Go Battle Events on Different Timescales

Since its introduction nearly two years ago, Go Battle Night (and subsequently Day, which in general I refer to here as "event") in Pokémon Go have become anticipated events for gaining as much progress as possible in Go Battle League. It also continues to develop, particularly over the two days of today and yesterday - more info on that later on. Further developments may constitute variants to its timescale and to some extent frequency as well, and discussion of those possibilities is what I wish to tackle in this post.

While the event has upscaled over time, a downscale might be worth looking into, even going back to its "night" roots. Given the troubles that I and many others have had, the frequency might have to be downscaled as well, perhaps half the battles (50 total over 10 sets of five) for a specific period. And it doesn't have to be at night as well; it could be in the afternoon, for example, and be styled like a Community Day but adapted to its battle orientation, which is likely to be a solo effort. This downscaling might just be possible and workable.

The current upscaling of two days actually features no change to its frequency of 100 battles each day, but that is offset by the fact that everyone might be devoting efforts on other things besides and in addition to the GBL; again, more on this to come later. Still, it does seem like such a waste to maintain the frequency while other things are going on, and it feels that 60 battles (12 sets each day) is rather sufficient to not allow Trainers to get sidetracked from other objectives they may have to complete alongside battling in the GBL, even if that's still key.

A greater upscaling to a week may have to consider that a Trainer might battle up to 250 times, with a Go Battle event included in its current form. A possible weekly event might have a frequency of 35 battles (7 sets) a day, with this being doubled on weekends, to compensate for whatever else a Trainer might be doing. Trainers would have to be able to perceive this as not something to bust through but perhaps to battle as needed, and the overarching event for the week needs to be able to contribute to that perception.

It cannot be denied that a Go Battle event (Night, Day, and beyond) still contributes greatly to a Trainer's progress in GBL, but other events in the future - and Trainers participating in them - might demand something that's more suitable for their demands. The development of this event has been well worth it from six hours in a day to become the entire day, and it deserves similar developments in the future that are anticipated for their chances at GBL progression as well as other progressions Trainers may have in Pokémon Go.

One year ago: Raid Achievements in Pokémon Go

Two years ago: New PvP Challenge: Premier Cup

Three years ago: Local EX Raid (and Mix-Ups), 7/10/2019

Four years ago: The Currencies of Magikarp Jump

Five years ago: My Trusty NDS and Pokémon Games

On Defining Fans by What They Do

I wasn't originally going to discuss this topic, but seeing that I've discussed how people could be converted to become Pokémon fans, and this topic came to me at the spur of the moment, I've decided to discuss it. Being a fan of anything, including Pokémon, means a lot of things and allows one to do a lot of things. However, some fans may have their own ideas on what really makes a fan, particularly the things that they do. This action of regard is what becomes the subject of this post, specifically in relation to Pokémon things for Pokémon fans.

Describing an actual situation might help to illustrate my point. When Pokémon Go was first released, there was an influx of many players to the game, which for many of them, the game effectively became their first exposure to Pokémon. Of course, others like me are also established fans that were looking for something new, and the game became the answer. It becomes tempting, especially for the latter camp, to dismiss much of the former as being non-fans (or not real fans) of Pokémon even as they continue to be engrossed in the game.

Fast-forward to today, those who are playing the game are now presented with a near-complete subset of all existing Pokémon, and it even has a place in the World Championships to boot. Anyone who still plays the game today from way back when is sure to be a Pokémon fan, even those returning from a long hiatus. Those who are just starting to jump in may nonetheless be considered fans as well, as they must have found some sort of attraction to be able to do so... and looking back, that may just have been the case for many as well.

The point is that fans can be as such regardless of what they do. A figure (or even doll) collector who enjoys collecting Pokémon figures but never or hardly plays the games is still rightfully a fan. Someone who plays Pokémon Unite and finds joy in it and Pokémon elements, even without plans to touch other games (particularly the main series games), is also rightfully one. It is certain that they're doing something with Pokémon to become fans, but what that is exactly isn't or shouldn't be the restricting factor of regarding them as fans.

