What exactly are Poké Jobs? Fans all the world over are eagerly awaiting the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield, the next mainline Pokémon game. If you thought you had to work hard to afford your Nintendo Switch console, though, spare a thought for those poor Pokémon – who will be taking part in the gig economy to earn 'experience' in the game.
The official website for Sword and Shield includes a listing for something called "Poké Jobs", with all kinds of potential employment for your battle-hardened Pokémon. Examples include "help with cooking", "construction work", or "protect our investments", with the player able to select how long the Pokémon works for.
Poké Jobs seem like a similar dynamic to Pokémon Day Care, where you leave your Pokémon at a kindergarten to learn and grow without having to battle with you – hugely useful for levelling up weaker creatures before you add them to your party.
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Why do my Pokémon need Poké Jobs?
Apparently, "There are many places requesting the help of Pokémon, including corporations and universities", meaning you'll have the option of helping the pursuit of learning, or (ruthless?) corporate interests. Whether Pokémon who have joined the workforce will act any differently in battles is unclear, though we can confirm having a desk job will tend to reduce your speed stats.
Rather than earning hard cash to buy more Poké Balls, however, it looks like Poké Jobs will reward your Pokémon with "experience" – much like internships in the real world.
The website adds that "They’ll receive rewards like Exp. Points or base points, and how much they get will depend on factors like how long they work and their types!" – also suggesting that the level of pay may vary depending on whether a Pokémon is a Fire, Water, Grass Type, or otherwise, which could open up these prospective Poké Jobs employers to various lawsuits over unequal pay.
We'll be campaigning for a fair wage for all Pokémon, at least until Pokémon Sword and Shield releases on November 15 and we remember to enjoy ourselves instead.
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Via Polygon
