumistrocity]

Been there, suffered all the same

[@lyingriotman2220]

The water bottle and blanket thing is weird. I want to say that I chose to keep the water bottle cause it was easier to imagine the feel of it. The weight in my hand, the shape, the feel of the water moving inside, it's something I'm very familiar with. While I know what a blanket feels like, being warm, and soft, and decently-sized just wasn't enough for me to imagine it, y'know. I couldn't picture it well enough to trade for the bottle that I have such a vivid mental image of.

[@chasseurdetoile]

I've been shiny hunting full odds for 13 years, and this is one of the best videos I've seen on the subject ! Really enjoy your other stuff too.

[@angeldude101]

Why people insist on doing something slower that they could do faster with less effort and the exact same result, I will never understand.

[@sonic_mvp_5112]

@@angeldude101 because then the result is more satisfying

[@angeldude101]

@@sonic_mvp_5112 Doing the same thing over and over again until I win the lottery isn't satisfying for me. It needs nothing from me except time, and my attention span is too short to offer that time.

[@sonic_mvp_5112]

@@angeldude101 there are still people who DO like it🤷

[@leobosco9205]

@@angeldude101 the new generation has no patience at all, It is a common trait, but still, winning the lottery is awesome at first because it is hard and you get huge reward. You might even be very exited to tell your friends. But when you win the lottery all the time and you dont care for the prize anymore, why would you be excited, why would you tell your friends? Getting a shiny before Legends Arceus (chance 1 in 4096 or 8192) was the most exciting thing that could ever happen to you, especially if you are a kid. It feels different. Those that miss the old ways know. Funny thing is that im not old lol (21), just started hunting when was very young after finding and killing shiny piloswine.

[@headinthe._.clouds]

That’s blanket sounds so nice. I’m a sucker for anything cozy. Buuut… I’m already attached to that bottle haha

[@scrubs9285]

I caught a shiny Chingling (my favorite in Diamond) after only six chain encounters. I think finding it so fast lessened the impact because it wasn't really that exciting, just a pleasant surprise. That said, I absolutely adore my Bell-sama and we're destroying the Pokemon Shows together.

[@Hetachan]

When you asked for the water bottle back, I was instantly super defensive about it. I guess it goes to show how easily attached to things I get haha

[@Salmonwithfeet]

10:18 correction, penultimate jokes aside though, there was a time I hitless the hand of the king on five boss cells, the hardest difficulty. I was so proud of myself and super pumped about it. However, i was using the face flask, an item that deals damage to yourself, albeit about 1/2000 of your health when used. I needed it for my spite sword synergy, one of my favourite brutality weapons, that crits when you take damage. however, the damage taken screwed my hitless over, and not only did i not get the steam acheivement but I also didn't get the golden outfit. Woe is me. edit: since you asked, i chose the blanket because my blanket makes me sweat and I hate it.

[@Maplie]

9:11 here I was, playing Genshin while he was talking about artificial scarcity and wondering why he hasn't shown any Genshin footage yet and then a Qiqi pops up. lmao xD

[@Harmonia96]

Back when the exp share was first introduced, it got rid of a tom of grind time, which inherently led to a lot more time allocated towards "hunting" and not "encountering a shiny Pokémon by chance." You make shiny hunting your ONLY goal, and all the non-shiny encounters suddenly feel like time being wasted until you find it. What you see is what you get.

[@shinigamimiroku3723]

24:00 This is so adorable and I love that you included it in the video, even if it doesn't have anything to do with shiny-hunting. Also, Pyrite Town's theme is the perfect way to end a video like this. ^_^

[@cinnarey6789]

I recently found a shiny spheal in arceus and lost my absolute mind, so I immediately messaged my friend Apparently he was pissed because he had been shiny hunting for it

[@Rickfernello]

10:27 That's my boy Eenox! Very good player in everything, fitting that you chose him for that scene. Recently I did a world's first in Celeste, the only time anyone ever did 100% without dying in that game. I definitely feel the way you described, about the exclusivity of it. The ironic thing is that I don't feel that way about possessions; I never cared for unusual hats or shiny pokemon. But I definitely feel that way about steam achievements and my recent Celeste achievement! I also never felt strongly about heirlooms or other "special" objects like that. I think I'm a bit more practical? It's cool how all of that connects.

