The online component of Pokemon Black/White (1 and 2) is emblematic of the brand extensions technology makes possible. That such an extension be attached to Pokemon is no surprise, since even the first gen games required you to either buy more than one version or link up with a friend to complete the game. It's a technique that's seen the Pokemon name spread far and wide.
As far as marketing goes this overrunning of everything with Pokemon is great for the brand. People are hungry for Pokemon and anything legitimately released with the name is bound to sell in bulk just about anywhere and everywhere video games are sold. As far as gaming goes, these extensions could mean something else.
The story of the Pokemon games has never been particularly deep, and for the most part its characters are archetypes. But the mechanic of catching 'em all creates a desire - almost a frenzy - in Pokemon fans to play each game to completion. This need to catch 'em all has seen the game spread into AR (Augmented Reality) territory, and to the purely online space of the Global Link (where the Dream World aspect of Black/White is accessed).
Since Pokemon's already spread so far, and catching Pokemon is a lot like catching bugs or collecting plants, Pokemon is in a position to be among the first virtual reality games out there. It's technology that's still years away, perhaps, but after that gap of time is closed, I think a Pokemon game (or maybe just an app) will be quick to follow.
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