MatPat of the popular gaming YouTube channel Game Theory has recently released a new video that uses math to conceptualize the most ideal Pokémon for Markiplier. The video in question was inspired by the release of Markiplier's 24-minute video entitled Smash or Pass: All 898 Pokémon, an activity that inspired streamers like Ludwig to do the same. While the idea of playing Smash or Pass with fictional characters as subjects is not new, the focus on Pokémon is a more particular and specific trend.
Game Theory has been a staple on YouTube for a number of years now making videos about, as the channel's name suggests, various video games and their lore or mysteries. Some of the channel's most popular videos cover viral games like Genshin Impact and Five Nights at Freddy's, but it is full of analyses for all sorts of releases. Game Theory is helmed by the charismatic MatPat, who frequently connects with other creators and creates other pieces of assorted gaming content. Game Theory's videos, while fun and lighthearted, often employ the use of rational thinking and research to supposedly uncover hidden secrets within beloved video games. With its massive roster of creatures and varied regions, Pokémon is a series particularly suited to the Game Theory treatment.
The most recent Game Theory video doesn't propose a Pokémon theory in the direct sense, though. Rather, the video uses math to create the "perfect" Pokémon for Markiplier based upon his responses in his Smash or Pass video. In the theory video, MatPat states that the overwhelming majority of Markiplier's "Smash" choices were Pokémon from the 7th generation, which is factored into the equation. Other factors, such as height, weight, and the most common colors presented by the "Smash" Pokémon, were also taken into account. Ultimately, MatPat found that there were no Pokémon who perfectly encapsulated all of Markiplier's preferences, but the fighting-type Pokémon Mienshao was the closest to meeting all the requirements.
After arriving at this conclusion, MatPat states that some of the new Pokémon included in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet might fit the bill a bit more closely for Markiplier. It's true that the next generation of Pokémon is on its way, which will undoubtedly lead to follow-up Smash or Pass videos. Game Theory itself might even hop on the trend when that time comes.
It's fair to wonder if videos like the one made by Markiplier are weird or inappropriate. After all, Pokémon are presented as being much closer to animals than humans or some other intelligent species. However, as Game Theory briefly touches on in this video, the Pokémon world is strange, complex, and most importantly, fictional, meaning that this trend will most likely be looked back on as some raunchy tongue-in-cheek humor.
Source: The Game Theorists/YouTube
