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Pokémon.com

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Reason: History section
Logo used for the website until the 2010 overhaul
Logo used for the website in 2000

Pokémon.com, known as Pokémon World prior to 2000, is the official international Pokémon website, which was first created on January 8, 1998[1]. The website has gone by many different names and used many different Internet addresses throughout its history, such as Pokémon-games.com and Go-Pokemon.com, though The Pokémon Company International has finally settled on the simple Pokémon.com nominer. Four full version of the official Pokémon.com website are maintained, each focusing on a specific language, country, or region. Several other partials websites are also maintained. This current version of the website, introduced on 27 January 2014, saw a complete reorganization of website and its visual style, as well as seeing the prominent return of the "Gotta catch 'em all!" slogan.

History

Most iterations Pokémon.com website the have had an online Pokédex in which users could look up information of a video game version of a given Pokémon. On 11 January 2010, the website implemented a complete overhauled of its content and design and added information about Pokémon anime television episodes, the introduction of Pokémon browser-based online games, and information concerning the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The current design was implemented in 27 January 2014 and again represented a complete overhauled. The basic layout was "simplified" along with the incorporation of what had been a largely separate Trading Card Game website, including the incorporation of user customizable Trainer or Avatar system that allowed users to define their owner visual look and style. The updated also refreshed the online Pokédex to include all Pokémon up to Generation VI.

Website versions

Four full versions of the Pokémon.com website are currently maintained, each with identical design style, content and content organization, and almost identical news and article information:

Additional partial translations of the website exist for several additional countries and languages. These partial versions include full implementations of the Explore Pokémon section's Pokédex and the Watch Pokémon TV episodes of the Pokémon anime television series. These partial implementations also incompletely incorporate the Play Games section's Pokémon browser-based online games. The Trading Card Game, Video Games, and Attend Events sections are unimplemented with the exception of a special section dedicated to the downloadable Pokémon Trading Card Game Online and a link to the separate Pokémon Global Link website:

There are also three office Pokémon websites that do not necessarily reflect the Pokémon.com design and content:

Sections

Landing Page

The initial Landing page is the web page users see when they enter Pokémon.com into their web-browser. It is regularly updated to highlight various website content and news. Users may always return to the Landing page by clicking on the "Pokémon Gotta catch 'em all!" graphic on the left side of the navigation menu of each Pokémon.com page.

News and Announcements

The Landing page incorporates the only direct website link that collates all website news, announcement, and articles in one location: http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/. Otherwise, news articles are spread across the website by topic appearing separately in the Trading Card Game, Video Games, and Attend Events sections.

Opening news articles that are categorized as "pokemon-news" on typically but not always earn the user a single Trainer Token. Articles without the "pokemon-news" categorization to not earn Trainer Tokens. However, opening the same article on different full versions of the website do, typically, earn the user a Trainer Token for each of the full versions of the website.

Account Information

Account Information is found in the upper, left side of the screen. It provides a means for Pokémon.com users to "Sign In" if they already have an existing account, "Join" to create an account, and a website "Search" interface. By creating an account, users are able to earn Trainer Tokens and Stamps, keep track of online browser-based game scores, friend other users, and centrally manager other Pokémon accounts.

Before the January 2014 update, this section was called the The Pokémon Trainer Club, which was the equivalent of Japan's Pokémon Daisuki Club. Many features were brought over to a more general audience from the Pokémon Daisuki Club, including an early version of the customizable Trainer personalities. Users were required to have a Pokémon Trainer Club account in order to register high scores in the online games or to earn Trainer Tokens. Anyone who had a Pokémon Trainer Club account could also keep track of their Organized Play statistics.

Once logged into with a user account, a "picture" appears representing the user in the same area of the website layout. When the picture is selected, this area of the website becomes a "slide-out window' allowing the user access to:

  • The user's recent Stamps collection,
  • "Favorite Pokémon", although full functionality is not currently activated,
  • A full-body view of the user's "Trainer Avatar" picture,
  • The user's current "Level" based on Stamps rewards,
  • The user's current number of Trainer Tokens earned by reading articles, playing online browser-based games, and earning earning Stamps on the Pokémon.com website or earned through the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online downloadable game,
  • Access to the "Customize Trainer" feature that allows users the ability to adjust their website "Trainer" picture, and
  • A "Shop of Items" feature used to purchase items for the user's "Customized Trainer" with Trainer Tokens (added on 18 March 2014).

