Pokemon GOis a location-based game, which means that the experience can be very different depending on whether you’re living in the city, or in a more rural area. There are tons of monsters, gyms, and Pokestops in just about any major metro center, while the same can’t be said when you’re out in the wilds.
This week, onePokemon GOplayer who lived in a rural area shared their experiences of venturing into the city on the game’s subreddit. This particular trainer found that unplanned Raids were pretty frustrating, but making arrangements with others via services like Discord actually made the game much more fun and engaging.
Shortly afterward, NianticGeorge appeared in the comments section representing the development team. The support staff member had some interesting responses to this particular trainer’s experiences, including confirmation that the game will introduce better tools for players toteam up on Raid battlesover the next few updates.
However, one area where NianticGeorge disagreed with the trainer was in their assertion that the studio “doesn’t care” about rural players.
NianticGeorge did acknowledge that further improvements can be made. The team member reiterated that Niantic is aware of rural players' frustrations, and is eager to do everything in its power to ensure thatPokemon GOremains a great experience for all trainers.
It’s difficult to fine-tune a location-based game likePokemon GOto ensure that everyone gets their share of the fun, especially since making monsters and events too accessible would remove some of the adventure. However, Niantic really does seemcommitted to making improvements, so it’s good to see the studio engage in such direct communication with its audience.
