Pokémon Shiny Hunters Vote On Whether RNG Manipulation Is Cheating

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Fans are currently debating whether RNG manipulation to force Shiny encounters in Pokémon games can be considered cheating compared to other Shiny hunting methods. Shiny hunting, or the process of obtaining a rare, alternately colored Pokémon species, has become an overwhelmingly popular mechanic in recent years. Due to its popularity, however, the debate has sparked on what can be considered the «best» way to Shiny hunt, and if other methods devalue a Shiny caught in the games.

RNG manipulation in the Pokémon games is a complex process of forcing a Shiny encounter. In Pokémon Sword and Shield, players can manipulate Max Raid dens to force a Shiny by spawning a rare beam den, and then continuously changing the date forward three days until a Shiny encounter is obtained. The RNG, which stands for «random number generator,» is used to determine a Pokémon's Shiny status in most Pokémon games. Sword and Shield have a base shiny rate of 1 in 4096, but the «Shiny» chance isn't truly random, with the Shiny encounter popping up on certain numbers. Because of this, the RNG system can be manipulated to help produce a Shiny spawn, taking the place of grinding random encounters.

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Pokémon fans on Reddit are responding to a poll shared by user Rasples debating whether the use of RNG manipulation over chaining or random encounters is cheating. The majority of Reddit users have responded to the poll stating that the method is legitimate, and shouldn't be considered a cheat. This is because those using RNG manipulation to Shiny hunt must still go through a great deal of effort to spawn the Shiny, with hunts sometimes taking days to complete. The Shiny Pokémon