The Pokémon.com "Customized Trainer" and "Shop of Items" features are fully compatible with the in-game Shop and Avatar Creator. Trainer Tokens earned in either location may be used to purchase clothing items on the Pokémon.com website or in the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online. Trainer/Avatar clothing items available for purchase in one are not always available for purchase in the other. Items added in one are not always immediately viewable in the other. However, changes made to the user's "Customized Trainer" or "Customized Avatar" in one location will be seen in the other location the next time the user logs back in.

In the compressed state, once a user is logged in, the Account Information panel in the upper, left side also provides:

  • The user's current Trainer Token total, which takes the user directly to the "Customized Trainer" shop when selected,
  • A "Messages" and user "Profile Overview" section, where users may adjust settings and add and manager accounts for their children,
  • A "Friends" section for "friending" and following other users (added on 9 July 2014), and
  • A "My Play! Pokémon" section for viewing user information about organized Play! Pokémon activity.

Profile Overview

The Profile Overview section provides access to user setting not necessarily specific to the Pokémon.com website itself. It is a central repository for all Pokémon user accounts.

NOTE: Be certain to select “Email Preferences: I would like to receive marketing email messages..." in order to receive the a monthly e-mail newsletter, which often contains Redeemable codes for in-game rewards for both Pokémon video games and Pokémon Trading Card Game Online.

Child Accounts

Adult parents may create and manager separate accounts for each of their children in the Profile Overview section, which is accessible through the adult's "Profile Overview'. While The Pokémon Company International strives to be child friendly, parents may further restrict access to certain website and in-game Pokémon Trading Card Game Online features. For examples, some in-game features such as "Public Chat" and "Private Messaging" in the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online are always inaccessible with a child account, while other in-game features may be further restricted by the adult parent such as "Friend Chat", "Game Chat", "Shopping", and "Trading".

Explore Pokémon

The online Pokédex

This section features the Online Pokédex with the Pokémon updated for each new Pokémon video game release, currently Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Like other Pokédexes, it allows the user to search for Pokémon by either Name or Number in "Basic Search Mode". "Advanced Search Mode" allows searched by Type, Weakness, Ability, Height, and Weight. The 27 January 2014 update redesigned the Pokédex with a grid-like structure. Without any search criteria, the user may scroll through the grid-like list of Pokémon by either Name or Number (currently 1 to 719). Selecting a given Pokémon brings up details on that given Pokémon, with two versions tied to the current video game release, currently an Omega Ruby version and an Alpha Sapphire version. Details include a picture, brief description, height, weight, gender, category, abilities, type, weaknesses, basic stats bar chart showing relative strength (HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed), and Evolution chart (if any).

The Pokédex entry for a given Pokémon also includes suggested Pokémon anime television episodes and Pokémon Trading Card Game cards featuring that given Pokémon, allowing user to explore that Pokémon in other media.

Finally, there is also an options toward the bottom of Pokédex entry to share the selected Pokémon via several social media.

Watch Pokémon TV

Before the last overhaul, the television section simply provided a synopsis of Pokémon anime episodes. After the overhaul, a continuously cycling selection of episodes, which may be viewed on-line, are interspersed with synopsis summaries and screenshots for every episode and movie.

Rather than separating the episodes by seasons, the episodes are instead categorized under a special 'theme' such as a specific Pokémon and also by 'region' — the 'Kanto Channel', the 'Johto Channel', the 'Hoenn Channel', the 'Sinnoh Channel' and the 'Unova Channel'. There is also an option to 'Explore All Seasons' at the bottom of the page, if a traditional season by season search is preferred.

A Pokémon TV mobile application has also been introduced, which can be downloaded for free from Apple's App Store or through Google Play.

