Good Game, Poor Communication?

I noted in my latest "countermeasures" post for Pokémon Go that the latest ones to be or are being implemented are being poorly communicated, and there's a certain truth in that. Pleas in the form of online petitions for addressing the PokéStop distance reduction were created with hundreds of thousands of signatures, but no response was ever given by Niantic as the developer, and the reduction was implemented anyway, even under the cover of it being a test, becoming an obvious detriment for certain people in certain conditions. It seems that the problem with Pokémon Go today is that it's a good game that is marred by the issue of poor communication.

While Pokémon Go is not fully perfect, much of it still works well. Yet there is a significant amount of nagging issues, including things that don't work out while the world is in its current condition. Some are fixed in due time, but others are seemingly left hanging with no fix and/or further report on the fixing effort. Instead, they are often covered up by additions of new features or even expansions to existing features, or as with the distance reduction above, not a word in edgewise. So on the surface, the game works and plays well, but in the depths, it may not be as such, and inquiries concerning the latter often seem to fall on deaf ears, or in the words of one player, responded with "radio silence".

That one player is truly one of a kind, as that player is Brandon Tan. In a video, he asks that Niantic listens to the community or face players turning to other games, including but not limited to other Pokémon games. As a respectable gamer himself - having played other games extensively - he finds that the community of Pokémon Go players (Trainers in in-game or in-character parlance) is one of the best he's ever been in as it is receptive to many things that go on with the game. However, the way that Niantic is responding to players, or the lack thereof, is a major cause for concern that only they can solve, as TPC only has a secondary role for Pokémon Go. The concern is clear when one of, if not the world's best, has to be involved.

The affairs that go on inside Niantic may shed light on the poor communication issue. According to a report by a former employee, Niantic is a great place to work, comparable to related technology companies. However, its promise of an open workplace seems to fall short: player concerns are not regarded, and doing so may instead cause negative repercussions, while even internal suggestions for improvement to fix errors that have happened time and again are ignored. The aura is rather authoritarian for a company of high value that has to serve many, many players globally and conceive enjoyment, particularly for a game dealing with a media franchise of high value.

With all that's happened, some players have initiated a "Pokémon No Day", a day to boycott the game by minimizing or even totally eliminating all in-game activity - and that day is today. I participated by only completing a bare minimum of activities (catching a Pokémon, spinning a PokéStop, and completing a Field Research task) and nothing else afterwards. Meanwhile, other players have taken to voice concerns on social media with their complaints, in particular for the distance reduction above as the main issue and primary issue that needs to be resolved at once. In a way, this post is designed to support the resolution of the issue for the good of everyone that is involved.

It's regrettable that Niantic as the developer of Pokémon Go are being very cold toward the people they serve, as the players and community. It is particularly occurring in these times with all kinds of restrictions, by which people wish to abide by and still have fun to make it out to the other side. The silence has to be broken and communication needs to be established well to keep the players satisfied in play, or else risk them shifting their satisfaction to other things. If this debacle is not resolved, players may start considering the game as poor when it really isn't - it's complex to be sure, and bugs creep in from time to time, but it's still workable and only the communication aspect is hampered.

One year ago: Get Going for School, Pokémon Style

Two years ago: Increased Limits in Go... Indefinitely?

Three years ago: Cosplay: YASUMI

Four years ago: Perfection and Excellence