[@Seiginotora]

When I traveled to Japan in 2019 I played Pokémon GO and caught Pokémon; I renamed them in Hiragana and Katakana specifically to further separate them from the Pokémon I had caught in the States. But my greatest catch was a DETECTIVE PIKACHU in Kyoto; he remains my buddy. :)

[@LEEHAMLOL]

I just wanna say that this video has one of the best thumbnails I've ever seen on KZbin. Good work!!

[@rashkavar]

It's always weird watching one of these and finding a psychological phenomenon that I can barely relate to. This is one of those times. I'm team blanket, because blankets are of more value to me than water bottles. (I have like 5 water bottles in a drawer, none of which I've touched in several years at this point. I'm fine using a glass, thanks. And if I moved, I'd probably put them in the donation bin rather than packing them away as keepsakes.) I've only got one blanket, and it's not a magic blanket that's warm but not too warm at all times. Objectively the superior choice. I collect achievements for games I like but that's mostly because they're unique content. I got the achievements for talking to Xelpud and Mulbruk and getting every line of dialogue they get because I enjoy La Mulana and it was an excuse to do another playthrough. I don't have the achievement for killing 10 000 enemies in Final Fantasy 8 (nonHD) on Steam because I only killed something like 2000 enemies in my playthrough, and that was a 100% content playthrough. I love Final Fantasy 8, it's my second JRPG and is still one of my favourite JPRGs of all time (first being Super Mario RPG), but fuck getting the dumb achievement. Maybe if I replay that specific version another 4 or 5 times over the years I'll finally get that achievement, but otherwise...why?) I have my degree on the wall, I wear my old engineering red cardigan and I use my engineering undergrad society gym towel even though it's been a decade and I'm not actually working as an engineer, but....if the house burns down, I probably won't order another printout of the degree, the cardigan is something I wear because it's the right amount of warmth, and my gym towel is useful because it's a gym towel. (Besides, I still get to put B.A.Sc. after my name if I want to regardless of whether or not I have the physical piece of paper printed out and framed on my wall, that's not the thing that makes me a Bachelor of Applied Science.)

[@AdamTheGameBoy]

I'm also team blanket, but mostly because I just bought a couple water bottles like he described and you can use unlimited blankets - you can have guest blanket, you can have a couch blanket, you can have 20 blankets on your bed. There is a certain buffer to the psychological phenomenon he talked about when you just got or possess a superior version of something you are given. If it was a real water bottle, I'd probably just look for someone to regive it to anyway. You can only really logistically carry one water bottle without making sacrifices to what else you carry, so having one spare or lender bottle is enough for most situations

[@galacticgrandmas]

Would love to see an update to this video, discussing the changes culturally and on value regarding shinies since Scar/Vio released

[@Kisher02]

Gotta say I'm definitely part of Water Bottle Gang. Great video as always, I always thought it was interesting to me that I feel the need to be a completionist in games, I recently struggled getting all achievements in Katana Zero and the satisfaction I get from completing it is usually always worth, regardless of the struggle, if anything the struggle makes completing it more satisfying.

[@DemonPrincessNyri]

As someone who plays both wow and pokemon, the special items you have mean a lot. Some are memories and some show you were able to complete a huge goal For example in pokemon my shinies are like my babies, even if they are not pokemon I enjoy because I found them, I worked for them and got a pokemon I love In wow I have a few mounts I use more than others, mainly a dragon I worked my ass off for. Others were gifts from friends or family, as for gear I keep some I associate with memories of friends lost to time.

[@avocadothecat]

When I started playing pokemon I got a shiny by chance in my furst playthrough ever. I unfortunatly didn't know what a shiny was and eventually reset my playstate after finishing the game. At least I used the Shiny in my playthrough cause it had a funny color xD Also give me the blanket PS. I love Control, best game

[@FlareBlossom]

WHAAAT I just finished Control today :O Also I've chosen the blanket too because it just seemed like more valuable according to the things he said about it. Comfort is much more important in a blanket than whatever characteristics a water bottle can have. (water bottles are not much different from each other in my opinion (I use a coce bottle and it is just as good to drink from as a premium glass one would be) but blankets differ a LOT) So yeah actual value and what is important to us can overwrite this phenomenon. In the chocolate bar vs mug situation I would always choose the mug since a chocolate bar worth one dollar max 2 but a mug starts at 3-4 dollars, so if they are both similar in quality a mug would always worth more, I can sell the mug and buy 2-3 chocolate bars from it.

[@avocadothecat]

@@FlareBlossom hehe I am currently trying to 100% Control :3 Also yes, Mug club let's go

[@FlareBlossom]

@@avocadothecat aww you are really cute with the "hehe" and :3 smiley ^^ I started the DLC's today and I love them too, the foundation is really fresh with it's different scenery, I'm happy I bought them when they were on sale. I'm a game dev myself and Control definetely gave me some inspiration.

