Pokemon Go Listens to Its Players
If there’s one thing that we can say about Niantic (the development company behind our favorite mobile game), is that Pokemon Go listens to its players. How so? You might be thinking. Well, when the COVID-19 pandemic started, distances for interacting with Pokestops and gyms were temporarily increased to 80 meters to encourage social distancing and to adhere to public health guidelines.
What Started This?
Though it seems like decades ago, at the start of the pandemic in 2020, Niantic announced that they would be temporarily increasing the distance users can interact with Pokestops and Gyms from 40 meters to 80 meters. This feature was added to discourage groups from crowding in public areas. Now, in late 2021, as many individuals have received one or both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Niantic took a different stance.
Dropping the Bomb
On August 5th, 2021, The Niantic Team posted a blog stating that they had heard player feedback and reiterated their primary goal was to encourage safe, social outdoor exploration. With these considerations, Niantic thought it best to revert the interaction distance back to 40 meters so that people could, “connect to real places in the real world, and to visit places that are worth exploring.”
They finished the update by stating their starting of an internal cross-functional task-force designed to preserve their mission of “inspiring people to explore the world together, while also addressing specific concerns that have been raised regarding interaction distance.”
A Rapid Reversal Reveals Pokemon's True Goal
After Niantic announced the plan to reduce interaction distances back to the original 40 meters, players took to social media to share their outcry. Many players boycotted playing and stated individuals forced to isolate would lose features that were what enabled them to play, to begin with.
As of today, September 1st, 2021, Pokemon Go has released its first blog related to this task force, confirming again the understanding the increased interaction distance became beneficial to many players and therefore will be permanent. Additionally, they elaborate on their plans to engage more with Trainers, including posting development diaries every other month, setting up regular conversations with community leaders, and working on and updating known issues and bugs.
In Conclusion
Not only is Niantic working on creating publisher diaries and setting up regular communications with the Pokemon Go community, but they’re also promising to provide greater transparency as well. With their revised plan for the tail-end of the year regarding how they interact with Trainers, I think we’ll start to see more and more of the best of Niantic.
Resources & Further Reading
Campbell, I. C. (2021, August 25). Pokémon go’s pandemic-era distance changes are here to stay. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/25/22642030/niantic-pokemon-go-pandemic-interaction-distance-80-meters.
Knezevic, K. (2021, August 26). Pokemon go permanently increases gym and pokestop distances after fan outcry. CNET. https://www.cnet.com/news/pokemon-go-is-permanently-increasing-interaction-distances-after-fan-outcry/.
Recent Posts
The Success Series: How to Leverage Storytelling in Interviews
Learn how to categorize your work and personal experience so...
Read More
Great Tech Deals for Amazon Prime Day 2024
Great Tech Deals – Amazon Prime Day 2024 This post...
Read More
