On its surface, Pokémon Go’s choice upon reaching level five appears almost meaningless. In a fairly literal way, the choice of one of three teams in no way changes the core game at all. All your Pokémon level up and evolve in the same way, the same Pokémon are available to every player, nothing appears to be different at all. In many ways, this is a shame, however it needs to also be addressed that how we respond to Pokémon Go’s choice reveals much about ourselves and the kind of player, and person, we are. If you are the kind of player who chose purely on chance, because you like red, yellow or blue, or you just picked the team of choice because your friends are on that team, or because it is popular among your peer group, then this article is not for you (it doesn’t offend me in the slightest if you stop reading now). If, however you do feel more of a pull towards one team more than the other two, you might just discover as I have there is a very good reason why.

For some time, I have been developing a triangular theory of both human personality, and gaming play styles. I’m not going to get too deep into that yet, although if you stick around, my site will develop this theory in due time (self-plug over). Theoretically speaking, all human personality exists within a tension of three points, and this should not surprise gamers in the slightest. Even before there was a video game industry, this concept already existed in influential games like Dungeons & Dragons. The Warrior, Wizard and Ranger would become the basic model used in Role Playing Games for its continual history. The main criticism of personality theory, as well as the three-class models of Role Playing Games is that few people can align with one fully. Again, this fits exactly into my theory, which posits that we all fall somewhere in between, but that’s another story for another time. The point that I wish to stress is, the three types, or three points of my theoretical triangle, represent three different sources of motivation, which effects personal lifestyle, attitude and ethics, and also what kind of games a person may theoretically enjoy. The upper point on my theoretical triangle may be designated ‘Power.’ This is represented in Pokémon Go as Team Valor. The upper point represents competitive people, the sort of people who primarily want to win, to subjugate, and to dominate. People who fall under these motivational factors and clusters of personality traits are more likely to be interested in competitive game. They don’t necessarily want, or need, to know all the facts, just how to win. Out of the three teams, Team Valor is the second largest in terms of general population. This is because the game allows for competition via the Gyms, but competitive players are just as likely to play any game where they can compete and defeat other players. The so-called e-sports crowd, which has progressively affected the development of many games (especially the ones which are competitive multiplayer only, like Overwatch), fall into this grouping.

The second point on the triangle is the one which could fall under a great many names. In Pokémon Go this is represented by Team Instinct, which is in fact the smallest team in terms of general population. There have been a few attempts to explain why one team is so small, and another team (that we will get to in a minute) is so large. The reason for this, I suggest is as follows: Players who love to live by their instincts, trust their gut, hold their nerve, and try whatever simply because whatever can be tried will always be the smallest group in a game primarily built on role-playing mechanics. The slow, progressive grind of Role Playing Games simply doesn’t appeal to people whose primary motivations are mostly built around risk-taking, thrill-seeking and living life on the dare. People like this are highly likely not to even play games at all, but be doing risk-taking for real in whatever field imaginable, be that sport or business. Those who do play games will also likely feel more at home elsewhere, in any games where their natural aptitudes and preferences come alive, such as general action and shooting games, as well as racing games, which are very popular among people of this type. The few that are left who would actually play Role Playing Games will find themselves very much out of their element, and will bend and test themselves as they see fit.

Lastly, there is the third and final point on my theoretical triangle, that of knowledge, normally referred to as ‘Wisdom,’ or ‘Intellect’ in the Role Playing world. In Pokémon Go this perspective is represented by Team Mystic, the largest team in Pokémon Go in terms of general population. This does not surprise me in the least, and here’s why: The greater majority of players who would prefer playing Role Playing Games above all other types of games does so because their personality is wired towards that. Whereas personalities closer to the upper point of my theoretical triangle are competitive, and personalities on the second point are more driven by risk and dare, the third point on the triangle has personalities which are mostly cautious, reflective and mind-driven. This is the ‘thinker,’ and thinkers are more often than not interested, and even fascinated, by the mechanics of the game, its design, the lore and backstory, and anything else deep and rich in detail. As Pokémon Go is a Role Playing Game, in stands to reason that most of the people playing Pokémon Go would have the personality most wired towards the mechanics of Role Playing Games: That of thinkers, planners, creative minds, minds that develop and embrace the grind. Although in the past decade or so the development and design of Role Playing Games have been altered slightly in order to accommodate the more competitive and thrill-seeking players, its core audience will always be the reflective, planning and thinking types. In fact, a great many games designers themselves would be able to more align themselves with this frame of mind than their two rival perspectives.

I certainly hope this gave you some food for thought. Gaming, like so many other hobbies and pursuits, both reveal and refine our inborn traits. At its core personality defines not only who we are (nature), but also who we might become (nurture). Hopefully this helped you think a little more deeply about a game taking the world by storm. Whether you are driven by competition, risk-taking and constructive building, enjoy Pokémon Go, and play safe.