Posted in: Games, Mobile Games, Niantic, Pokémon GO | Tagged: Niantic, Niantic Labs, pokemon, pokemon go, pokemon go community day

The Pokémon GO Summer Never Actually Ended, And Here's Why

It seems as if every day on Twitter, a new tweet (or twenty) is posted where someone, lamenting the current state of the world, wishes we were back in "the Pokémon GO summer." A popular one is "2020 is the exact opposite of the Pokémon GO summer." These jokes trend like memes, taken verbatim in many cases, and shared as if they are original thoughts… and it makes sense. As the world gets stranger and people struggle to make sense of it all, it's easy to look back at a time when people of all ages ventured outside and, fueled by both nostalgia and newfound interest, hunted Pokémon together. It was, these tweets suggest, a simpler time. What if you were told, though, that the Pokémon GO summer of 2016 never actually ended? What if it was just you who left? And what if, most importantly, there was a world of escapism and simplicity that you could return to and find community in at any time?

Pokémon GO is, in many ways, bigger than ever. While any dedicated player of the game has certainly become familiar with a friend or stranger's baffled "Oh, you still play that game?" reaction to their passion, the game remains one of the most popular in the world. In recent years, the game has doubled the initial downloads from 2016, leading to its most financially lucrative year in 2019. What happened was that the casual players stopped playing, and stopped noticing the gameplay around them. It's the same reason why, if you suddenly watch, for example, Schitt's Creek, you'll notice a sudden influx of memes about the show. Where were these for the past six years the show has been on? They were there, but you just kept scrolling because you didn't recognize them. So, too, are the Pokémon GO players. Note the date of the next Community Day… and then head to a park, mall, or downtown area. People that blended into the background as texters, you will now notice are mothers who are playing on a tablet and a phone at the same time. You'll see entire families gathering at raids, as dozens of other people react to Pokémon on their screen. The game has integrated with the world, becoming standard rather than the shocking outlier that the news and podcasters discuss as an interesting topic… but it's bigger than ever.

Now, here's why that matters. All of these tweets longing for that Pokémon GO summer are wishing for the simplicity of the togetherness the game created, contrasting it to the uncertain world of today. It's a false comparison, because the world was uncertain then, too. Other things were bad, and Pokémon GO didn't exist in a vacuum. Rather, it was always an escape from the world. That escape still exists, and is needed now more than ever. Instead of lamenting what you believe to be gone, you can download the app and head to a gym during Raid Hour every Wednesday. You'll see familiar names join raids with you as you take on Legendary Pokémon. Eventually, when you meet the people behind the avatars, you can build community either in person or on Facebook or Discord. These groups have led to some lifelong friendships for many trainers, as well as a means to facilitate fitness for those who are active while hunting for Pokémon.

On top of the community, Pokémon GO is simply better than it was in 2016. With the introduction of Raids, Shiny Pokémon, Buddy Adventure, and events like GO Fest and Safari Zones, it has become a game that is immersive in how it blends not only with reality, but with life as well.

The difference between the Pokémon GO Summer of 2016 is that the game was, at the time, a fad that was still finding its footing. Now, Pokémon GO has become a lifestyle that fosters physical activity, community building, empathy, and connecting with people rather than tearing each other down. The world that the game thrived in is there, right now, waiting for you to join in the fun.

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