Sponsored PokéStops and Gyms in Pokémon Go

Trainers in Pokémon Go are no strangers to PokéStops and Gyms, the places where a myriad of things take place, from earning items to initiating battles of different kinds. Typically, most of these mark places that have been submitted and approved through a process that has its roots even beyond Pokémon Go. However, there are a few of these that mark places - specifically, commercial ones - that wouldn't ordinarily pass muster for them. These are what are called Sponsored Locations, and they are intriguing places.

A Sponsored Location is easily identified on the map; for the particular case of a PokéStop, a marker appears on its pole, but tapping the location in question to check it out will surely reveal it, with a "Sponsored" tag up at the top. Sponsored Locations can be for a number of different things, like coffee shops, eateries, stores, and malls, though the first specimen is arguably a common one: three of those have recently popped up in my local area for a famous international joint, making them the first of their kind. Meanwhile, a faraway metropolis has a mall with a Sponsored Gym. The Pokémon Center in Singapore is a particular case of a well-known Sponsored Location. Thus, it's clear that these can come in various guises.

It is quite possible that the owner of a major business might consider applying for one, and it's possible through a page on Niantic's web site. Remarkably, though not surprisingly, there is a fee for application: USD 1 per day or 30 per month for a "standard" location (as a PokéStop) or USD 2 per day or 60 per month for a "premium" location (as a Gym). Though the program is reportedly in an "early access beta" for the U.S. and current situations are suspending the process to an extent, obviously some of the process still goes on as with the new Sponsored Locations in my area, and further expansions are definitely planned. More detailed information can be found on the page, which is more than I can really explain here.

There might be another reason why the process is being slowed down, and that's due to an initiative that also involves Sponsored Locations. The initiative is to help small businesses - a select number of them in a select number of countries - recover from current economic situations by promoting them with the facility for a year and helping them gain leverage once hard times have passed. Uniquely, the initiative also enlists people to make nominations (one per person, a method similar to putting out new PokéStops on the map) for selecting businesses. By now the nomination period has ended, but the initiative looks good regardless.

It seems tempting to call these Sponsored Locations as advertising, and they are, in many respects. But they are also really more than that. They are a way of making enterprises heard, particularly within the realm of an augmented reality-driven venue such as that of Pokémon Go. Of course, for those in it, it just becomes one of many places where neat actions can take place, and they cannot ask for much more than that. It also comes with a side effect of promotion and support for businesses that seek to thrive.

One year ago: The Persistence of Legendary Raid Hours

Two years ago: Poké Ball Mini Pokémon Figures

Three years ago: Metal Unova Cap Pikachu Keychain

The Look of Pikachu

Anyone who is familiar with recurring art such as that of characters for games, comics, animations, and so on know that over time, the art style develops. The character progressively changes in appearance or look as the artist(s) continue to illustrate the character. It's not hard to expect that this would apply to some Pokémon characters as well (in fact, I've in effect already detailed one of them), and there is one for which this is rather evident: the de facto series mascot Pikachu. Over time, the look of the Pokémon has changed quite a bit, and this can be described as a few different styles.

In the early days, Pikachu had a "plump" style, which made it look very close to the organism it was based on, the rat. This was evident in the games, promotional media related to the games (such as instruction manuals and strategy guides), and even early episodes of the anime. Its main body was almost indistinguishable from its head and it looked rather rounded, plus back then the gender differentiation wasn't evident. It was a rather unique look, though the "plump" state could have had its detractors for an apparent suggestion of unhealthiness. At least this look cannot really be seen today unless one were to review the materials above.

Later, Pikachu "slimmed down" and got a new look. Its head became more distinct and its body shape appeared to complement its tendency to walk on two feet rather than on all fours. The head shape can be considered slightly "rectangular" in a way, rather than circular. This style can be seen in the anime after its early days and has been rather consistent since. Many current Pokémon games that feature Pikachu models also have this style. In some ways this look is rather "archetypal" for Pikachu today, especially if the games and the anime are involved. Yet it's also not really the only one.

A different "archetypal" look also coexists today for Pikachu. Its head and body remain distinct as with the previous look, but the head shape is oval or circular rather than being close to rectangular. The background of my blog features the head of Pikachu with this look. Much of the promotional media for Pokémon (social media stickers, site graphics, and so on) as well as most merchandise, especially those from the Pokémon Center use this appearance rather than the previous distinct look. One may wonder why there is this look and the previous, but one could also equally enjoy them both.

