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Pokémon Go players are altering public map data to catch rare Pokémon

arstechnica.com

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Re: Pokémon Go players are altering public map data to catch rare Pokémon

#31

Post by patmorgan23 »

softfalcon wrote: post #10
rm_-rf_slash wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know people who meet up on discord groups and mail their phones to each other to catch rares and the like.

That's wild. Also, I don't think this solves the "I can win cause I'm rich" problem. I don't think many people can reasonably be expected to want to willingly mail their phone to another person. Especially, considering that likely means you need to have two phone plans plus two phones. It's pretty hard to say to your friends, family, or boss, "sorry, I can't take calls right now, my phone is in Vermont so my buddy ca…

I think a lot of people have an old phone lying around somewhere. And it's a game/ leizure activity it's still pretty accessible, it you want to do absolutely everything yeah you gonna had to spend some time or money. I don't think there's a problem with that, it's still enjoyable without going that hard.

Re: Pokémon Go players are altering public map data to catch rare Pokémon

#32

Post by yreg »

jedberg wrote: post #16
tylersmith wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why should it be that way?

Because success in life is mostly based on the size of your wallet, and games are supposed to be an escape from life. It sucks when that albatross follows you into your fantasy life.

There are plenty of other games, I don't see why there couldn't be one about traveling in the real world.

Would you frown upon Geocaching as well?

Re: Pokémon Go players are altering public map data to catch rare Pokémon

#34

Post by brailsafe »

jedberg wrote: post #2

I gotta give props to the players for their clever hacks. But also this brings up a good point -- the game is inherently unfair to people who don't have the means to travel. Someone in the middle of the country can't legitimately travel to a beach area. And there are some Pokemon that are restricted to a particular continent. Which means you either have to be rich or have a rich friend who can go to those places and…

This is one of the underappreciated downsides to living in the middle of the country, imo, but ironically if you're doing that, a person is maybe more likely to be shooting for a bungalow at some point than someone in any reasonably populated area, whereas people in those areas have seen a home go so far out of reach that travel is relatively inexpensive if you just give up on other traditional outlays for cash

A 2 week solo trip to EU can be like ~$2k, and if that's among the most expensive aspirations you have, that could be feasible and you'll get a hell of a lot more out of it than Pokemon.

Re: Pokémon Go players are altering public map data to catch rare Pokémon

#35

Post by yreg »

ninth_ant wrote: post #9
wnevets wrote: post #3

There are devices that you can buy that you can connect to your phone and will auto catch pokemon for you. Between auto catchers and changing map data, what is the point of "playing" the game?

It's very nakedly a skinner box game. The participants are not gamers, they are addicts and victims.

> The participants are not gamers, they are addicts and victims.

That's judgemental. If you wanted to, you could just as well say that about any user who enjoys to use any product.

Re: Pokémon Go players are altering public map data to catch rare Pokémon

#36

Post by burnished »

jedberg wrote: post #2

I gotta give props to the players for their clever hacks. But also this brings up a good point -- the game is inherently unfair to people who don't have the means to travel. Someone in the middle of the country can't legitimately travel to a beach area. And there are some Pokemon that are restricted to a particular continent. Which means you either have to be rich or have a rich friend who can go to those places and…

That doesn't seem unfair on the face of it?

Re: Pokémon Go players are altering public map data to catch rare Pokémon

#37

Post by ninth_ant »

wnevets wrote: post #14
ninth_ant wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's very nakedly a skinner box game. The participants are not gamers, they are addicts and victims.

What are they addicted to, controlling a gym near their home?

Probably some are, but the addictive aspect is more in the collecting of rare tokens with specific aspect.

It requires a staggering amount of grinding to get these prized tokens, which forces players to spend an inordinate amount of time and constantly face prompts where they can pay to increase the chances of getting something.

The chance aspect is critical, as the addicts aren't paying for a specific result but at the chance of a result. This human impulse is something that predatory companies have found very lucrative to exploit -- from gambling and collecting and now done with precision by "gaming" companies.

Re: Pokémon Go players are altering public map data to catch rare Pokémon

#38

Post by tonyhart7 »

zemo wrote: post #33

on the one hand this is pretty funny. On the other hand: if you want to experience the entirety of a game without traveling, why play a location-based game at all?

Yeah this is funny to me that someone complain that about this, like just play other games lol

there enough pokemon game that dnt require location based gameplay and this pokemon go cant have that ??? lol

Re: Pokémon Go players are altering public map data to catch rare Pokémon

#39

Post by drdaeman »

jedberg wrote: post #8
erdaniels wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should the game be inherently fair? Part of the fun is rewarding exploration over time as a life-long pokemon trainer trying to catch them all. You gotta go to all the regions to accomplish that. Maybe it'll take a long time!

> Should the game be inherently fair? No, but the fairness should be based on skills and engagement, not the size of your wallet.

> skills and engagement

Which, for a lot of cases (not universally, of course), is a function of your wallet's size anyway. Depending on your income and/or net worth, you can afford to spend a lot of your time on those, or not so much.

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