Ten years after the release of Pokémon GO, the game is experiencing a second life. The anniversary events organized by the developers in honor of the project's tenth anniversary brought thousands of people of all ages to the streets of Trójmiasto.
Seemingly spontaneous gatherings of dozens of people with phones in hand are no longer a rarity near the hospital in Zaspa, among residential neighborhoods and by the mall. Passersby mistake these gatherings for protests or events, but they are all Pokémon GO players.
The appearance of the participants reveals experienced Pokémon hunters. Many carry backpacks with wires from power banks and hold several phones in their hands. The more devices and accounts, the higher the chance of defeating a strong boss in a raid.
Such meetings take place in locations with convenient transport accessibility and a high concentration of PokéStops and gyms, so you can see dozens of people in the city staring at their screens
The entry threshold for the game remains low: understanding the mechanics and catching the first Pokémon can be done in just a few minutes without any special preparation. The game has long ceased to be just about walking after virtual creatures and has turned into a reason for forming local communities. Strangers come together to defeat a raid boss, and in the process, they often make connections that continue outside of the game.
Publiczność również się zmieniła. Na trasach spacerowych i w parkach coraz częściej można spotkać całe rodziny polujące na Pokémony razem, nastolatków koordynujących wspólne rajdy oraz emerytów, dla których gra stała się nie tylko pretekstem do codziennego spaceru, ale także sposobem na komunikację z młodymi ludźmi. Wielu z nich, jeszcze niedawno, znało gry mobilne tylko z opowieści wnuków, ale dziś zakładają konta i sami zbierają odznaki.
