As has been chronicled connected Kotaku, my travel into Pokémon GO has been 1 that began 2 years ago successful lockdown-induced happiness, and past slowly descended into disappointment aft disappointment. However, this weekend, contempt what look to beryllium Niantic’s champion efforts, I yet experienced Pokémon GO astatine its implicit best: A joyful time retired with a radical of awesome people, chasing shinies and moving unneurotic to tick disconnected tasks.

This past Saturday marked the decision of 2022’s dragged retired Pokémon GO Fest, during which the godforsaken communicative of Professor Willow’s disappearance was yet resolved, and astatine agelong past we were capable to drawback the long-promised Ultra Beasts, Pheromosa, Buzzwole, Xurkitree and Nihilego, arsenic good arsenic the eventual prize of Shaymin Sky-Form. But, for the archetypal clip successful my experience, it wasn’t conscionable maine and my lad playing. And it changed everything.

My main constituent of contention with Niantic’s caller unwanted changes to POGO, beyond its determination to disregard covid advice that borders connected fervor, is the company’s bewildering content that if they make events harder to articulation in, someway much radical volition extremity up playing together. This Saturday, however, had nary specified silliness successful place. Instead, the closing Fest lawsuit ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a caller acceptable of tasks and raids each 2 hours. So, arsenic is becoming accepted for specified in-game events, Toby—now 7 years old—and I acceptable disconnected to the section park, wherever determination are a big of gyms and stops to much easy plow done challenges.

The ‘bandstand’ is the champion spot. Three gyms successful scope astatine once, positive it’s the lone spot we’ve ever seen anyone other playing, adjacent if it was for conscionable a cursory, somewhat awkward communal motion of recognition. Toby had his swimming acquisition astatine 11.30, truthful we figured we’d get the archetypal chunk of tasks completed, and past inevitably aft the interruption he’d determine helium present didn’t privation to play immoderate more, and I’d beryllium near trying to decorativeness the challenges astatine location similar the big, bittersweet idiosyncratic I truthful precise often am. Except thing other happened. Standing by said bandstand was a ellipse of humans, each holding phones, each holding them retired and looking down.

As we walked down the hill, alternatively of protectively closing in, they looked up, noticed our telephone held retired successful that distinctive mode of POGO players, and invited america over! Three adults, 3 kids, galore Pokémon t-shirts. We made it eight. They were the loveliest bunch, a mates with their 10-year-old boy, and a mum with her 9 and 13-year aged boys. Straight distant we were invited to drawback a Pheromosa, and for the archetypal clip successful 2 years of playing this daft game, I experienced a genuine, real-life, in-person raid.

This is not for privation of trying, but alternatively arsenic a effect of what Niantic cannot accept: That it’s not 2016 immoderate more, and determination aren’t gaggles of excited players crowding astir each gym. For my full POGO career, I’ve had to usage apps similar Poke Genie for it to beryllium imaginable to bash immoderate five-star raiding, meaning I’ve mysteriously captured legendaries from countries each astir the world, but ne'er from down the roadworthy from my house.

We chatted away, swapped Pokémon experience stories, Toby whipped retired his binder filled with his favourite TCG cards, and conscionable the astir congenial hr was had by all. But it was clip to spell to swimming, and so—having swapped person codes—we said our goodbyes to our fleeting friends.

Determined to effort to support him connected a Pokémon GO way for a spot longer aft his lesson, due to the fact that yes, obviously, I’m the 1 who wants to beryllium playing it present acold much than him, I suggested we locomotion adjacent further from location to get immoderate lunch. At 1.45 p.m., and with a Machop inactive missing from that 2nd section’s postulation challenge, I made him scoff down his remaining crystal pick and we acceptable disconnected to drawback the bluish blighter who refused to look wrong the restaurant. He was close outside, but the 3rd chunk of the time was astir to begin, caller Pokémon to catch, and astir importantly, the electrical occurrence hazard of Xurkitree to capture. I suggested we locomotion backmost done the park, conscionable successful case.

And they they each were! Our gang! They’d moved astir since, but were backmost astatine the bandstand too, and erstwhile again we were warmly invited to articulation them. It turns retired the 2 families had met each different successful the aforesaid determination a fewer months back, contempt each surviving successful different cities successful other directions from our tiny town. All were avid Pokémon fans, the 1 mates having been truthful since the beginnings successful the precocious 90s, the different mum having picked it up erstwhile her kids did, on with her partner, and past rapidly becoming the astir obsessed subordinate of the family. Which is, er, a small familiar. Cough.

As the tasks ticked around, we each completed them arsenic a group, moving unneurotic to assistance each different out. When Toby recovered a hundo Swirlix, everyone rushed to effort to drawback it, including what turned retired to beryllium other players who were softly nearby. When that tiresome other-(one)-dimensional helmeted chap told america we needed to locomotion a kilometer and hatch an egg, we acceptable disconnected successful 2 groups to bash a thigh of the park. There was affable ribbing, cheerful banter, and adjacent immoderate deep-and-meaningful grown-up chatting.

We ended up spending the remainder of the afternoon, done to astir 5.30, with these awesome people, and I’m delighted to study we swapped numbers, and are readying to conscionable up for aboriginal Community Days and events. It’s the aureate Pokémon GO acquisition I’ve lone antecedently heard about, astir often successful the comments beneath different POGO articles I’ve written, from nostalgic, lamenting semipermanent players. And I yet encountered it for myself.

I overmuch amended get wherefore Niantic is truthful fixated connected this. While of people the billion-dollar institution is chiefly driven by making immense amounts of money, its rhetoric is astir wholly framed astir a desperation to rebottle the escaped genie of 2016. It volition infuriate and alienate the full satellite of players, by making bone-shatteringly evidently atrocious decisions, conscionable due to the fact that it gets the thought successful its caput it’ll origin radical to find assemblage erstwhile again. The institution halved the magnitude of Community Days this year, conscionable due to the fact that it thought it meant radical would beryllium much apt to brushwood each different if the timeslot was restricted. The evident world is that it conscionable means much radical are incapable to articulation in, and the chances of encountering idiosyncratic erstwhile there’s no one other astir aren’t improved if you marque taking portion much inconvenient.

Yet, connected Saturday, for 1 of the game’s biggest events of the year, I experienced it. I get wherefore radical who lived done the game’s heyday would truthful desperately privation to spot that happening again. It makes a monolithic difference, and 1 that I ideate astir radical who (like me) ne'er played the crippled earlier covid person ne'er known. I can’t hold to conscionable up with them each again travel the adjacent chance, and play the crippled arsenic it was intended.