Pokemon Go players slam “dumb” Shadow Raids for exclusionary requirements
Niantic/The Pokemon CompanyPokemon Go players are venting over one of the latest features, as many find Shadow Raids are already too much effort, and especially tricky for rural players.
Pokemon seems like a franchise with a fanbase that is particularly hard to please sometimes, as no amount of new Pokemon or remakes of old games ever satiate the hunger of this adoring audience.
Still, sometimes a new feature is a touch controversial, and Niantic has had its fair share with Pokemon Go, as the title has adapted to player’s needs over the years, alongside a shifting world.
Pokemon Go has to straddle the line between encouraging people to go outside and not alienating rural or disabled players, but it seems that one of the most recent features is already causing some ire amongst the community for the sheer difficulty it poses.
Pokemon Go Shadow Rids potentially causing issues for rural players
One user has shared a post to Reddit slamming the “dumb” Shadow Raids, and continuing to explain how difficult they are for rural players.
Discussing the difficulty, and the timeframe of the recent Shadow Raid events, the original comment adds, “Even if we ignore the fact that some of them are only for two days (in bad weather/when you’re busy). You can’t do them from home.”
Then, the user continues, saying “If you’re going to introduce a Pokemon for 2 days only, let us remote it, even if only for one time! I don’t have many pogo friends, especially that are in my city… If I want to raid them I have to find a random group in my city, that currently has a bad weather. And let’s not even talk about rural.”
It’s a sentiment shared by plenty of other players in the comments, with one person adding, “They can see the data. They can see that there are probably thousands of players that haven’t even attempted them. Eventually, they will learn.”
One person in the comments below thinks the feature won’t improve, saying “They will learn the wrong lesson and increase the cost of Remote Passes to encourage more in-person raiding..”
Another common complaint seems to be Niantic pushing Shadow Raids during the colder Winter months, with one comment adding, “I didn’t even bother. It’s winter no one is going out in the snow and besting shadow raids now anyways.”
Shadow Raids are a good incentive for strong players thanks to the huge power levels of the Raid Pokemon, but perhaps the need for in-person raiding – especially over the Winter months – is alienating some rural players and disabled members of the community.