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After Years Of Disappointment, Pokémon Go Fest Finally Gave Me The Magic I’ve Been Missing

Ultra Beasts are stood in a grassy park, with Pikachu gambolling along in front.

Picture: Niantic

As has been chronicled on Kotaku, my journey into Pokémon GO has been one which started two years in the past in lockdown-induced happiness, after which slowly descended into disappointment after disappointment. Nonetheless, this weekend, regardless of what look like Niantic’s finest efforts, I lastly skilled Pokémon GO at its best possible: A joyful time out with a gaggle of superior folks, chasing shinies and dealing collectively to tick off duties.

This previous Saturday marked the conclusion of 2022’s dragged out Pokémon GO Fest, throughout which the godforsaken story of Professor Willow’s disappearance was lastly resolved, and in the end we have been in a position to catch the long-promised Extremely Beasts, Pheromosa, Buzzwole, Xurkitree and Nihilego, in addition to the last word prize of Shaymin Sky-Type. However, for the primary time in my expertise, it wasn’t simply me and my boy taking part in. And it modified all the things.

My principal level of competition with Niantic’s current undesirable adjustments to POGO, past its willpower to disregard covid recommendation that borders on fervor, is the corporate’s bewildering perception that in the event that they make occasions tougher to hitch in, in some way extra folks will find yourself taking part in collectively. This Saturday, nevertheless, had no such silliness in place. As a substitute, the closing Fest occasion ran from 10 a.m. to six p.m., with a brand new set of duties and raids each two hours. So, as is changing into conventional for such in-game occasions, Toby—now seven years previous—and I set off to the native park, the place there are a bunch of gyms and stops to extra simply plow by way of challenges.

The ‘bandstand’ is the most effective spot. Three gyms in attain directly, plus it’s the one place we’ve ever seen anybody else taking part in, even when it was for only a cursory, barely awkward mutual nod of recognition. Toby had his swimming lesson at 11.30, so we figured we’d get the primary chunk of duties accomplished, after which inevitably after the break he’d resolve he now didn’t need to play any extra, and I’d be left attempting to complete the challenges at residence like the large, unhappy individual I so fairly often am. Besides one thing else occurred. Standing by stated bandstand was a circle of people, all holding telephones, all holding them out and looking out down.

As we walked down the hill, as a substitute of protectively closing in, they seemed up, observed our telephone held out in that particular method of POGO gamers, and invited us over! Three adults, three youngsters, many Pokémon t-shirts. We made it eight. They have been the loveliest bunch, a pair with their 10-year-old boy, and a mum together with her 9 and 13-year previous boys. Right away we have been invited to catch a Pheromosa, and for the primary time in two years of taking part in this daft recreation, I skilled a real, real-life, in-person raid.

My new group of friends, stood in the park and playing Pokemon GO in a circle.

Photograph: Kotaku

This isn’t for need of attempting, however as a substitute on account of what Niantic can not settle for: That it’s not 2016 any extra, and there aren’t gaggles of excited gamers crowding round each fitness center. For my whole POGO profession, I’ve had to make use of apps like Poke Genie for it to be potential to do any five-star raiding, which means I’ve mysteriously captured legendaries from nations all around the globe, however by no means from down the street from my home.

We chatted away, swapped Pokémon expertise tales, Toby whipped out his binder crammed along with his favourite TCG playing cards, and simply essentially the most congenial hour was had by all. However it was time to go to swimming, and so—having swapped buddy codes—we stated our goodbyes to our fleeting mates.

Decided to attempt to hold him on a Pokémon GO monitor for a bit longer after his lesson, as a result of sure, clearly, I’m the one who needs to be taking part in it now way over him, I steered we stroll even farther from residence to get some lunch. At 1.45 p.m., and with a Machop nonetheless lacking from that second part’s assortment problem, I made him scoff down his remaining ice cream and we set off to catch the blue blighter who refused to seem contained in the restaurant. He was proper outdoors, however the third chunk of the day was about to start, new Pokémon to catch, and most significantly, {the electrical} hearth threat of Xurkitree to seize. I steered we stroll again by way of the park, simply in case.

They usually all of them have been! Our gang! They’d moved about since, however have been again on the bandstand too, and as soon as once more we have been warmly invited to hitch them. It seems the 2 households had met one another in the identical location a number of months again, regardless of every dwelling in different cities in reverse instructions from our small city. All have been avid Pokémon followers, the one couple having been so for the reason that beginnings within the late 90s, the opposite mum having picked it up when her youngsters did, alongside together with her accomplice, after which shortly changing into essentially the most obsessed member of the household. Which is, er, a little bit acquainted. Cough.

Because the duties ticked round, all of us accomplished them as a gaggle, working collectively to assist one another out. When Toby discovered a hundo Swirlix, everybody rushed to attempt to seize it, together with what turned out to be different gamers who have been quietly close by. When that tiresome other-(one)-dimensional helmeted chap instructed us we wanted to stroll a kilometer and hatch an egg, we set off in two teams to do a lap of the park. There was pleasant ribbing, cheerful banter, and even some deep-and-meaningful grown-up chatting.

Three children are walking through the park, chatting and playing Pokemon GO.

Photograph: Kotaku

We ended up spending the remainder of the afternoon, by way of to about 5.30, with these superior folks, and I’m delighted to report we swapped numbers, and are planning to fulfill up for future Group Days and occasions. It’s the golden Pokémon GO expertise I’ve solely beforehand heard about, most frequently within the feedback beneath different POGO articles I’ve written, from nostalgic, lamenting long-term gamers. And I lastly encountered it for myself.

I a lot better get why Niantic is so fixated on this. Whereas in fact the billion-dollar firm is primarily pushed by making huge quantities of cash, its rhetoric is sort of completely framed round a desperation to rebottle the escaped genie of 2016. It would infuriate and alienate your entire planet of gamers, by making bone-shatteringly clearly unhealthy choices, simply because it will get the thought in its head it’ll trigger folks to search out group as soon as once more. The firm halved the size of Group Days this yr, simply because it thought it meant folks can be extra more likely to encounter one another if the timeslot was restricted. The apparent actuality is that it simply means extra persons are unable to hitch in, and the possibilities of encountering somebody when there’s nobody else round aren’t improved if you happen to make participating extra inconvenient.

But, on Saturday, for one of many recreation’s largest occasions of the yr, I skilled it. I get why individuals who lived by way of the sport’s heyday would so desperately need to see that occuring once more. It makes a large distinction, and one which I think about most individuals who (like me) by no means performed the sport earlier than covid have never recognized. I can’t wait to fulfill up with all of them once more come the subsequent likelihood, and play the sport because it was supposed.

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