[@avocadothecat]

@@FlareBlossom Yes right?!

[@oveja9975]

It's about the memory. That shiny is a token of remembrance to the event. Who was there with you when it finally decided to shine, all the silly, sad, or exciting moments you had together throughout the hunt. All the shiny Pokemon we collect are a tangible testament to the times gone by. The good moments that we may not have appreciated at the time, but can now look back on fondly, if with a bit of melancholy.

[@nousername191]

That's even true for normal mons which is why I'm always a little melanchonic when I remember how Gen 1/2 mons were cut off from transfer. I lost all of my old mons because I didn't have the transfer Pak for Pokemon Stadium 1 nor did I have Pokemon Stadium 2 (I only had the first game). However, thanks to the power and convenience of emulators, I still have mons from my HGSS and Gen 5 days in Ultra Sun. Not all of them are optimal; the Togekiss that I hatched from the start of HG can't learn Nasty Plot, my Sceptile is a neutral nature, my Heracross can't learn Rock Blast for its Mega, you get the idea. But they were with me since back in the day, and I can't replace them. They even still have their ribbons that remember their Battle Frontier days. (Speaking of which, it IS a little sad that there's no ribbons for the Battle Subway, I spent so much time there with some of those mons).

[@zadayaz]

even more generally i think the associations we have with the things we own ties into why people like the collecting aspect of pokemon and transferring pokemnon between games. Logically I know that the sylveon i caught in pokemon Y back in 2013 is just data, and that you could easily generate another that is by functionally the exact same, but I’ve had it for so long that I have a lot of memories associated with it and would genuinely be sad if the save where i currently have it stored was lost. I mean its the first pokemon I raised to level 100, i love that thing.

[@cookiemoon7441]

I don't usually grow attached to my pokemon but there were two in particular as of recently. A shiny dreepy on my first pokemon shield save file, I shiny hunted it and it was my first non-fishing shiny. I loved it and evolved it into a dragapult. Unfortunately the save file ended up deleted.. The second is a Sylveon in Legends Arceus. No clue why I like it so much, I just do.

[@AlastairGames]

That moment when the video stopped playing 😢So good! Also that audience celebration bit near the end was funny

[@DJCosmicLatte]

Hit the nail on the head about the meaning attached to rare items -- one of my friends invited me to an Alolan Raichu raid in GO a couple weeks ago and mine was shiny, so I let said friend name her, made her one of my best competitive mons for 1500CP events, and made a furry OC out of her. Such a precious megabyte of spaghetti code that graced my phone one day lol

[@saranshsharma9804]

I totally agree. Why I love DM ultra more than literally any other camo in call of duty: black ops cold war is because it was the first ever I had gotten a full set of mastered(gold) weapons, and I still remember so many of the grinds themselves.

[@DUKEHadToDoItToEm]

20:39 due to the ever evolving nature of technology and video games, I'd say digital goods are absolutely representative of the time they came from. The poop in Ultima Online doesn't look the same as it would if it were to be made in 2022, and digital goods made in 2042 won't look the same as they do now due to changing trends and availability and power of tools able to create them. A shiny sandslash rendered in 3D in the most modern games doesn't look the same as it did gen 2 on my GBC. I don't think any digital goods need any extra "digital patina" so to say, they inherently have that just because of the fact that the games they're contained in age and more importantly show their age over time

[@EriesAston]

Thank you for explaining something I have never managed to understand before. I dislike most repetitive tasks and just the thought of shiny hunting drives me insane. I also don't care about other people so it doesn't matter to me if everyone has an item or if I 'm the only one. Love the bit about the nefarious flamingo tokens

[@GambitRaps]

You ever just see a video title and go “oh yeah, that’s a banger”

[@kirara2516]

My first ever shiny was a Venonat during the Bug Catching Contest in Gold. I wondered why there were sparkles, and why the eyes were blue instead of red. I still caught it and won with it (apparently shinies are worth a lot on points in the contest) It wasn't until later that I found out "Blue Eyes" was a shiny, and that it wasn't a glitch, but something very rare.

[@LokheeNyx]

Ohoh the feeling of spending hours farming for dat shiny Hisuian Zorua, but instead finding a shiny Swinub! And eveeen though it's like level 30 and weak as sheeet, I still brought it into the final battle of the game xD

[@DarylTalksGames]

Happened to me with a pikipek in Sun and Moon 😅 granted I wasn’t hunting, but it stuck with me to the end!

