Not Everyone Hated Pokemon Go Fest

Pokemon Go Fest was a mess for just about everyone involved. From the event organizers to the [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

Pokemon Go Legendary
(Photo: Niantic)

Pokemon Go Fest was a mess for just about everyone involved. From the event organizers to the attendees who flew out to be present at the Chicago Pokemon Go gathering, everyone was either very frustrated or was in full-blown damage control trying to pacify the frustrated ones. But amid all the chaos that composed the event, there were a few shining lights that prevented Pokemon Go Fest from being a complete disaster.

From a big reveal that players have been waiting on for the past year to some satisfying justice that kept cheaters out of the event, many players still had some positive experiences regarding Pokemon Go Fest.

At Least We Have Legendary Pokemon Now

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All setbacks aside, the build-up to Pokemon Go Fest was punctuated by the significance of some impending Legendary Pokemon. Lugia was all but confirmed before the event took place, but many were wondering what the next Legendary Pokemon would be in the game, and we've now got two with the addition of Articuno.

It's been just over a year since the game was first released and a trailer teased an epic battle with Mewtwo in the real world, a length of time that many players will likely think is a bit too long of a wait for something that everyone so clearly wanted. But regardless of how bad the actual event went, plenty of players have some sweet Lugia and Articuno in their collection now, and now that the gates have been opened, more Legendaries are bound to follow soon.

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Players Returned To The Game For A Repeat Of Last Summer

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When Pokemon Go was first released, players who have stuck around the game since the beginning will remember the massive crowds that filled town squares and metro areas with tons of players all out and about on the same mission: To finally catch some Pokemon in the real world.

Those same players will also then remember how the crowds dwindled to a few packs of dedicated gym-holders, but over the weekend, Pokemon Go Fest reignited the same excitement in the game, albeit on a smaller scale.

Most of this is likely due to the Legendary Pokemon that many players decided to come back for, especially since they didn't even need a Legendary Raid Pass in order to participate. There's no telling how many of them will stick around, if Saturday is any indication, Pokemon Go will likely see similar a resurgence each time a Legendary is released.

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Spoofers Weren't Able To Easily Participate In The Event

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As is the case with any game, there are the players who choose to play the game the way that it's meant to be played, and then there are those who choose to skirt the rules and etiquette in place. Players who spoof their location so that they can catch far-away Pokemon and ones exclusive to regions have had a field day with Pokemon Go since its release, but during Pokemon Go Fest, it was mostly a fair play-only event.

Players who attended the event were required to register when they arrived by scanning a QR code that was given to them, a code that would allow them access to all of the Pokemon Go festivities. For spoofers who tried to warp themselves to Chicago, they were met with a request to verify their registration, something that most weren't able to do.

Of course, there were those who got the QR codes sent to them and were able to bypass this security measure. But for the most part, spoofers were blocked out of Pokemon Go Fest, much to the appreciation of attendees and players worldwide.

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Niantic Saved Face By Giving Full Refunds And More

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While Niantic obviously can't account for all of those players who chose to take time off of work and travel to Chicago to be at the event in person, they quickly owned up to their failed event and offered a refund of all ticket prices as well as an extra $100 in PokeCoins. It won't make up for the money that was spent travelling to Chicago and staying there, but players still got a trip out of the experience and some extra in-game money to spend at their leisure.

It's easy to be frustrated with Niantic for how the event went, but it's also important to recognize how quickly they handled the issue of refunded players. While many other companies or event organizers likely would've waited to deliberate how to handle such a situation, Niantic owned up to the two problems on their end and started announcing that they'd be offering refunds before the event was even completed. There have been complaints about Niantic's communication in the past, but at Pokemon Go Fest, they made the right move.

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