POKÉMON GO’S NEW EVENT SPARKS INTEREST IN FANS

Graphic by: Amy Welch

This weekend gives current Pokémon Go players a chance to access some exclusive in-game bonuses as well as an abundance of a particular, featured Pokémon.

On Saturday, Feb. 24, the mobile game will have its second monthly Community Day, an event that encourages players around the world to go out and play together. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., players can take advantage of an increase in Dratini, as well as triple stardust earned for every catch made during the event period.

Although there has been a significant drop-off in the number of players since the initial launch of the game in 2016, there are still an average of 65 million monthly players and 5 million of those who play daily. There was plenty of excitement when the game was new, but now these monthly events are devised to celebrate communities that have developed among the remaining players and to add periodic incentives to local meet-ups.

Jan. 20 was the game’s first Community Day and on that day players were rewarded with double experience during the event and lots of Pikachu. As I ventured out for the first Community Day, I noticed something that fascinated me: It was the first time in quite some time where I saw several families and groups of friends engaged with the game. Some rode skateboards, while others walked their dogs, but it all gave me a similar impression of when the game first dropped.

Afterwards I saw plenty of posts online showing off Pikachu captured with the game’s augmented reality camera placing the cute, yellow creature in environments all over the world.

Those who have decided to stick around have seen updates to the game such as the introduction of hundreds of new Pokémon and a system that changes the in-game weather to match real-life conditions, plus improvements to the game’s gym battles. Raid battles are another addition that encourage cooperative play and with more player activity during this event, it might be a prime opportunity to take on some tougher battles that require multiple people.

Of course, with any game that requires exploring a local area, it is every player’s responsibility to stay safe and to encourage others to do the same. Since this is a game that requires movement, there have been incidents in the past of people playing the game while driving. Distracted driving is already a big enough issue, and so here’s a reminder that it is never acceptable to be actively playing the game while behind the wheel.

That said, if the weather permits, Pokémon Go players can stock up on enough Dratini candy to add a Dragonite to their collection and possibly make a few friends along the way. Niantic also encourages players to add the hashtag #PokemonGoCommunityDay to posts and photos taken during the event.

Advocate Staff