[@LokheeNyx]

@@DarylTalksGames OMG YOU REPLIED!! Haha but yep, I hunted for a shiny pikipek too and honestly one of the most goated shinies imo :D

[@OkamiRose]

This dude has picked out some of my fav OSTs to play in the bg of this vid- it’s half the reason I stuck around and watched it all. Good taste

[@Dovahnoredraws]

I remember when me and my sister were playing Pokémon sun/moon at the same time a month or two ago and we where both at the electric trial and she was hunting deliberately for shiny minior I wasn't and was grinding up my team... I ended up running into a shiny minior... needless to say she wasn't happy about it lol

[@firebladetenn6633]

My husband and I played those games together too. I also introduced him to Rune Factory 4. He loved it so much he bought his own copy! I loved watching him as he enjoyed getting to know those characters. lol. We plan on playing RF5 once we get a Switch. It seems fun.

[@blackstab3913]

One of the finest channels revolving around video games. The psychology angle is always fascinating, the voice over is so enjoyable and the knowledge is always welcome. I'm going on that Patreon.

[@Thedestroyer2031]

i had something similar in terms of sentimental items in games. i can’t remember the game at the moment but i was customizing a sniper rifle, and my girlfriend gets curious and asks about it. so i give her the gist; show her what you can put on the sniper cause there was a whole lot of options. so good ol K asks if she can help me make it and i, of course, oblige. now whenever i return to that game, that’s my first and only sniper choice. fits well because i like using snipers in FPS games by default so

[@travismurtland3257]

I'm slowly realizing that I'm doing something similar, I still haven't dropped or sold the first item I ever collected in Elden Ring. First enemy dropped a basic sword and I've kept it on hand the ENTIRE time.

[@nondairyneutrino]

POG Daryl for (maybe?) accidently being inclusive to the aphantasia crowd with (only!) including non-visual descriptions of the water bottle at 4:33 (lol, any time I hear the words close your eyes and imagine, I instead have to roll my eyes). Excellent video as always and happy to support!

[@WakeUpUniverse66]

Almost every shiny online is hacked

[@morphstarchangeling8024]

I feel like that for the Mimikyu I caught in pokemon Moon. It took me 8 real world hours to find a single one of these pokemon in game and once I did I used it constantly throughout my journey because it was such a powerful member of the team.

[@jonh3141]

I think the path to getting something, at least through skill, makes artificial rarity worth it

[@bolladragon]

Can confirm Final Fantasy 14 has a few events that may never be rerun. We actually got a few OLD events again (an FFXI tie-in is having a second run right now.) but not all, and seasonal event items are added to their cash shop after a year.

[@Thedestroyer2031]

“h e h , m y h o r s e p o o n o w “

[@renewagain6956]

14:28 "... You can't have both." *Smiles smugly while wrapped in a comfy blanket with a cold water bottle nearby*

[@SantiagoAgnes]

What value does a shiny pokemon have when you and a vast number of trainers actively hunt for one? Shiny pokemon were to be a surprise since they're so rare, but now that shiny hunters spend so much time with the goal to find them, they loose that value. Remember back in gen 1 where Pikachu was a 'rare' catch in Viridian Forrest but afterwards it became less rare as word got out about it?

[@x3SayuriChan]

I think it depends on whether you place value on that rarity because not many people have that rare thing, or because it takes a lot of time and effort to obtain that rare thing. For me personally, I don't really care if everyone is hunting for shiny Arceus and a lot of people obtain it, because for me the value lies in that time and effort it takes to get it. Similarly to a degree you work hard for, sure there may be a lot of other people who have that same degree, but my personal value still lies in the time and effort I spent to get that degree. Other people may put a similar amount of time and effort into obtaining it but that doesn't lessen the value of my own personal time and effort I spent. At least that's where I personally place that value in.

[@ShaySuveran]

Well obviously you never tried shiny hunting before... It's NOT fun. It's just pain, waiting, and mind numbing. And at the end of it chances are, 5 years later, you will NOT have that shiny. The odds are NOT in your favor. Don't waste your time. ~ The person who managed to get a shiny jirachi in case you're wondering.

[@navolas2]

While a lot of people might be hunting for a shiny. It gains the value because of the hunt and the time you put in. You know how long it took and having that to talk about is nice. Plus there are still the shiny Pokemon that are obtained randomly.

