Disgruntled Pokemon Go Fest Attendees Boo And Toss Debris At Event Hosts

Those attending Pokemon Go Fest are none too happy with way that the even has unfolded thus far, a gathering that’s been plagued with connectivity issues, long lines, and some tasking humidity in Chicago. With tensions running high and frustration mounting over the course of the event, players have been booing Niantic employees and other event hosts, even going so far as to lob a water bottle up on the stage when an employee was trying to give an update on one of the challenge windows.

As seen by attendees who were present at the event and made public by a tweet from Twitter user graphure, a brief, 8-second video shows a host on-stage attempting to weigh in on the current status of the first challenge, the Catch Challenge. Through this challenge, players were tasked with catching as many Pokemon as possible, and depending on what Pokemon Types that they caught the most of, global rewards would be unlocked for players around the world for perks such as Stardust bonuses, Candy bonuses, and other worthwhile perks.

While the intention was solely to update festival goers on the current challenge and likely pacify upset crowds by providing some type of communication, players didn’t take too kindly to news that wasn’t about progress regarding technical issues or other similar matters. While the host was speaking on-stage, someone threw a full bottle of water that landed just near the host. She was looking at the screen at the time, so it’s likely that she hadn’t even seen the bottle coming in the first place, but the response was clearly disproportionate to the issues at hand given that the host likely had nothing to do with the issues that players wanted answers for.

While some users who replied to the tweet agreed that the host didn’t deserve the response, players at the event didn’t seem as openly affected, at least from the sound of the short clip. Boos can be heard throughout the host’s speech as well a reoccurring theme of an event that’s not quite living up to players’ expectations.