Summary

  • Twitch Plays Pokemon, the social experiment that allows multiple users to play a game together via Twitch chat, is returning on February 12 to celebrate its tenth anniversary.
  • The experiment gained widespread attention and set a Guinness World Record for "most participants in a single-player online video game."
  • The anniversary run is expected to revisit the original Pokemon Red game and should be a nostalgic trip for fans who have stuck around.

In celebration of its tenth anniversary, the Twitch Plays Pokemon social experiment will be making a comeback on February 12. Back in 2014, an anonymous programmer conducted an experiment on the live-streaming platform, where several users across the world would attempt to beat the original Pokemon Red together at the same time. This was done by users who would type into the stream's chatroom, with commands being read from these comments, which essentially led to several users fighting over who controlled the player character. This idea ended up becoming extremely popular, that it earned the Guinness World Record for "most participants in a single-player online video game."

The popularity of Twitch Plays Pokemon stemmed from its unique interactive element, with the chaotic nature and challenges faced resulting in not only widespread media attention, but dedicated lore being spun revolving around these events. Despite the struggles viewers faced, viewers of Twitch Plays Pokemon went on to collectively beat the original Pokemon Red, along with several mainline games after it. The Twitch experiment has gone through various iterations over its tenure, playing through various ROM Hacks and other fan games, with special runs being done for its anniversary.

Amazed Pikachu looking at Pokemon Red and Blue Game Boy covers
Pokemon Red and Blue Get an Unexpected Fan Translation After 27 Years

An avid fan treats Pokemon Red and Blue to an unexpected translation more than 27 years after the iconic RPGs debuted on the Game Boy.

By 

In celebration of Twitch Plays Pokemon's tenth anniversary, the official Twitter account posted how it would be doing another anniversary run. This was accompanied by a special image that referenced certain memes and phrases from the original Twitch Plays Pokemon run, such as "START9" and "ANARCHY." This new anniversary run will kick off the 11th season of the stream.

Twitch Plays Pokemon's Tenth Anniversary Run Start Date

Twitch Plays Pokemon has been going on for ten seasons, with seventy "main" runs and several other intermission games being played through. Last year's run was a return to the fanmade Pokemon Prism ROM Hack, six and a half years after its original run. Based on past anniversary runs, which saw viewers revisiting an older game, it's likely that Twitch Plays Pokemon will be going back to Pokemon Red for its big decade milestone. It likely won't be just a normal run of Red either, as previous anniversary runs also featured elements of the previous playable characters from past runs in some fashion.

Twitch Plays Pokemon

While Twitch Plays Pokemon isn't as popular as it used to be in its heyday, it was one of the most influential streams on the website. Popular streamers have hosted their own versions of "Twitch Plays" on the platform, so much so that it became its own streaming category. Successors of the original concept have also brought it to other platforms like Discord or Twitter. The tenth anniversary run will likely be a nostalgia trip for those who stuck around watching the original Twitch Plays Pokemon for this long.

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Pokemon Red Tag Page Cover Art

Pokemon Red
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Adventure
JRPG
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Systems
super greyscale 8-bit logo
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Released
February 27, 1996
ESRB
e
Developer(s)
Game Freak
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
Engine
unity
Franchise
Pokemon
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Pokemon Red Press Image 1
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Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version introduce legions of gamers to the world of Kanto, where the likes of Charmander, Pikachu, and Mewtwo were first discovered. Through exciting exploration, battles, and trades, Trainers are able to access 150 Pokémon.

You begin your journey in Pallet Town as a young boy. After a dangerous brush with wild Pokémon, Professor Oak teaches you how to capture Pokémon, and then sends you on your way as a fledgling Trainer. During your journey through Kanto, you must capture Pokémon to record their information in your Pokédex, as well as become a better Trainer by competing in Gyms scattered throughout the region. Once you've proven your mettle as a Pokémon Trainer, it's time to take on the Elite Four, a crack group of Trainers that will put all of your learned skills to the test.

Your journey will be far from easy. In addition to the many Trainers and wild Pokémon you'll encounter along the way, you'll also have to be watchful of Team Rocket, a despicable group of Pokémon thieves. Prevent Team Rocket from stealing rare Pokémon and stop their criminal ways!

You won't be able to catch every Pokémon in either Pokémon Red Version or Pokémon Blue Version; to collect every Pokémon, you'll have to trade with friends. You can also take your team of faithful Pokémon into battle against your pals to see how well your team stacks up!

There's much to see and do in Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version. Start your journey through Kanto and become a Master Trainer!

Platform(s)
Nintendo Game Boy
Genre(s)
Adventure, JRPG
How Long To Beat
27 hours