[@djroscurro9859]

You have any idea how long shiny hunting takes? I personally think the insane amount of hours put in helps shinies retain their value. Work is being put in for it I’ve hunted exactly ONCE, (for Cobalion in Ultra Moon) and it took me a day and a half. And I was probably one of the lucky ones for that kind of time. I ain’t doing that again.

[@x3SayuriChan]

@@ShaySuveran I think it can be fun. Really depends on the method. I don't like the Masuda method for example and running in circles for hours hatching eggs. Soft resetting on the other hand is perfect if you're doing something else on the side, because you don't have to pay much attention or even move your stick around. Then there are more engaging methods like catch combos in Let's Go or Outbreak hunting in Legends Arceus. It obviously still takes a lot of patience and I understand everyone who says that it's simply not worth it. As someone who only recently got into shiny hunting, even though I hated Masuda Method when I tried that in SwSh, I can say that there are a lot of ways to shiny hunt and some may be more fun to you than others.

[@shlebben0]

19:28 I play a lot of Dota with my friends. We gift each other cosmetics all the time - birthday presents, inside jokes, limited-time sets for their favourite characters that they missed out on - and when you gift an item to another player, you can put a personalised tag or comment on it that always shows up whenever people inspect the item in game. You can also display a selection of cosmetics on your in-game profile. I always, ALWAYS, put the ones that I have been gifted by friends on my showcase. Even if the item is super outdated, even if it's for a hero I never play, even if I ALREADY HAVE multiple other non-gifted copies of the same item, I always display and equip the ones that have those personalised tags. Because they are mine, and mine alone, and they represent so much more than just "make a character look different".

[@erbsenkrieger]

The best part about shinies is the reactions of the people around you when you casually kill them

[@Frysbear]

Yep there is something soothing about shiny hunting. I often fall asleep faster if I boot up Pokemon and shiny hunt than i do if I just lay there and try to sleep. Also on the sentimentality thing. My sister decided to stop playing pokemon years ago, and get me her games. I still have all her pokemon and the memories I had of playing through ORAS on long car rides with her.

[@cullenlatham2366]

Shiny pokemon have lost most of their value to me in any context where i am not the one to catch it. Without opening the toxic can of worms, there are enough "players" out there who choose to bypass the work to get a shiny mon, and some of them even try to gain clout by giving them away. With that knowledge, i feel i can only trust the shiny pokemon i catch myself, and even then i cant shake the pessimism that others would not understand the value if i were to show them off in some way, instead assuming i am one of the many who took the questionable shortcut. Said shortcut isnt even exclusive to shiny pokemon, and has been the main reason for my waning interest in the series.

[@ThatOneLadyOverHere]

Connectiveness can also be with the characters. Like one time I was building a village in Minecraft and I had a story and name for each of the villagers and then one day yhe game glitched and all my villagers disappeared. I brought more villagers over and renamed them correctly and acted as if the glitch had never happened, but I still deep down knew that these weren't the same villagers.

[@Catpuff818]

I can't express how disappointed I was when my first wild shiny was a Graveler. A friggin rock! I caught it only because it was shiny but honestly I hated it. My next two were both Glooms not bad but not great either. And because I was getting into EV training I realized just because they were shiny that didn't save them from shit IVs. And I thought what was the point of having a shiny pokemon with shit IVs and EVs and a terrible nature. Then I discoved how to hack shinies. And then all of my favorite pokemon were shiny. And that was really the only reasonable way to aquire shinies that you would be able to use except that they were fake shinies so aside from the aesthetic look they didn't feel as special. And then... I lost the allure for shinies all together because I realized that all those people with full teams of shinies did the same thing. There were hundreds of fake shinies everywhere. The chances of me getting a shiny pokemon that I liked and wanted to use were low. And i sure as hell did not have the time to waste hours and hours shiny hunting. If you have the time to do it cool. But for those having shiny envy it's ok it's not all its cracked up to be.

[@milesmartin9624]

Masuda Method shinies can have good stats while still requiring the effort of breeding... their parent Ditto is usually hacked though lmao.

[@Catpuff818]

@@milesmartin9624 yeah I tried that I think I gave up pretty earlier. Like 30 or 50 eggs. When I realized I may have to do this 200 times I was like yeah no I don't need a shiny. Thanks to that shiny perfect iv ditto I got my start on training a more "perfect" team.

[@floralmonarch3025]

The digital patina section of this reminds me of a video Nick Robinson made where he worked with coders and such to rescue someone's exact pokemon that had been lost somehow, I forget now if it was deleted or corrupted or what. But they managed to restore the *exact* pokemon with all the values and such intact, and it was super special to him.

