Pokémon A-Go-Go

I still play Pokémon Go pretty regularly. 

When the early Beta launched in the summer of 2016, before it was officially released here in Canada, I got the game through the US mobile app store. Yes, I was one of those sneaky players that added to already overstressed servers by playing in a location where the game hadn’t launched yet. 

I gave up playing after that first summer, as soon as the weather turned and the lure of sitting in a park with 200 hundred strangers until long after dark, all playing the same game together but alone, had worn off. 

Some friends got me back into it in the summer of 2018, after new features like trading and social gameplay had been introduced. I played it a lot that summer again, and even into the winter. I made loads of new friends in my neighbourhood, rushing out to join group battles, called raids, and catching up with everyone for a few minutes. 

It’s been a great activity to have on while I take the kids for walks, as it tracks distance for hatching eggs ingame, or even catching Pokémon with zero effort thanks to to a little Pokéball device that connects to your game anad can automatically catch the imaginary monsters while I’m pushing Connor on the swing or chasing Ada around the grass. 

I don’t play it every day anymore, and I certainly don’t go rushing out ot raids unless it’s nice and warm out, nearby, and I have nothing better to do. But it’s still nice to say hi to friends. And still exciting when a new batch gets added to the game. 

Gotta catch ‘em all! 

Product Review: Dollar Store Gloves

As the weeks tick on by and we slide into winter, the weather here in Vancouver has noticeably taken a dip in temperature. I’m wearing more layers and pulled my wooly hat out of storage, but my fingers have been suffering.

I have a lovely pair of leather gloves that I’ve used regularly the last few years. They’re stylish and compfortable and go really nicely with my Rocketeer jacket. But I can’t use my phone with them on. Which is an issue now that I’m playing Pokémon Go again. My fingers go swiftly numb at evening raids or when I go out at 11pm to hit a few PokéStops to refill my items. Don’t judge me!!!

So when a fellow PoGo player recommended some warm gloves that had touch friendly finger tips, I was curious. When he said they were from the local dollar store and cost less than a large coffee, I was suddenly very cautious. One more night of frosty fingers was enough of a push for me to risk not being able to afford a coffee though, and I went to the store and grabbed a pair. 

I picked out a pair that have the capacitive material on the thumb and index finger, as well as little grip dots on the palm and and palm side of the fingers, including thumb. They fit well but felt very thin.

And I love them! I’ve used them a few times now and they really are warm enough. My fingers feel great and given how thin they are, I can still easily hold my phone and play the game, even landing curve ball throws when needed. The grips are great and I feel like I have a secure hold on my phone. I don’t drop touch inputs, though, obviously, my fingers are now a little thicker, so texting is sometimes an issue, but then texting is always an issue for me. 

The gloves are also small enough that they easily fit inside a pocket. They don’t feel bulky, and they just live in my backpack beside my battery bank and charge cable now. 

As mentioned above, my pair has the capacitive material on thumb and index, but there was also a style with the middle finger included. Those didn’t have the grip dots on them, so it’s a trade-off. I do sometimes find myself tapping or scrolling with my middle finger and nothing responding, but I’m training myself to stick to what I have. 

I’m usually of the opinion that anything that is too cheap to be any good is often just that, and you’re better off spending a like extra for a lot more. But these gloves are wonderful, and so incredibly cheap. 

If you’re out playing Pokémon Go on these chill evenings, or just like to use your phone while out and about in the cold, then grab a pair of these.

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On Friends And Friendship: Part 1: Pokémon Go

On Friends And Friendship: Part 1: Pokémon Go

I started playing Pokémon Go back in the summer of 2016. I was one of those players not helping the server strain on launch by logging to a US store account and downloading it not my phone before it was officially released outside the US.

Everyone was playing. I’d go to the nearby big park and camp out in the grass beside a triangle of three PokéStops with friends and sit there for hours catching digital monsters on my phone. Dozens upon dozens of other players would be there, all in their little groups, all looking at their phones.

It was huge.

And there was absolutely no in game player interaction. The only benefit to being in a group was when someone on the far side of the grass screamed “DRAGONITE!!” and we all flocked to their location, like a herd of gallimimus.

Once the weather turned, the appeal of Pokémon Go wore off quickly. There was noticeably less people playing and with all the common Pokémon in my PokéDex, little to no reason to sit in the rain soaked mud. I stopped checking every day, slowly lost interest, eventually stopped playing and finally deleted it from my device.

Occasionally, over the next two years I’d see updates and articles about the game. It was still massively popular, with a huge player base. But I never felt the need to get back into it.

Then, this summer, some friends started playing again. One particularly sunny day, I had the kids at a splash park with two of my friends and they were playing. We talked about the new features, like friend lists, gifts and trading, and I started to think about it. Then they joked that Claire and I should just get the app again and log back in while we’re in Ireland just long enough to catch them some regional exclusive Pokémon.

And that did it. The lure of those first generation Pokémon I could never catch before was enough for me to crack. There and then, while sitting under the shade of a tree I downloaded Pokémon Go and logged back in.

I was immediately surrounded by new creatures I didn’t recognize. Everything I caught was a new Pokémon and it was thrilling and exciting again. With two whole new generations out now, 235 new Pokémon in the game, I had lots and lots to catch and it felt like the very first day all over again.

Only this time, I had friends.

And gifts.

And trading!

Oh my!!

Before we left the park I had texted Claire to tell her to download the game as well. She thought I was joking, but by the time she got home from work that evening, she was hooked too. It was fun discovering all the new features, systems, creatures and treasures the game had to offer together.

We travelled home to Ireland and brought back a bunch to trade. Suddenly, those annoying gaps in our PokéDex were within reach. Everyone had a few spares they could share around.

But we only knew of our few friends. Did anyone else in our neighbourhood play? How would we find them. I turned to the most evil thing I could think of, that vile tome of personal information, collected to sell to the highest bidder, the one place I was sure I’d find something, because it has seemingly everything.

I joined the local Facebook group. They were a big, active group that met up regularly and scheduled events together. One of the features added during my hiatus was raids. Raids are big fights in key locations that, at the higher levels, can only be completed with a group, and the rewards are rare and powerful Pokémon. I started to attend these organized raids, meeting other players in person and quickly became friends with some of the more active community members.

Pretty soon I was recognizing more and more people in my neighbourhood while out shopping or walking with the kids. People that were strangers to me a month before were waving at me on the street and exchanging pleasantries on a first name basis, or sometimes (okay, okay, more often than sometimes), Pokémon Go username.

And that’s how I made a couple dozen new friends in my neighbourhood after living here for almost eight years.

Today’s Pokémon Go is a whole different beast from what I played two years ago. Four months into my return, I’m still playing every day. Not as much as when I started in July, but then, I have all the common Pokémon again. But this time, it’s different. I’m not playing just hoping to catch that rare creature in the wild. I’m not even hunting very much anymore. Now I play for raids. I play to meet up with friends for a few minutes three or four times a week. I play for the events that happen regularly, where I meet more new friends out enjoying the game.

I play for the friends I have and the ones I yet to find in the wild.

Gotta Catch ‘Em All.