Pokémon fans have an astounding amount of things they can do today, whether they involve the games or even beyond. Any and all of them can conceivably make a fan, even if they can't or don't cross over to anything else. The key word seems to be "engrossed", as I've mentioned above, not just whatever it is that they do (or not do). That may have to be something to be appreciated by (Pokémon) fans, who can do a lot of things with what it is they like, and indeed, it is their liking and not necessarily doing that is of prime importance.

One year ago: Twilight Wings Addendum

Two years ago: Pokémon Primer?

Three years ago: Picking Battles

Four years ago: Cosplay Cards

Five years ago: Ghosty and Me

Converting Non-Fans to Pokémon Fans

It's always the case that there are fans and non-fans of any element of pop culture, including Pokémon. They like (fans) or disregard (non-fans) certain elements for certain reasons. Yet in many cases, people's minds are malleable, and they may then become fans of something they initially were non-fans of, which would constitute a positive turnaround, something I've discussed in the past. Such would also be the case for Pokémon, which likely has non-fans that can be converted to become fans, and that makes for an intriguing discussion.

Like any introductory process, it may be helpful to start small and slow. For heading into Pokémon, it may suffice to start with a single game that captures its strongest essence. Pokémon Go is certainly accessible in this regard as an adventure anyone can take part in relatively easily; the advent of Pokémon Unite becomes something that may be preferable for those who enjoy a combat based approach that is very popular today. Other games may be possible, though it depends on one's interests. Similarly, for a non-game approach, one could start with the anime or collect a few kinds of Pokémon merchandise, which would "snowball" into the rest. With these and over time, the conversion progress can be initiated.

As for the hallmarks of success of that process, that may just manifest in very different ways. The converted fan is likely to be receptive of anything related to Pokémon, even ones that weren't part of what was liked at the beginning. The fan would also be likely to continue collecting things related to Pokémon, affirming this aspect as one of the "four pillars". The most telling sign, and likely one that indicates that the conversion process is close to or has fully reached completion, is the presence of Pokémon in everyday life... exactly the impetus that led me to start this very blog and social media efforts related to it.

The point of the matter is that people can and do change, possibly growing to like something that they were indifferent to before. In the case of Pokémon, that would mean being converted to become a real fan of it, possibly with many aspects after starting out from a few and being involved to great extents. It's an amazing thing about today's pop culture, especially Pokémon as part of that, and the process of liking and enjoying it is fascinating.  

One year ago: Every Word Is a Prayer

Two years ago: Dream of Pokémon Life

Three years ago: "I Could Tell You, But..."

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 7/8/2018

Five years ago: Pursuing Shiny?

Making Sense of Field Research Tasks

In Pokémon Go, most Research tasks (Field Research, but also applies to Special and Timed Research as well) are obvious in what they demand a Trainer to do, and therefore don't need to be explained any further. Some of them, however, have little intricacies that might be helpful to be explained in order to make the best possible use of them. In fact, the process may also be regarded as making sense of (understanding) them, and so I've decided to do just that by taking up this post.

One kind of task that in some ways does need to be understood are tasks that require throwing Poké Balls. They're prefixed with "make..." or "land...", but either way, the throw must be successful in nabbing the Pokémon - not wide, not short, not missing them, and not knocked away (unless rebounded via Catch Assist by a Buddy Pokémon). If a kind of throw - Nice, Great, or Excellent - is specified, then throws of that kind or better count; for example, Excellent throws count as Great throws as well, but certainly not vice versa. Other than that, curveball and in-a-row requirements should already be pretty clear, as is the rest of the explanation above.