[@cbakehorn]

Every single time I watch one of your videos, I'm informed of the psychological factors involved with so many of the things that matter to me. This is such a great example of that idea for me, because I feel like I've devoted so much of a part of myself to countless games, and the only thing to "show for it" is basically digital code, whether or not it can even be preserved or enjoyed again on aging or lost hardware. Thanks for yet another great video, and for once again being able to put into words some of the things that mean the most to me, that I don't always have the words or the research to say it all myself. 🤘🤘

[@afterlyte]

Shiny hunting is something I've always done as an idle task of sorts, something I've done while watching a show or something similar. I grew up with Pokemon Blue and the Pokemon franchise in general, so now that I have games I can consistently shiny hunt on it's fun to idly hunt for some of my favorites

[@saber5069]

I have several pokemon that hold a lot of sentimental value, but two in particular hold a special place in my nostalgic heart. My first ever mon, a Tepig from Black I nicknamed Tep (original) who is now an Emboar. And N's Zorua (now Zoroark) from Black 2. Both have come with me as far up in the games as each can go, and Zoroark is still used in my teams whenever possible.

[@ToontownAndCpenguin]

I ran into a shiny Shinx while watching this so thank you. I feel this so much, speaking as someone who has been shiny hunting for a long time now, this is all stuff I think about sometimes. Also, I did choose to keep the water bottle, I took the time to imagine it customized to me & although those stickers were imaginary, I still used them on my water bottle & I'm not one to lose out on precious stickers, even if they're in my mind.

[@YogurtQueen]

5:45 this is how I felt playing Pokémon go normally, and finding tons of mudkip spawning, i had no idea why and later found out it was a community day classic. Mudkip is my first ever shiny caught and I haven’t gotten rid even though I thought it was a glitch, probably because I really like mudkip and its evolutionary line’s shinies

[@blackthornthetechno-prophe3697]

Holy crap. I can’t imagine Mondain would have predicted this

[@strawdeath263]

I'll always remember my first shiny. It was a Wingull, in Omega Ruby. It was just a random encounter, but I won't ever forget how excited I was that I'd found one of those so-called 'shiny Pokémon'. I kept it on my team for that playthrough, all the way until the end. Now, it's a hyper-trained level 100 Pelipper, lounging around on my Shield save file. I may have rarer shinies, but that Pelipper will always be one of the most important Pokémon in my entire collection.

[@midnightwolf333]

You’re absolutely correct about FFXIV. There were fat choco o mounts that you could only get by doing something specific. Like buy a time card through Amazon. Probably the oldest one that will never happen is the tattoo that the 1.0 players have on their characters back. Nobody else can ever get that. Of course there are other examples as well. Love the videos man! It’s always a delight to see another one from you.

[@k2a2l2]

you should definitely do a video on the psychology of grinding in games. i play old school runescape and some of those grinds are miserable but i still do them and love the game, its very strange

[@LightningfistCal]

I appreciate the prominent use of the Persona 3 soundtrack in this video, by the way. 👍

[@ktpartridge8084]

I mean my first shiny Pokémon was actually a gift from my brother who got wonder traded a lvl 1 shiny bulbasaur and gave it to me cuz it was my favourite Pokémon so it kinda feels like a family heirloom at this point and that dude is never leaving my omega ruby team

[@Bee_814]

Poochyena has an always will be one of if not my favorite Pokémon, simply because it was my first ever shiny and I still remember finding it like it was yesterday.

[@BlimpBlomp]

I hate and love this video. On one end it makes a really interesting case for uniqueness of objects in games, but on the other end it reminds me of a shiny eevee a friend got me, that someone else promptly lost when I tried to transfer it over from Sun to Ultra Sun without using pokemon bank. Not only was the eevee lost, but so was that friend sometime later, and it meant I lost yet another thing to remember them by. The video is also simultaneously convincing me to try to regain or recreate the eevee to a T through any method possible while also trying to convince me to let it go as something I won't regain unless lady luck blesses me to the core. I hope to see you again one day, little fluffy Boreas.

[@XieronDraxin]

I'm very new to Pokemon, my first one was Pokemon Moon. So I got a shiny purely by chance and didn't even know it was a shiny until I saw a normal one later. I just thought it was a nice purple pokemon. I hadn't ever seen it before, so I didn't know that wasn't its normal color. And even then, I just thought "oh neat, they can come in colors :)" Not knowing just HOW rare they are.