"Professor what’s his face?": Pokemon GO Reddit jokes about in-game NPC

In the world of Pokemon GO, the popular augmented reality game where players traverse the real world to catch virtual creatures, there exists a character many are familiar with but hardly anyone really "listens" to: Professor Willow. In a humorous twist highlighted on the Pokemon GO subreddit, one user, No_Pilot_4384, sparked a lively discussion with a post titled:

"Professor what’s his face?"

The post featured an image of Professor Willow and the caption within the image talked about how one has never listened to a single thing this NPC has ever said.

Professor what’s his face? byu/No_Pilot_4384 inpokemongo

This sentiment resonated with many players, shedding light on a common behavior: rapidly skipping through dialogue boxes, especially during in-game events which often feature the professor providing exposition or guidance.

The discussion quickly evolved into a humorous roast of the in-game NPC's dialogue, with users creatively imagining the kinds of lines they typically skip.

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Pokemon GO players humorously discuss collective act of skipping Professor Willow's cutscenes

The post by No_Pilot_4384 stirred up a light-hearted discussion among the community members (Image via Reddit)

u/-r00t-b33r- humorously mimicked a typical encounter with Professor Willow, piecing together a string of interrupted and unrelated dialogue snippets ending with a resolute "SKIP!"

This comedic interpretation reflects a shared player experience where the urge to continue gameplay overrides any narrative content, leading to missed plot details and context.

Interestingly, u/codydoesthings sparked another conversation about Professor Willow having more immersive cutscenes (Image via Reddit)

u/codydoesthings, commented on the nature of storytelling in Pokemon GO, suggesting that more immersive techniques like cutscenes, as used in other games like Pokemon Masters EX, could potentially make the dialogue more engaging.

This user highlighted a perceived laziness on the part of Niantic, the game's developer, to invest in more dynamic storytelling methods.

The discussion gets deeper among players (Image via Reddit)

Conversely, u/HiOnFructose pointed out that those who skip the dialogue are often the same ones who criticize the game for not adhering closely to franchise lore. According to this user, the game's writers incorporate numerous references and lore tidbits into the dialogue that many players miss.

That said, they conceded that during major events like Pokemon Go Fest, even they don't have the patience to read through all the text.

The discussion on Reddit highlights a broader issue in mobile and augmented reality games: the challenge of balancing narrative depth with the fast-paced, on-the-go style of gameplay that titles like Pokemon GO encourage.

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While some players yearn for richer storytelling and deeper engagement with the game world, others prioritize the gameplay itself, viewing any narrative elements as an interruption to their play.

This scenario raises questions about the role of narrative in mobile gaming. Should developers invest more in storytelling to enrich the player experience, or should they accept that many players engage with these games for reasons other than the story?

As augmented reality and mobile gaming continue to evolve, perhaps new methods will emerge that can seamlessly integrate compelling narratives without detracting from the fast-paced action that players enjoy.

For now, Professor Willow continues to serve as a humorous symbol of overlooked game dialogue, a testament to the diverse ways players interact with and experience the world of Pokemon GO.