Passing the Guard

It's the night before the Ex-Raid that is scheduled for tomorrow, and my raid group is abuzz with activity. For the people in it, it's business as usual, going on raids that are present around town, perhaps also in the hopes of preparing a veritable arsenal against the Ex-Raid boss. Yet there is another kind of activity going on, one that involves other players, specifically those not in my raid group. Lately it seems that some Pokémon Go players in my area have been wanting to get back into the action, and they've (been) turned to me for information. It's almost like I've been "passed the guard", in a way.

Perhaps a bit of history would help. Way, way back when Go first became popular locally, it became quite organized, to the point there were team collectives (which I mentioned in thinking about Go fever) and even local contests (which I mentioned in my initial post about Go). One of the leaders of the team collectives is a friend whom I mentioned in the former post, and in fact his status as a local go-to resource made him practically a leader for many things Go in my local area. However, some time ago he had effectively relinquished his position, as evidenced by him no longer having the game installed. Now that I'm able to play and he can't, the situation is the inverse of before, when I couldn't play and he could.

Yet he remains noted as a reference for Go in my area, though that's a role he can no longer fulfill. Knowing that I now play Go, he refers those who contact him about the game to me; this is where "passing the guard" comes in. I am glad to assist those that have been referred to me and mount a greater collective effort. But even so, there are also people who know more about the game in the time that both I and my friend have been inactive in the game, one of them being the person I met one night and also belongs in my raid group; the fact of the matter is that I then refer my friend's contacts to that person. Regardless, the process is taking place... or has taken place.

"Passing the guard" is a natural thing that occurs where leaders and groups are involved. It has to take place, lest they fade into oblivion. In my case, the transition is from something previously structured by one friend to something structured by another. I'm not fully involved in the process, but being involved as a "mediator" of sorts in the process is good also, which in a way preserves the previous success of Pokémon Go. Who knows - maybe at a later time, I will lead the process and not just become a mere mediator, and I'll be the one taking my group on raids and Ex-Raids together, hopefully with the same intense preparations as of late.

One year ago: Two Pokémon Pillows