Play Games

The Pokémon Fun Zone Logo
Main article: Pokémon.com online games

Formerly knows as the Pokémon Fun Zone before the last overhaul, this Play Games section presents a large number of browser-based video games for the user's enjoyment. Most are strategy based, although the exact design varies widely, and feature a specific theme or Pokémon. Details about each game is provided on Pokémon.com online games. These games are not only designed to require short installments of time, but they reward the user for successful achievements with Trainer Tokens. Successfully playing browser-based games earn 1, 3, or 5 Trainer Tokens depending on the specific game and whether the user has successfully played the game for the first time or successfully reached a higher success threshold on subsequent attempts. Each individual game defines what is a successful attempt differently.

Before the 2010 update, games were mostly based on Generation III and Pokémon Platinum. After the 2010 update the games featured a larger number of Generation IV Pokémon, all translated from the Japanese Pokémon Daisuki Club. Games released after the 2014 update added the ability to earn Trainer Tokens and increased in variety, many of which were also brought over from the Pokémon Daisuki Club. Games available on the site prior to the 2014 update are not longer available.

Trading Card Game

Before the 2014 overhaul, most Pokémon Trading Card Game news appeared on separate Go-Pokémon.com website. However, after the overhaul, everything except for the forums for the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online were folded into to Pokémon.com website proper. The Trading Card Game section includes:

  • a card Database providing information on expansions and cards from EX Ruby & Sapphire to the current set,
  • strategies guides and news articles dating back to November 2013,
  • the downloadable Pokémon Trading Card Game Online for PC, Mac, and Ipad,
  • a step-by-step "How to Play" set of tutorials with the Professor, and
  • a Product Gallery.

Most news articles and images from Go-Pokémon website were not transferred over, and thus have been lost.

Video Games

Before the overhaul, most of the Pokémon video games had their own mini-sites and sub-sites section with information and other materials about a given video games. While the newest video game release often still have their own mini-sites, this section of the Pokémon.com website now highlights information about all video games in one location and acts as a central repository of game information, announcements, and news on all currently available video games, including links to the individual game mini-sites. This section's news articles and announcements date back to November 2013.

Attend Events

This section acts as a central repository of information related to Play! Pokémon organized play Events, Rules and Resources for Pokémon video games and the Pokémon Trading Card Game in the organized play setting, and Parent Guides. This section also allow users to locate local Pokémon events and clubs, as well as news and announcements dating back to August 2014.

Stamps

Stamps represent an additional means of rewarding users for using the website and its various contents. The system was initially introduced in 28 August 2014 and substantial expanded on 30 March 2015. Stamps may be earned by reading news articles, looking up Pokémon in the Pokédex, watching Pokémon anime television episodes, playing browser-based minigames, and for viewing Pokémon Trading Card Game cards, as well as by participating in official [[|Attend Events|Play! Pokémon events]]. As Stamps are awarded, 6 Trainer Tokens are earned. Some Stamps are one-time events only. Other Stamps increase in level (1 to 10). The more Stamps earned and the more Stamps with higher levels contribute to the assignment of a user's account level.