Some raid tasks may demand a Trainer to catch Pokémon after a successful raid or complete them regardless, and this is rather obvious. What may not be obvious is that there are two terms for the difficulty of a raid, one of which is "Level" (which I use personally) and the other being "-star", which has become the term of choice lately. There's not much that can be done about this except to know that the two terms are in play and they mean the same thing. The hope may be that someday, either of the two will become consistent and confusion can be removed, making them make sense.

With the advent of "level-up" tasks, some Research tasks have gotten rather verbose. Beyond their verbosity, they can still be completed, though the effort in understanding takes a bit more. The primary thing is to list and fulfill all of the criteria in order to complete the task as stated, and if there are terms that are ambiguous, to try a couple of different possibilities. It also doesn't hurt to have friends who can do the same as well, thereby being able to remove any confusion quickly in completing the task.

Research tasks are mostly an undaunting thing in Pokémon Go, but sometimes and more recently, particular tasks may present somewhat of a daunting challenge in understanding (making sense of) them. Some pointers such as the above are still helpful in this regard, especially with potentially complex and verbose tasks in the future. The key may just be to remove the mental blocks, at which point the understanding will come.

One year ago: Go Fest Gets Musical

Two years ago: Everyone's Go Fest

Three years ago: Cosplay: Konbini Anime

Four years ago: ...However Things Turn Out

Five years ago: Shiny Stories

Pokémon Go 6th Anniversary

Like for all years prior (see below), this day is somewhat of a special day, as it marks the anniversary of Pokémon Go as its first release. It also marks its sixth anniversary, which is the first number after five. That number for a child would mark the start of the child shaping up for the future, and in a way, Pokémon Go is (and continues to be) shaping up for its future as well after going past this age point.

A part of that regards Mega Evolution as a grand aspect of Pokémon that isn't well-preserved in the main series games but is instead "preserved" here. Over the past year, it has received a new facet of Mega Legendary Raids that allow select Legendary Pokémon with Mega Evolved forms to be challenged, as well as the long-awaited Mega Evolution rework to resolve its remaining challenges. These changes ought to be indications of its "preservation" and the way of shaping up for the future.

Further shaping up has come in the form of the entry of Pokémon from the seventh generation, a further development of the collaboration with the TCG arm of Pokémon that started out with the entry of its Professor into the card game (more on this in a dedicated post soon), and the run-up to the grand stage of its World Championships that is currently in progress and had to have been delayed due to certain goings-on in the world. In many ways, Pokémon Go has appeared to have established itself as a real arm of Pokémon, being here to stay for as long as possible with these additions.

It is always expected that the anniversary would be celebrated in an event, and that anniversary event starts today, in fact. Since the number 6 is the National Dex number for Charizard, the event had to be decided to incorporate this into the festivities, and in a very special manner. There are also other expected special event goings-on, but there are too many to detail here; it's best to detail them in a rollup coming later this month, even if that's way past its special anniversary period. 

With a history that now goes back to six years, Pokémon Go now has an extended presence, even if it's still rather fledgling in comparison to Pokémon itself. But that "fledgling" nature may mean that it should be ready for further developments that advance it toward maturity, and that means shaping it up as well. Much remains to be done, even when much has been done, and more of that will have to be shaped in the years to come.

Happy 6^th anniversary to Pokémon Go.

One year ago:  Pokémon Go 5^th Anniversary

Two years ago: Pokémon Go 4^th Anniversary

Three years ago: Pokémon Go 3^rd Anniversary

Four years ago: Pokémon Go 2^nd Anniversary

Five years ago: Pokémon Go One-Year Anniversary

Quickies: Living Around Magnets

It might not be evident at first, but I actually live around magnets. A few parts in my PC have magnets in them, and they're vital for its operations. My refrigerator has tons of magnets, which might benefit from a Pokémon one I obtained recently. Most importantly, I'm around electricity and electrical devices each and every day; for anyone who is versed in physics, they know that electrical currents generate magnetism, which in turn generates more electricity and magnetism (and so on and so forth). While some of these objects are conventionally known magnets and others aren't, it's still clear that magnetism still applies in some way, and therefore I'm still living around them.

