Online Role Players & Pokémon Go: 2019 Edition

In case you missed it, we talked to online role players who also play Pokémon Go back in both 2017 and 2018. A lot has changed since that last post: the introduction of shiny Pokémon, research, monthly community days, friendships, gifts, player vs player battles, and more! While the game isn’t as popular as it once was, it still has a loyal following of fans who continue catch ’em all! We caught back up with a few of them to see where they are today:

1. John Nugra of UFOP: StarBase 118

1. Okay, all kidding aside this time, what level are you on? Do People actually still play this game?
2. Funny guy! No really, when did you start playing? Let’s see… I think I didn’t start playing three years ago.
3. You’re not joking? No, Gorns do not joke.
4. You do realize that it’s still free, right? So is the flu, but I don’t want that either.
5. What could possibly be more fun than Pokémon Go? Anything really.
6. How much $$$ would it take to get you to try it? How much you got?
7. Favorite raid boss? Bob.
8. Favorite mythical? Me.

3. Sam Jones of USS Mark Miller (UCIP)

1. What level are you on now?  I don’t know what level; low 20s. I haven’t loaded the game in about a year… ever since I used up my last pokéballs.
2. How many Pokémon are in your Pokédex? 100-ish, I really don’t remember.
3. What is your highest CP Pokémon? 1500 Muk.
4. How many gold gym badges do you have? No clue, most likely, 0.
5. Got a Mew? Celebi? Spiritomb? Meltan? None of the above.
6. How many Mewtwos? How many Deoxys? No response.
7. What’s your favorite part of the game now? No response.
8. What can still be added or improved? Making it less grindy would be a good step to entice me to play again. More pokéballs, more stops near me, and more Pokémon spawns in rural areas. I really don’t have the time to dedicate to grinding. I have other games that I’d much rather spend my time on.

5. Mike Bremer of Starbase 400 (Bravo Fleet)

1. Okay, all kidding aside this time, what level are you on? 0.
2. Funny guy! No really, when did you start playing? Is this game really still a thing?
3. You’re not joking? Do I look like I’m joking?
4. You do realize that it’s still free, right? So there’s no profit in it?
5. What could possibly be more fun than Pokémon Go? Star Trek simming!
6. How much $$$ would it take to get you to try it? How much ya got?
7. Favorite raid boss? Huh?
8. Favorite mythical? What?

6. Kiri of ‘Souls RPG

1. What level are you on now?  Level 40 almost three times over.
2. How many Pokémon are in your Pokédex? 436.
3. What is your highest CP Pokémon? Mewtwo, 4178 CP.
4. How many gold gym badges do you have? 26.
5. Got a Mew? Celebi? Spiritomb? Meltan? All of the above.
6. How many Mewtwos? How many Deoxys? 45 Mewtwos, 11 Deoxys.
7. What’s your favorite part of the game now? I enjoy many aspects of the game. It’s still nice visiting a new place and spinning all of those fresh, unspun pokéstops. Raiding is still good. Gymming is decent. Pretty happy with how trading was implemented and pleasantly surprised by PvP.
8. What can still be added or improved? PvP has a nice start, but there are still a lot of bugs to work out there. There are tons and tons of small Quality of Life updates that need to be made, too. In general, Niantic doesn’t have a great track record on actually telling us what features are being added to the game so no one ever knows whether certain things are actually features or bugs (e.g. did they increase the visible radius on purpose? did they shrink it on purpose? who the hell knows).

8. Silent Hunter of Secret ’67

1. Okay, all kidding aside this time, what level are you on? Nope.
2. Funny guy! No really, when did you start playing? I haven’t.
3. You’re not joking? Of course not.
4. You do realize that it’s still free, right? Yes, but I have to do things in my RL as well.
5. What could possibly be more fun than Pokémon Go? Rimworld.
6. How much $$$ would it take to get you to try it? You’d have to pay me in £££. I’m British. At least £30,000 please.
7. Favorite raid boss? What’s a raid boss?
8. Favorite mythical? Pegasus, the flying horse.

9. Mark Hyacinth of USS Ariadne (UCIP)

1. Okay, all kidding aside this time, what level are you on? LOL! I don’t play.
2. Funny guy! No really, when did you start playing? Never played. Ever.
3. You’re not joking? I am not joking.
4. You do realize that it’s still free, right? I do. I just never really had an interest in Pokémon.
5. What could possibly be more fun than Pokémon Go? Uhmm just about anything? LOL!.
6. How much $$$ would it take to get you to try it? Not sure there is enough. It’s just not my type of thing.
7. Favorite raid boss? I have no idea what that is.
8. Favorite mythical? See answer to question 7. LOL!

14. Cintia Sha’mer of Cold Station Theta (UCIP)

1. What level are you on now? 36.
2. How many Pokémon are in your Pokédex? 396
3. What is your highest CP Pokémon? 3603 Dragonite
4. How many gold gym badges do you have? 3.
5. Got a Mew? Celebi? Spiritomb? Meltan? Mew, Celebi, Spiritomb. Still working on the Meltan.
6. How many Mewtwos? How many Deoxys? One Mewtwo, one Deoxys.
7. What’s your favorite part of the game now? Walking around, battling in gyms, doing the occasional raid.
8. What can still be added or improved? More trade between friends, items as well as Pokémon.

17. Grace

1. What level are you on now?  32.
2. How many Pokémon are in your Pokédex? 316.
3. What is your highest CP Pokémon? Dragonite, 3302CP.
4. How many gold gym badges do you have? 5.
5. Got a Mew? Celebi? Spiritomb? Meltan? All of them except Meltan.
6. How many Mewtwos? How many Deoxys? 3 Mewtwos & 1 Deoxys.
7. What’s your favorite part of the game now? Raid Battles.
8. What can still be added or improved? Expanded PvP with non-friends.

18. Chas Hammer

1. Okay, all kidding aside this time, what level are you on? Blah.
2. Funny guy! No really, when did you start playing? Blah.
3. You’re not joking? Ack!
4. You do realize that it’s still free, right? Raise shields!
5. What could possibly be more fun than Pokémon Go? Fire photon torpedoes!
6. How much $$$ would it take to get you to try it? Or is it torpedos?
7. Favorite raid boss? Tomato or tomatoe?
8. Favorite mythical? Potato, potatoe? Can someone help me out?

As for yours truly, I’m a little over a 1/3 of the way through level 39, have 415 Pokémon in my pokédex, a 4,003 CP Mewtwo is my best, have 32 gold gym badges, just missing Meltan from special research, and I have 6 Mewtwos and 1 Deoxys. I still enjoy the game, but it has lost some of its luster–I don’t play nearly as much as I used to. I know that’s true for others as well as it’s harder to get raid parties together these days. I think Niantic needs to do something big or participation will continue to decline.

Until next year, keep role playing and catch ’em all!