“Pokemon GO” has undergone a lot of changes lately, with the newly remodeled gym system being one. Interestingly, Niantic has also added a new in-game mechanic called Motivation. This is basically a stat added to a pocket monster stationed at a gym. Believe it or not, there is actually a huge reason why the studio opted to introduce it to the game.
In its most organic form, Motivation in “Pokemon GO” is a newly added stat that is equal to a creature’s CP (combat power). This, however, gradually decreases as Pokemon spend their time at gyms. In addition, it decreases significantly whenever the creatures lose at gym battles.
The developers of the titular augmented reality game included the new mechanic in hopes to better the gameplay experience according to a report from Comic Book.
How Motivation actually works
Previously, players exploit gym battles by stationing high-powered pocket monsters. This allows them to conquer gyms for as long as they want, unless other players dethrone them, which rarely happens really. Due to this, Niantic decided to add the aforementioned mechanic as one of the official stats in the title. As intended, it is working wonders in the hit augmented reality game.
It holds true that some “Pokemon GO” players are still trying to understand how Motivation exactly works. However, they have noticed a significant change the moment it appeared in the game.
Basically, pocket monsters that have high CP tend to lose the said stat over time. It even decreases quicker than the stats of other gym defenders. For instance, if a Pokemon has a CP of 3,000, it loses around 10 percent motivation. Creatures with lower CP, on the other hand, only losses approximately one percent.
A punishment of sort
Obviously, the stat was introduced to “Pokemon GO” to put an end on stockpiling in gyms. Since a high-powered Pokemon quickly loses its motivation, it can barely stand a fight for any incoming attacks. It either stays or gets replaced with a new creature. Regardless, the stat immediately stops the possibility of an exploit.
This is definitely what most players of the game hoped for.
Some believe, though, that this is a glitch in "Pokemon GO." However, it cannot be denied that Niantic previously announced its goal to pacify stockpiling of extremely powerful beasts in gyms. For the most part, it can be taken as a means to promote competitive balance in the game. After all, this is something that the community wanted to happen in the first place.