  • Online Game All-Star:
  • Level 1 — Play 1 minigame on Pokémon.com
  • Level 2 — Play 3 minigames on Pokémon.com
  • Level 3 — Play 6 minigames on Pokémon.com
  • Level 4 — Play 10 minigames on Pokémon.com
  • Level 5 — Play 15 minigames on Pokémon.com
  • Level 6 — Play 21 minigames on Pokémon.com
  • Level 7 — Play 28 minigames on Pokémon.com
  • Level 8 — Play 37 minigames on Pokémon.com
  • Level 9 —
  • Level 10 —
  • Episode Expert:
  • Level 1 — Watch 1 episode on Pokémon TV
  • Level 2 — Watch 4 episodes on Pokémon TV
  • Level 3 — Watch 8 episodes on Pokémon TV
  • Level 4 — Watch 16 episodes on Pokémon TV
  • Level 5 — Watch 32 episodes on Pokémon TV
  • Level 6 —
  • Level 7 —
  • Level 8 —
  • Level 9 —
  • Level 10 —
  • Looking Good! — Modify the default Trainer avatar on your Pokémon Trainer Club profile
  • Pokémon Explorer:
  • Level 1 — Look up 5 Pokémon in the online Pokédex
  • Level 2 — Look up 25 Pokémon in the online Pokédex
  • Level 3 — Look up 50 Pokémon in the online Pokédex
  • Level 4 — Look up 151 Pokémon in the online Pokédex
  • Level 5 — Look up 251 Pokémon in the online Pokédex
  • Level 6 — Look up 386 Pokémon in the online Pokédex
  • Level 7 —
  • Level 8 —
  • Level 9 —
  • Level 10 —
  • Daily Visitor:
  • Level 1 — Sign in to the Pokémon Trainer Club 3 days in a row
  • Level 2 — Sign in to the Pokémon Trainer Club 6 days in a row
  • Level 3 — Sign in to the Pokémon Trainer Club 9 days in a row
  • Level 4 — Sign in to the Pokémon Trainer Club 18 days in a row
  • Level 5 — Sign in to the Pokémon Trainer Club 36 days in a row
  • Level 6 — Sign in to the Pokémon Trainer Club 72 days in a row
  • Level 7 —
  • Level 8 —
  • Level 9 —
  • Level 10 —
  • Regionals Competitor: 2014 — Play in a regional Pokémon Regional Championships
  • Nationals Competitor: 2014 — Play in a Pokémon National Championships
  • Worlds Competitor: 2014 — Play in the Pokémon World Championships
  • Newshound:
  • Level 1 — Read at least 3 news articles on Pokémon.com
  • Level 2 — Read at least 6 news articles on Pokémon.com
  • Level 3 — Read at least 9 news articles on Pokémon.com
  • Level 4 — Read at least 15 news articles on Pokémon.com
  • Level 5 — Read at least 25 news articles on Pokémon.com
  • Level 6 — Read at least 50 news articles on Pokémon.com
  • Level 7 — Read at least 75 news articles on Pokémon.com
  • Level 8 — Read at least 100 news articles on Pokémon.com
  • Level 9 — Read at least 125 news articles on Pokémon.com
  • Level 10 — Read at least 150 news articles on Pokémon.com
  • Trading Cards:
  • Level 1 — Look up 10 cards in the Pokémon TCG card database
  • Level 2 — Look up 25 cards in the Pokémon TCG card database
  • Level 3 — Look up 50 cards in the Pokémon TCG card database
  • Level 4 — Look up 100 cards in the Pokémon TCG card database
  • Level 5 — Look up 200 cards in the Pokémon TCG card database
  • Level 6 — Look up 300 cards in the Pokémon TCG card database
  • Level 7 — Look up 400 cards in the Pokémon TCG card database
  • Level 8 — Look up 500 cards in the Pokémon TCG card database
  • Level 9 — Look up 600 cards in the Pokémon TCG card database
  • Level 10 — Look up 700 cards in the Pokémon TCG card database
  • Welcome to Kalos — Check out Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie in the online Pokédex
  • Super Shopper:
  • Level 1 — Redeem 200 Trainer Tokens in the Trainer Store
  • Level 2 — Redeem 500 Trainer Tokens in the Trainer Store
  • Level 3 — Redeem 750 Trainer Tokens in the Trainer Store
  • Level 4 —
  • Level 5 — Redeem 1,500 Trainer Tokens in the Trainer Store
  • Level 6 — Redeem 3,000 Trainer Tokens in the Trainer Store
  • Level 7 — Redeem 4,500 Trainer Tokens in the Trainer Store
  • Level 8 — Redeem 6,000 Trainer Tokens in the Trainer Store
  • Level 9 — Redeem 8,500 Trainer Tokens in the Trainer Store
  • Level 10 — Redeem 10,000 Trainer Tokens in the Trainer Store
  • Eevee Evolution Expert — Check out Eevee and all of its evolved forms in the Pokémon.com online Pokédex
  • Explorer’s First Steps — Check out a Pokémon TCG card in the card database, view a Pokémon in the online Pokédex, and watch a Pokémon TV episode
  • Animation Maven: Kanto Region: Level 1 — Watch 3 episodes from Pokémon the Series: The Beginning
  • Animation Maven: Johto Region: Level 1 — Watch 5 episodes from Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver
  • Animation Maven: Hoenn Region: Level 1 — Watch 5 episodes from Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire
  • Animation Maven: Sinnoh Region: Level 1 — Watch 5 episodes from Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl
  • Animation Maven: Unova Region: Level 1 — Watch 5 episodes from Pokémon the Series: Black & White
  • Make a Splash! — View the Magikarp entry in the Pokémon.com online Pokédex once per day
  • Minigame Mastery: Pokémon Pulse: Level 1 — Play Pokémon Pulse at least 5 times
  • Minigame Mastery: Chesnaught's Spiky Shield: Level 1 — Play Chesnaught's Spiky Shield at least 5 times
  • Minigame Mastery: Floette Float: Level 1 — Play Floette Float at least 5 times
  • Friendly Rivalry — Overtake one of your Pokémon Trainer Club friends on the leaderboard of any Pokémon.com online game
  • Pokémon Trainer Club Service Award:
  • Level 1 — Be a member of the Pokémon Trainer Club for at least 1 year(s)
  • Level 2 — Be a member of the Pokémon Trainer Club for at least 2 year(s)
  • Level 3 —
  • Screen Sharing — Watch the same Pokémon TV episode on Pokémon.com as one of your Pokémon Trainer Club friends
  • Pokémon Trainer Club Service Award:
  • Level 1 — Be a member of the Pokémon Trainer Club for at least 1 year(s)
  • Level 2 — Be a member of the Pokémon Trainer Club for at least 2 year(s)
  • Level 3 —
  • Screen Sharing — Watch the same Pokémon TV episode on Pokémon.com as one of your Pokémon Trainer Club friends.