In a Pokémon sense, the species that are tied to this principle are the ones that have the key type of Steel, which becomes relevant to the workings of the principle. Automatically, this would involve the Magnemite and Beldum species families, with the former also having ties to electricity by the Electric type. Even so, it seems that one is generally considered a nuisance and the other is generally considered highly intelligent; the latter would be a good complement to me and my PC, while the former could be the reason that the electricity in my vicinity keeps shutting off from time to time. Both have their desirable and undesirable qualities as the result of their magnetic traits.

I may not actually be living with the Pokémon that have the magnetic traits as above, but they seem to be perceptible in many ways in my life, even just in an imaginative manner. If they were actually existing, then it may be time to strive to understand more about them and to cooperate with them in different ways. While none of the magnetic objects I possess or deal with everyday are truly evocative of the Pokémon with the magnetic qualities, their powers (literally) of attraction are just a good deal as important as the abilities that are possessed by the Pokémon species cited above. At that point, it may be time to make friends and make peace with the magnetic Pokémon just as I deal with magnets in my life.

One year ago: Poké Ball Luggage Tag

Two years ago: YouTube Pokémon Highlights - Mewmore Edition

Three years ago: The Art of Pokémon Adventures - 20th Anniversary Illustrations

Four years ago: Variegated Pokémon Patterns

Five years ago: I Side with Pokémon

The U.S. as a "Center" of Pokémon

By its origins, Pokémon is a Japanese thing, and will always be renowned as such. Yet it also can't be denied that Pokémon is popular around the world, far beyond its place of origin. One of the places it's popular in is the United States or the U.S., which has its legion of fans. It also may be considered a "center" of Pokémon activities in many ways, even for activities that are closer to its home of the Land of the Rising Sun, and this becomes something fascinating for Pokémon itself.

For starters, its game publisher Nintendo has operations in the U.S., which is well-known beyond the scope of Pokémon with an extended history of its own. They helped bring over the first games - Red and Blue - in 1998, ahead of Europe's Nintendo operations, who received theirs one year later. Meanwhile, its popular mobile spinoff, Pokémon Go, also has its primary developer (Niantic) headquarters in the U.S., though now it has to serve fans around the world in similar ways that Pokémon itself is doing now. Either way, some things got their head start with the help of the U.S.

The English dub of the Pokémon anime is also made in the U.S. and possesses associations therein. The former and current dubs have American voice actors who naturally work there, like Sarah Natochenny, who is in fact a New York City native. It's also of a good quality, which is evidently why it's popular the world over; even in Asia, the English dub is shown for those who prefer and can consume it, though some countries still have theirs in a local language. A similar story goes for the Pokémon Adventures manga, which is localized by U.S.-based Viz Media but also re-licensed by Shogakukan Asia for its distribution. The enjoyment of both is obviously unhindered across regions.

Going back to New York City, it was famous two decades ago for hosting a Pokémon Center, though it only lasted for a few years before the store became a general Nintendo store. Still, its earlier history cannot be forgotten, and it has made its mark in that way. I had to bring this up, of course, because the topic really does pertain and it's the "center" that people (fans) think of when they think of Pokémon.

Something remarkable about Pokémon is that it is enjoyable wherever it may go, and the U.S. is a top location for that. It has pleased fans there over its long history and ought to continue to do so, and even the rest of the world benefits from that enjoyment. I for one owe so much to that enjoyment, and it has made me who I am today.

And not to forget, today is also the Fourth of July, its independence day. Have a glorious day to my American readers and friends.

One year ago: Searching for Myself... with U.S. Included

Two years ago: A Few Words about U.S. (Us)

Three years ago: Welcome to the Jungle

Four years ago: Metal Reversed Cap Pikachu Keychain

Five years ago: The Subdued Hometown Themes