Whatever the look, Pikachu remains recognizable as the de facto series mascot. It also cannot be argued that as Pokémon has developed, so too has Pikachu, with all its looks and characteristic appearances throughout time as I've detailed. It's a natural thing for any recurring artistic work, even more so if it's had different guises and different artists to go along with those guises. They all still may earn appreciation from Pokémon fans of any time, and that seems to show that the familiarity with Pikachu is as recurrent as the art style of its appearance, regardless of how it may be.

One year ago: There Is Always a Way

Two years ago: (More) Plastic Poké Balls

Three years ago: Cosplay: Tomodachi 2

Get Going for School, Pokémon Style

School is due to start in some places - or for other places, it has already started. Either way, students may need a boost to get through that, no matter how unorthodox it might be with current times. For that, the boost could have a little Pokémon flair to it. Those who receive regular updates on Pokémon Center merchandise through the e-mail newsletter will likely have noticed the promotion on a set of featured merchandise that could be used for school, and they look quite good, especially for this purpose. I've decided to highlight some of the featured merchandise in this post because of that.

Most of the merchandise in the set can be grouped into two categories. The first category is what I would term "useful tools" for school. In this category, there is a selection of Pokémon spiral notebooks and bound journals, including one from the Poké Ball Classics line. Water bottles may also be something helpful for school, and thus a few are also included. Of course, a student needs something to carry all of those and other tools, and for that, there are backpacks and messenger bags galore in all kinds of styles. Any student would benefit from any of these, not to mention having quite a bit of Pokémon style.

That leads to the second category. That would be what I term "good looks". Here, jackets and shirts dominate the selection in order to allow students to look good no matter what layers they wear. Rounding out this category and the selection of items is a small selection of posters and signs to make rooms or perhaps even lockers look good by decorating them. They might seem a little out of place, but they make sense to some extent. In all, there are 44 items in this selection, which should be plenty for students to make their selection for Pokémon items to make school enjoyable.

While I'm not certain I will ever get any of these items, I can already pick out a few favorites. On the "tool" side of things, I'm partial to the Pikachu Classics Charge Journal and the Pikachu Spiral Notebook, as well as the Outdoors with Pokémon Thermal Bottle and the Pikachu Comic-Style Messenger Bag. On the "looks" side of things, I'm sure I'd enjoy the Zacian & Zamazenta Fleece Varsity Hoodie and the Outdoors with Pokémon Navy Plaid Fitted Flannel Shirt, as well as the Destination Pokémon posters, which has been updated to include Galar as the latest "destination". I'm not really a student anymore, but I still like these.

Those who like Pokémon as much as me may want to have it on everything, including on objects that are designed to be or can possibly be used in school. Luckily, Pokémon Center has realized just that and furnished a selection of items for this. Whether it's to assist how things go or to make one look good, the selection is pretty good and should be attractive for any student, even former students like me. While current times do make school somewhat different from usual, the spirit seems to have to remain the same, and there is no shame in getting Pokémon to be involved with that and really get things going.

One year ago: Increased Limits in Go... Indefinitely?

Two years ago: Cosplay: YASUMI

Three years ago: Perfection and Excellence

Countermeasures for Pokémon Go: What's In, What's Out

In the past two editions of my detailing of what could be called "countermeasures" for playing Pokémon Go (or as Niantic calls them, "quality-of-life improvements"), I've detailed about what has been added. However, just as things change so much to demand their addition, they also change so much according to developments with them. There have been "countermeasures" that were newly added since then, but there are also plans to keep and remove some of them once these rough times have passed, even if it is not known when that will be. I've decided to detail all of those within this post as well as their developments.

First up is what's new. Recently, two (plus one) new "countermeasures" were added after having undergone some testing. All Trainers can now get free items through a "Daily Free Box" found in the in-game shop. The selection is limited - most of the items consist of Poké Balls, Great Balls, Potions, and Razz Berries, and they rotate randomly each day, only available for purchase once that day - but they may make a difference, especially for those with limited mobility; this facility is also what replaced the Buddy Assist in last month's Community Day and provided the free Ultra Balls. A random common Pokémon, highlighted in a white solid circle, also appears daily at the place where the game is first opened for capture, allowing for capture streaks to continue. As for the "plus one" part, there is a test in Australia for a new way to earn PokéCoins through daily tasks similar to those for Research and a new Gym coin paradigm, though this isn't yet ready for everyone. These are likely to be quite helpful, including the last one when it has been refined for all to utilize.

