A Few Thoughts about Pokémon GO Fest 2020

July 2020 is an interesting time. Due to COVID-19, places and even people are all in varying states of lockdown and quarantine; in this kind of situation, it is impossible and irresponsible to host events like the annual Pokémon GO Fest (or GO Fest). In-fact, in some regions it would be outright illegal. So, continuing their trajectory of enabling play and providing entertainment at home during these difficult times; Niantic (the developers behind PoGo) opted for a virtual format this year. This way the festivities would continue, and anyone would be able to participate regardless of geography, lockdown status or disability and I have to say, for me; the entire experience of Pokémon GO Fest 2020 was an absolute delight.

What is GO Fest

Pokémon GO Fest is the largest annual Pokémon GO get together.

The first two years were US exclusive, Chicago specifically and the first GO Fest didn’t go well, due to technical issues and famously, the game’s CEO was booed on stage in protest when players were unable to get the experience they paid for. However, the events have since overcome these issues (some minor exceptions) and are thought on much more positively now.

In year 3, festivities were extended to Germany and Japan as well.

2020 (the festival’s fourth iteration) is the first to be held globally, simultaneously.

Typically, the Pokémon GO Fest features players working both collaboratively and independently to achieve certain goals and find particular Pokémon in the locations hosted. The events would feature timed-exclusive Pokémon.

Safari Zone

Another event, the Pokémon GO Safari Zone, which typically operates in many more countries and cities was postponed this year in Liverpool, St Louis, and Philadelphia due to the outbreak. I don’t know what the status of this is going forward.

Once in a Lifetime?

Despite being a long-time fan of the franchise and a frequent (though perhaps not overly hardcore) player of PoGo; it shouldn’t be surprising that 2020 was my first Go Fest. After all, most would not be able to travel the distances or have the financial assets to casually attend events like this (though I don’t doubt there are some).

When the event went on sale for just shy of £15 (GBP), I opted to, as this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity, as there is no guarantee that remote events like this will continue once COVID has passed or that a physical GO FEST will occur at a location and time that I am able to attend.

Pre-GO FEST Attitude

To begin with, I didn’t spend any time doing research and wanted to go in blind and let the festival surprise me. I’d also decided that the two-day festival would serve as a background distraction. Something, I duck and dive in and out of, whilst going about my day.

My partner convinced me though, that this is an event and that we should take an event approach to it. It’s easy when at home and in lockdown, quarantine or isolation mindsets to try and carry on as normal, overly multi-task or not give something remote the recognition or attention you would if located at the event itself. I think, if she hadn’t made this point and offered this level of encouragement, GO Fest might not have left the same lasting impression that it did. I advise anyone attending virtual events to not get caught in this trap; embrace the experience.

Pre-GO Fest Preparation

Initially, I chose to avoid news, leaks, and general info. I decided that it would be more fun to go in blind. As this was thought on and processed though, it became clear that this approach could leave me overwhelmed, missing out or disappointed. So, I did start to do research.

My Pre-Fest Prep

My pre-fest studies, included following official social media accounts, keeping an eye on the event hashtag and watching speculation videos on YouTube.

Actually, very little information was officially released ahead of time; snippets of info leaked, the videos proved incredibly useful and it all helped to get an idea of what to expect without leaving some element of surprise and discovery.

One thing I would recommend anyone attending an official event do; is make sure you have as much space for items and Pokémon as possible. Either by thoroughly sorting through existing items and monsters or by spending a little on the upgrades in the shop.

Community Prep

On top of all this, the developers themselves were doing awesome little touches to help make the day more festive, including, papercraft decorations. I chose not to opt-in for this, for waste reasons but it was cool to see how much effort was going into making the whole thing as fun and involved as possible.

GO Fest: Day One

The first day of the event initiated on the 25th of July at 10am and concluded at 8pm. The day was primarily focused on challenges around the catching of Pokémon; with a lot of challenges centred around this and social aspects of gameplay.

The general structure of the first phase of the event was a series of special research tasks for the day (such as taking snapshots of Pokémon, participating in raids and catching Pokémon of particular types) and then event-wide, collaborative challenges that shifted every hour and featured bonuses for everyone on completion. Completion of these bonuses also enabled global events in the game at some point after the GO Fest. To my knowledge, all were completed.

My Thoughts on Pokémon GO Fest 2020: Day One

I found this the most heavily involved and attention demanding day of the event; I am glad I was convinced to give the festival my complete attention. As it was great fun, seeing the potential catches change each hour and never knowing when rare or special Pokémon might appear.

The day was incredibly fun and found it engaging the whole time. Over the day I caught hundreds of Pokémon; including those introduced for the event and a dozen shiny (alternate coloured) variants of existing ones.

One observation is that I used more than 900 balls on the day. Going into the event, it helps to be stocked up or have some coins spare to top up (if required). The day’s challenges do give you some, but the sheer amount of Pokémon you encounter means they go fast. Faster still if the servers are struggling a little.

Tech Issues

Whilst there were some technical issues at times, for me, these proved minor inconveniences rather than problems. Though, I believe some players weren’t so lucky. Niantic have announced some kind of event in the near future to make up for this.

GO Fest: Day Two

The second day of the event initiated on the 26th of July at 10am and concluded at 8pm. The day was primarily focused on challenges around defeating the game’s villains (Team GO Rocket) and liberating Pokémon from them.

There was still a whole load of Pokémon to catch, there were more involved research tasks for the day but no hourly ones for this day. The rewards for the day’s events were shadowy variants of legendary (rare and powerful) Pokémon from the first generation of games and a newly introduced mythical Pokémon called Victini.

My Thoughts on Pokémon GO Fest 2020: Day Two

As the day started, some info leaked online about to expect. Originally, I felt overwhelmed as it mentioned the Team Go Rocket invasion and I couldn’t imagine managing that and the same pace of content as the day before. Fortunately, it proved to not be nearly as overwhelming as that.

For me, dealing with the story featuring the baddies invading took a couple of hours and the rest of the time was back to catching and occasionally fighting them again or a chance to get some shiny, shadow Pokémon (I didn’t manage to).

There was a lot of joy to be had and although the hourly shifts were missed, it was clear to see that I was happily engaged and enjoying myself the whole time. By late afternoon though, I started to lag. Not out of waning interest or enjoyment but from the sheer level of involvement of the event.

Closing Pokémon Go Fest 2020 Thoughts

The Discourse

Something that I forgot to mention about the event, is that there were virtual meetups and such as well as a lot of online social media and official Pokémon GO channels sharing and discussion. I kept a general eye on these but didn’t participate as they aren’t really my sort of thing. What I found out is that the general discourse is that the events were received generally positive with a few mixed or unhappy participants in the mix too. Complaints tend to come down to either technical issues, or expectations not being me. I get that.

However, the event was an absolute joy for me. Moments of bliss and happiness in what societally is a difficult time. This is exactly why an event like this can do so much good and I feel like what you put into it, is pretty much what you get out.

Accessibility

What’s more, is that Go Fest 2020 feels like an indicator that Niantic can and should continue to enable accessibility for those physically and mentally unable to involve themselves in the core loop and can do so, without taking away from others who can travel and get out. Something, that I would like to see continue once COVID times have come and passed.

My Final Thoughts

Pokémon GO Fest 2020 was a massive success and I absolutely loved the experience. It was worth the £15 and I feel would be worth a little more too, if any extras in the shop will help increase your overall enjoyment. I’d like to see more of these events going forward, even if not the flagship Fest itself. If you get the chance to, they’re definitely worth doing.