Community Day events in Pokémon GO are a great way for players to come together and enjoy the Pokémon world in local parks and urban areas. However, the events need updates to fix repetitive gameplay and frustrating pay-to-play content. Currently, the events focus specifically on one Pokémon species and often provide a similar set of gameplay bonuses during the duration of the event. While this can be exciting for those wanting to Shiny hunt, or for fans of a specific Pokémon being featured, the similar Research tasks, rewards, and story content make Community Day events blur together in an unmemorable haze of bland gameplay.
Since implementing changes to Pokémon GO in 2020, Niantic has provided players with a six-hour window for most Community Day events. This playtime usually spans between 11 AM and 5 PM local time and offers the ability to play around a busy weekend or other obligations. The extended timeframe also allows players to take advantage of 3-hour lifespans on Lure Modules and Incense, as well as the boosts to experience, Stardust, and Pokémon Candy. However, large portions of event content are locked behind paywalls, with much of the Community Day tasks geared at spending, instead of playing.
In a recent update regarding the April Stufful Community Day, a return to Pokémon GO's 3-hour Community Day timeframe has caused an outcry from Pokémon GO players. While Niantic's goal is a return to gameplay that brings communities together in public spaces, many feel the developer is punishing players unwilling to risk their safety, or those who are unable to participate during the much shorter event windows. The unwanted changes also put the other weak points of Community Days in the spotlight, showcasing numerous changes that could be made to improve gameplay and make it more player-friendly - and less financially draining.
Pokémon GO's Community Days Need To Include Multiple Pokémon
Each Pokémon GO Community Day often focuses on one specific Pokémon species and its evolutions. For example, the April Community Day in Pokémon GO will debut Stufful and its evolution Bewear, allowing players to easily catch it throughout the 3-hour event timeframe. However, during the event, the featured Pokémon will spawn at a greatly heightened rate, flooding the Pokémon GO map and giving players far more of one Pokémon Species than they need.
While this type of event can be useful for Shiny hunting a specific Pokémon, the majority of players catch in the wild will be at a low level, making a large number useful only as transfer fodder to earn Candy. To help make the Community Day events more interesting, Niantic could begin featuring multiple Pokémon during each event. Instead of a Community Day Classic, like the Bulbasaur Community Day in January 2022, featuring just one starter, it could include all the starters from a region, or starters all of the same type. This could add variety not just to what players are catching, but to the Field Research players can get from spinning PokéStops. It might also help encourage players to stay out longer during Community Day, potentially making the previous 6-hour timeframe more engaging.
Pokémon GO Community Days Need Free Special Research Tickets
One of the biggest setbacks for Pokémon GO is pay-to-play content. Microtransactions for Remote Raid es, Poké Balls, Potions, and even storage space can quickly add up to hundreds of dollars. Unfortunately, these cash-grab mechanics also apply to events like Community Days. For each Community Day event, players can purchase a Special Research Story ticket for 1 USD through the Pokémon GO in-game store. The ticket is the only way to access this content, and the tasks and rewards are largely the same at each event. The pay-to-play content in Pokémon GO also creates a situation where players are completing the research for the rewards, and not for the actual story.
To make the Special Research Stories in Pokémon GO more interesting, and more accessible to all players, Community Day events should offer a free-to-all Research Story with unique narratives and rewards, and then a Research Story Plus that adds a few extra tasks with different bonuses. While this still allows Niantic to make the money needed to run the game, it would offer those unable to spend money an option to fully participate in the perks of Community Day events.
Pokémon GO Community Day Events Should Make All Raids Free To
Because Community Days in Pokémon GO are designed to bring players together in parks and crowded local areas, most participants also take advantage of these events to Raid Battles. However, all Raid Battles require a type of Raid . One of the most important is Pokémon GO's Remote Raid es, which were added in 2020 to allow players to safely enjoy key content from home. While Raid es are available via daily give-aways or as rewards for completed research tasks, the number needed versus the number obtained doesn't add up, forcing players to either miss out or purchase in-game currency in order to keep up with limited timeframes Pokémon are featured in Raid Battles.
One way to incentivize players to participate in Pokémon GO's Community Day events would be to lift the Raid requirements for all raids throughout the event. This would allow players to participate in a large number of 1-5 Star or Mega Raids happening during the events, with the only limit being the needed potions and revives to restore powerful Pokémon for battle. Alternatively, players could be given between 5-10 free Remote Raid es at the start of the event, limiting the access but still making it more available for those enjoying Community Day.
There is also the possibility of creating Community Day events based around Pokémon GO Raid Battles. Instead of capturing event-specific Pokémon in the wild, players could have the chance to catch a rare Mega Evolved Pokémon or standard Raid Battle Pokémon for a short period of time without needing es. These Pokémon could even make special appearances in the wild at a lower level, offering players a fun chance to encounter while exploring. Implementing changes to make Pokémon GO more inclusive, less cost heavy, and more spontaneous would help keep players interested and make participation more fun for new and long-time fans. Hopefully, future updates for Pokémon GO will include exciting adaptions, and not punishing steps backward, creating a more rewarding experience for everyone.
