If you’ve been keeping up with Internet trends, you’ve probably heard something about “Twitch Plays Pokemon.” TPP is a stream of the classic Nintendo Game Boy game, Pokemon Red Version. The modified game allows viewers to input commands to control the main character, Red and his Pokemon. What makes this game unique, however, is that the game is controlled by many people at once.

According to the creator, known only as “TwitchPlaysPokemon,” the gaming format was designed as a “social experiment” to see how users interact with each other to complete the game. With TPP reaching as many as 100,000 plus users playing at once, you can imagine the chaos that has ensued.

The commands of so many different people manifested themselves in Red’s erratic behavior, leading him to constantly bump into walls or check his Pokedex every five seconds. Of course, there is always an abundance of Internet trolls in TPP, making sure to constantly press “start” or other commands at inopportune times, much to the annoyance of other users. All the commands serving so many different agendas created enormous barriers to what would normally be considered minor activities within the game.

Early in the game, it took over four hours for Red to successfully cross a single ledge. A major source of frustration for TPP users has been the PC, in which Pokemon can be withdrawn, deposited or released. Many of Red’s crucial Pokemon have been released on accident, leading eventually to the decision to avoid the PC at all costs from here on out.

As the game progressed, it seems as if an entire society was built from the history of the game, complete with politics, religion and artwork. Early in the game, Red had to choose between two fossils, each capable of resurrecting a different ancient Pokemon. The Helix Fossil was chosen, and because it was selected so often during battle, users decided that Red was “worshipping” the fossil, consulting it in all endeavors. From this initial action sprang forth an intricate theological history, complete with religious Schisms and opposing ideologies much like is seen in modern society. Thus, this “social experiment” has drawn quite a lot of attention from sociologists.

When I first started keeping up with the progress of the game, I didn’t have much faith in the users’ abilities to navigate the obstacles in the game. However, I was shocked to find that after only two weeks, all Gym Badges were obtained, and Red is now on his way to the Elite Four. I think the world of TPP in many ways resembles the complex society in which we live, and I can’t help but compare all of us, with our own agendas and thoughts and demands, to the users in this game. Consequently, many of us view society in a pessimistic light, yet somehow we continue to not only survive, but grow and improve as a species.

TPP is more than just a hilarious gaming experiment. It is an allegorical testament to the wonders we as humans can accomplish in spite of all our differences and the hectic world in which we are living. The final outcome of the game may be forgotten in only just a few months, but the hope in humanity’s ability to prevail shall not fade.