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In regards to Niantic and Pokémon GO, we ask you to consider this today. Whether the game has a mechanical failure or the community team shares a communication in error, it is never ok to make personal attacks. Remember that it is possible to be upset and even angry without being disrespectful. If you are so emotional that you feel the need to lash out at a company or employee, we hope instead you will consider:
✅ Taking a walk on a route where you normally play Pokémon GO, but instead of playing, keep your phone in your pocket.
✅ Spending time on social media, but instead of browsing the Pokémon GO space, look at things from your other interests and hobbies.
✅ Reaching out to friends and family that are not Pokémon Trainers and engaging them around their interests.
❤️ Hopefully, temporarily disengaging from Pokémon GO in these simple ways will help you reflect on a few things about your time with and without the game.
✅ Finding a balance between the game and life.
✅ Realizing the importance of connecting with nature and taking in positive energy from your surroundings.
✅ Using social media to enhance your life and state of mind in a positive way, rather than as an outlet to broadcast negativity.
✅ Finding ways to communicate your negative feelings that aren't shrouded in pessimism and gloom.
✅ Realizing that while Niantic is a big operation, there are still humans behind every word you read and every pixel you see. Those humans have feelings and families and emotions just like you.
I also think it is important to clarify something. The miscommunication around the interaction radius was a painful one. It directly impacted the credibility of this brand and how we communicate news from Niantic. That being said, we are well aware of the fallout surrounding the situation, and we don't feel good about it. We also however, know that like in life, it is important to keep pushing forward and to leave a wake of positivity behind you.
I can't even remember how many times I have messed up in my life. But what I can remember are those that stood by me and helped me back up onto my feet rather than those that tried to keep me down.
Thank you to our Community for understanding where we are coming from and believing in our approach to our content and social media voice. We encourage you to be passionate and critical of this game in ways that will help drive it forward rather than backward. We won't stop fighting the good fight and standing up in a positive way.
To those that will try to spoil the fun and spin our approach in terrible ways, we hope you will consider looking at things from a different lens today. It's ok to disagree, it's ok to be upset, it's ok to air it out. We just hope you do it in a way that isn't dipped in poison. Let's have meaningful dialogue, identify what each other is concerned about, and address our differences through healthy discourse. I assure you there can be a middle ground.
Stay tuned here on Twitter for a Poke The Bear discussion on the current happenings, and check out Lured Up 273 next week to hear our full feelings on the topic.
Keep Training, Trainers.
-Ken