RuralPokemon GoPlayers have it rough.

I’ve done this once, intentionally.

Funnily enough, there was a Gym.

shiny Pikachu wearing an explorer hat over a map of China

But there were no comers.

Kangaskhan was knocked out of the Gym 237 days later.

I was back in England and fully expected to never see it again.

Gigantamax Machamp next to a Premier Ball from Pokemon Go.

It was a lovely surprise, but for players who live in similar rural areas,this is reality.

Climbing a mountain or hiking in a national park?

Yeah, don’t expect many Pokemon spawning.

Kingambit next to Shiny Nidoking’s catch screen from Pokemon Go.

Walking around a city centre on your commute?

You’ll be inundated.

Niantic wants you to explore urban areas.

pokemon go squirtle showcase

Rural players have none of the fun.

But there’s also something that naturally occurs in urban areas: communities form.

With more people, there are more Pokemon Go players.

pokemon go players walking towards gyms

via Niantic

These two factors feed into each other.

Cities have more stuff, so players from further afield are drawn there.

These communities exist in part because Niantic manufactured them where it wanted them to be.

Image of Incarnate Forme Enamorus flying in a sunset-colored sky.

You get the picture, rural players have none of the fun.

Yeah, I figured as much.

The idea is that you stumble across a PokeStop with a Showcase and put your biggest Pokemon in.

Image of Fidough from Pokemon standing in grass.

This is pure luck, a level playing field for players of any experience.

Caught an XXL Joltik and nobody else in your area did?

And the rewards are pretty good.

Image of six different Ralts in a flowery field.

Berries and Balls are a given, but the XP and Stardust gained from Showcases is no joke.

I usually come in the top five of any given Showcase when I’m at home.

I’m happy with that.

pokemon go showcase in a park

I was astonished, and my initial hopes of a podium position evaporated.

Every Showcase was the same.

I know this isn’t a common occurrence.

Image of Voltorb and several Hisuian Voltorb next to Professor Willow.

I was in Sapporo during the peak tourist season, during the winter festival.

This would never happen in Liverpool.

Your chances of winning multiple times are still pretty high.

Live-Service Games

With less competition, you could probably just enter a regular-sized Gastly and take home the dub.

How do you measure a Gastly?

Is Professor Willow putting a tape measure to an amorphous ball of gas?

Pokemon Go

How is he weighing gas?

This makes my brain hurt.

Does 5,000XP come close to a shiny Rayquaza?

Niantic

it’s possible for you to’t play Pokemon Go in China, but I needed a digital souvenir.