Pokémon TCG Live: A Game without Monetization and Its Place in the Gaming Industry

Over recent decades, digital games have been trying to find new ways to monetize their player base. The games have evolved from purely premium titles sold as a product, to repeatedly monetized free-to-play games as a service that allow players to spend limitless amount on various microtransactions. However, there are still some oddities present on the gaming market. The case study analyses the digital game Pokémon TCG Live, which does not have any form of direct monetization. The study points out how it corresponds to both the overarching Pokémon franchise, as well as the digital games industry. Its main goal is to identify its core mechanics that are traditionally connected with monetization practices, and find its position on the market in relation to other digital trading card games. Another point of interest for our study is the high level of interconnection between the printed and digital versions of the Pokémon Trading Card Game and how it impacts the online client.