Pokémon Center

The original Pokémon Center website on its last day of operation

The Pokémon Center is a separate website from Pokémon.com reintroduced on 6 August 2014, after being closed on 31 January 2008. The Pokémon Center is an online store where user may buy different kinds of Pokémon merchandise over the Internet. Some select fans received invitations that let them access the reintroduced online store as early as 2 July 2014.

Pokémon Global Link

This separate Pokémon video game related site is found at http://3ds.pokemon-gl.com/. It offers a means for Pokémon video game players to interact and compete with each other.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Online Forum

The official Pokémon Trading Card Game Online forum is found at http://forums.pokemontcg.com/. It was overhauled with the Pokémon.com visual design and to increase usability in late 2014.

Defunct sections

Mailbag

The Pokémon.com mailbag was an official source of information from the company directors. Fans could write in and ask questions about the games, anime, and other aspects of the franchise. It had been updated quite regularly, often providing information that was not available in other sources (such as the English name of one character from the eleventh movie), but the last update came in October/November 2009. When the site was revamped in January 2010, the mailbag section was removed.

Media player

The site once contained a media player that played music from the Pokémon X collection. Like the mailbag, it was removed in the revamp.

Errors

Throughout Pokémon.com's lifespan, it has been notorious for errors. Some of these are as minor as referring to Team Galactic as Team Rocket, others as important as stating that Phione was a legendary Pokémon (although this is a subject of debate). Other errors are stated below.

Trivia

  • Several (but not all) Pokémon namespaces (such as "bulbasaur.com") redirect to either Pokémon.com or Nintendo.com, and others, such as Manaphy.com and Darkrai.com, redirected to their respective minisites. After the update in January 2010, many links became broken as the respective pages no longer exist at the same location. Such namespaces have since been changed to redirect to the website's Pokédex page on that Pokémon.
  • Despite the overhaul the site received in early January 2010, the old version was made available for a limited period of time at http://origin.pokemon.com/. This also affected links that got broken with the revamp, making them available again, only at a different address.
    • However, since the old version is no longer available, all old links are once again broken.
    • A minisite about Darkrai which originally appeared in 2008 was located at http://origin2.pokemon.com, but has since been taken down.
  • The only time the site refers to itself as "Pokémon.com" (with the acute accent), excluding logos, is if the user clicks on an external link on the HeartGold and SoulSilver website.

External links

References

  1. ↑ WHOIS information for Pokémon.com
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