Meanwhile, there are a few of these "countermeasures" that are planned to stay. The interaction distance for PokéStops and Gyms, which was increased some time ago, will stay that way after things have settled. The number of Gifts that can be held in the bag and opened from friends, which also were increased, are to stay as well - this effectively fulfills one of my wishes for increased limits that I made last year. As stated in an earlier post on them, remote raids are here to stay as well, although there will be a few refinements to them to keep them from becoming the new norm after the "new normal". The ones I've detailed above have definitely made a difference since they were implemented, and I would say that they surely deserve to stay.

For the ones that are planned to go, some are clear while others are somewhat less so. The Go Battle League was conceived with walking in mind in order to battle, and that will be the case again once things have passed. Something that is not so clear concerns Eggs and the way they are hatched. Currently, Eggs being hatched have a half-distance bonus applied to them. Eggs have always needed to be walked to be hatched, and this will remain the case, so this generous bonus as a "countermeasure" is to disappear as well at some point. Along with that, however, overall Egg distances may have the possibility of being adjusted, which if the case might be beneficial indeed. One way or another, walking will remain a certainty for many things in Pokémon Go.

The world in its current state is an uncertain one, at least until significant progress is made. Even in that state, some still choose to turn to Pokémon Go as something a little more certain. It too has had its changes to make a few uncertain things more certain. At this point, it's also certain that some changes are to be added and/or maintained, while others are to be refined and/or removed, at least not now, but later on. It has been said that as some things change, others also remain the same. While it is difficult to say that for the world of today, it may at least apply in some capacity for Trainers in Pokémon Go as things within it change.

One year ago: Cosplay: Utsuru SX

Two years ago: (A New) Local Ex-Raid, 8/4/2018

Three years ago: Pokémon on My Bed

Remote Raids and Invitations

Last month, I detailed most of the intricacies regarding remote raids in Pokémon Go, with the exception of one: the "invite friends" feature, which at that time still had not been implemented. Lo and behold, the very next day, the feature became implemented (live) and now Trainers can invite friends to partake in raids. This feature turns out to have lots of intricacies of its own and it seems worth it to detail as much of that in a single post, which happens to be this one.

On the "host" side, after entering a raid lobby, one can tap a button above the upper right corner of party selection in order to invite friends to a raid. Though any friend can be invited, it is suggested to invite only online friends (another new feature addition - perhaps more on this later) or friends who have directly communicated to request an invitation and are in the process of preparing to stand by for the raid. This has to be coordinated as well, since only five Trainers can be invited to a raid, whether it's a single Trainer inviting five others or even five Trainers inviting a friend each. This also counts into the limit of Trainers that can remotely participate in a raid, which is 10 and for which the rest of that are non-invited ("local") remote Trainers. After the lobby timer counts down to 0, the raid begins as expected.

On the "guest" side, when one is invited to a raid, the Nearby tab will turn orange and a notification will appear at the top of the screen. Tapping on the notification or popping out the Nearby tab, going to the Raids section, and tapping on the orange invitation box will take one to the Gym with the raid, at which point the procedure is the same as a remote raid, only one has to be quick, since the lobby timer may well have counted down. The invitation box remains until one "declines" it (not entering the lobby until the raid starts) or just after a victorious raid and the bonus capture challenge. If one is playing and is expected to be invited to raids, one ought to keep watch for a notice and an orange Nearby tab, as well as to have Remote Raid Passes handy - one shouldn't really buy these at the moment one is being invited.

The invitation box contains the photo disc image, Gym name, location, raid level, and raid boss. The location of the raid can be anywhere, even in another country; one of my fellows, who is currently in a different country, has used this as an advantage to invite other fellows to a raid in that country. It's well worth it, since the location of the caught Pokémon from the capture challenge is the location of the raid, which lets raid invitations open the door for Pokémon caught in faraway locations, which when traded will have increased Candy bonuses. This may also have potential for participation in "regional raids" around the world, which has happened with the Lake Trio of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, especially should they come back at some point. The benefits are certain for those who have friends from different parts of the world.

It took a while for remote raids to appear and a while longer for remote raid invitations to be fully realized. However, looking at the development of both, they appear to be quite impressive. They've removed certain limits on raids and made them appealing in different ways. Each of them have intricacies of their own, but beyond all of those, the accessibility of raids is maintained and even improved to a certain extent. That has to be a joy for those who continue to raid in Pokémon Go even during times like these.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 8/3/2019

Two years ago: Divergent Anime?

