Pokemon Go player ditches car for first walk after seven years
NianticAfter seven years of playing Pokemon Go exclusively from their vehicle, one player has taken their first walk in the game.
Reddit user ‘RQCKQN’ stirred up the Pokemon Go community when they posted about their first-ever walking experience while playing the augmented reality (AR) mobile game.
The user’s post provided insight into their unique playstyle, detailing a history of in-vehicle gameplay with their wife since Pokemon Go’s launch in 2016. They would typically explore the local area by car, claiming gyms and catching Pokemon without leaving their seats.
Describing their recent experience, the player shared, “After 7 years of playing with my wife where one drives slowly and the other has both phones to catch, spin and hatch eggs, we found a route tonight that did not follow a road. Being the only route we have seen, we had to stop the car and get out to go for a walk….”
The revelation astonished fellow Pokemon Go players, as walking, one of the primary features of the game that encourages physical activity, had been completely bypassed by this player.
Interestingly, the shift from four wheels to two feet wasn’t prompted by a newfound love for exercise or an effort to be more environmentally friendly. Rather, it was due to the introduction of a new game update.
Niantic recently released Routes, a new feature that rewards the community for exploring player-made tracks.
The Routes feature was designed to chart specific courses for players to follow. However, the implementation of this feature has been met with controversy and technical issues.
Players have shared their own challenges with the Routes feature, with many stating that they have not been able to find or create routes in their local areas.
Another user revealed that they’d had a route removed because it was zig-zagging across a major highway, demonstrating the potential for dangerous circumstances related to the feature.
But despite the long list of issues with Routes, the rewards proved irresistible at the time for ‘RQCKQN,’ who took the monumental step of ditching their car and walking for the very first time in their Pokemon Go journey.
As they perfectly summed up, “Well done PoGo…. You did it. You made us walk.”