While Pokémon GO often favors urban players with its focus on PokéStops and Gyms, rural trainers are finding a unique edge in the game’s “Showcase” feature. This often-overlooked aspect of Pokémon GO is proving surprisingly beneficial for those in areas where spawns and locations are scarce.
Key Highlights
- Showcases reward different Pokémon: Pokémon GO Showcases value size and rarity over battle prowess, giving rural players a chance to shine.
- Less competition: Rural areas have fewer trainers, meaning higher chances of winning Showcase rankings.
- Stardust rewards: Showcases offer substantial Stardust rewards, a valuable resource for powering up Pokémon.
- PhD Pikachu: Completing Showcases unlocks the chance to get a Pikachu wearing a unique Professorial cap.
Showcase Success in Rural Areas
Pokémon GO Showcases allow players to submit their Pokémon under various categories, such as “Biggest Rattata” or “Heaviest Magikarp”. Winners in each category receive Stardust rewards, with the top three trainers earning a ranking displayed on their profile.
Rural players, having fewer encounters overall, may have a higher likelihood of catching exceptionally large or rare Pokémon. Additionally, smaller communities mean reduced competition for those coveted top Showcase spots.
“I never thought living out here would be a good thing for Pokémon GO,” says Sarah, a trainer from a small town in the United States. “But I’m consistently ranking in the Showcases, and those Stardust rewards are seriously helping me level up my team.”
How Showcases Work
Each Pokémon Showcase has a specific theme and lasts for a limited time. Players can submit one eligible Pokémon per category. Following the submission period, the rankings are calculated and rewards are distributed. Participating can help earn progress toward unlocking the exclusive Ph.D. Pikachu outfit.
Niantic’s Response to Rural Challenges
Pokémon Go’s developer, Niantic, has officially addressed the issues plaguing rural players, underscoring their commitment to enhancing the gameplay experience for this segment of their community. Through a series of statements shared on social media and forums, Niantic outlined their approach to tackling the rural player dilemma, emphasizing the implementation of Operation Portal Recon (OPR) and adjustments to PokéStop and Gym accessibility as key strategies in bridging the urban-rural divide.
A Gift to Rural Players
In a move that was warmly welcomed by the Pokémon Go community, Niantic announced a dramatic increase in Pokémon spawns in rural areas, alongside parks and outdoor locations. This adjustment aims to level the playing field, allowing rural players to engage more fully with the game by encountering a wider variety of Pokémon in their immediate environment. This update, often referred to as an “early Christmas present” for rural players, has been pivotal in addressing one of the most persistent complaints since the game’s launch.
Continued Challenges for Rural Players
Despite the Showcase benefits, rural players still face significant challenges in Pokémon GO. The scarcity of PokéStops and Gyms often makes it difficult to obtain essential items and participate in raids. Niantic, the game’s developer, has implemented some changes to ease these issues, such as increasing the interaction distance with PokéStops, but more can still be done to balance the playing experience.
Pokémon GO offers a wide range of gameplay elements, and the unexpected success of rural players in the Showcase feature proves that a focus on less conventional aspects of the game can provide distinct rewards. While the overall experience may be uneven, trainers everywhere are discovering creative ways to catch ’em all, regardless of geographic location.