Three years ago: A Hobbled Pikachu... 3DS XL

Let There Be No Lies

This year, on April Fool's Day, I took a different approach to encapsulate the goings-on of that day. Instead of covering the tomfoolery and shenanigans of that day, which might not be so appropriate considering the state of the world today, I decided to cover something more wholesome but still somewhat related to Pokémon, as the state of trueness of things. Recently, I've also read about and considered something further related to the trueness of things, so I thought that it would be wise to bring up the topic again, certainly with Pokémon still in tow.

What I read about is that there are a lot of falsehoods on the Internet, and strangely enough, some people seem to enjoy both producing and consuming them. While it can be argued that some of those is purely for entertainment and not to be taken seriously, others could actually blur the line between lies and truth (especially if not indicated as such), and it may be that some would choose to believe them as if they were real. Early and famous examples for Pokémon would involve a certain vehicular depiction and a host of stray divine beings that are often told in details so rich that they might seem true, yet they aren't.

I disapprove of these falsehoods, particularly if they are intended to deceive and without prior knowledge. In fact, I would rather be on the debunking side of them, dispelling what for years might have been believed to be true, even vaguely. I'm sure there is a rather imaginative side in producing them, but I wouldn't want to let myself get caught in their consumption (as true things), for it would seemingly lend confirmation that it is good to consume and then possibly perpetuate them. Blogging, in fact, seems to give me a good platform to speak my mind and prevent these from happening.

In the words of the King of Pop: 

Just because you read it in a magazine

Or see it on the TV screen

Don't make it factual...

-- "Tabloid Junkie", Michael Jackson

Pokémon is entirely fictional, of course. But some things of it can be spoken as facts, and they are accordingly for how they really work within their domains. And when facts are concerned, it is rather preferable to speak about them in terms of their true qualities, especially rather than misrepresenting what is false as what is true and the other way around. It is with hope that even with Pokémon, what is true should prevail.

One year ago: Topic Balancing, Again

Two years ago: The Music of Magikarp Jump

Three years ago: Pokémon Is Everything

On Growing Up with (and Out of) Pokémon

Some time ago, I saw a comic and its associated comic dub that regarded an experience with Pokémon. One of the characters in the comic asked a different character about all the Pokémon things that the other character had, specifically what the character would do once the character outgrew those Pokémon things. Time went by, and the other character never found the answer to the question, simply because the situation referenced in the question never happened. It's a powerful message regarding a characteristic that many Pokémon fans might have, including me.

The issue referred by the comic has relations to the topic of childhood or children and Pokémon, which is a topic I've written about several times on this blog. It's a childhood fantasy that is realized virtually, and it is likely intended to remain as such. It's something I've referred to in the past by way of a quiz show answer, a song by the King of Pop, and even words found on a functional yet artistic object. It is perhaps enough for writing a book, or at least a section of it (perhaps by stringing these narratives somehow), and now I'm about to cover it again in yet a different way.

Actually, maybe it's not so different. The initial post in reference to the song above could be considered a partial treatise to the issue, and this post would expand it. Now, it seems that a key part of this is "passion", which I've noted in that previous post as something that some people don't grow out of. Once someone develops a real passion for something (and not just a simple liking, no matter how large or small), one is not likely or at the least has a very small chance of letting something go. That likely explains the character in the comic: said character has so much passion that the situation of growing out didn't happen.

I myself can relate. It's been... well, pretty much two decades since I've taken an interest in Pokémon, and I still continually play the games and enjoy just about everything Pokémon whenever and however possible. I've also had this blog for over three and a half years now, still with the hope that it can lead to a major involvement with Pokémon somehow. There's a lot of passion involved in all of those efforts, and it's not about to run out anytime soon, or ever for that matter. Likewise, for me the situation has not happened, and heaven forbid that it does.

In that way, I also don't know the answer to the question. For all I care, it should be left unanswered anyhow, something I don't need to know or, for that matter, anyone who has the same passion for Pokémon as I have. Supposedly, this is vital to keep someone going within a particular area, and this applies well to Pokémon, which becomes an area for many people as well as for me. I've definitely grown up since Pokémon was initially offered to me, and that holds true for many other fans out there. The hope may be that one continues to grow up with what they like, not out of it.

One year ago: Shadow and Purified Pokémon in Pokémon Go

Two years ago: Type Logic

Three years ago: Fun at the Beach... or Water Park