For Pokémon Go fans, Dortmund last week felt like a digital Disneyland. Or a really polite, sober music festival. No, I’ll stick with Disney – because I think there’s something similar in the way its magic kingdom, all plasterboard facades and cast members in costumes, becomes something more special when you’re there in person, and experiencing it all alongside others.
At its base level, Pokémon Go is a phone app about tapping on virtual creatures, and even if you went to its Go Fest events alone, you’d have an astonishingly rewarding time if you simply wanted to cram your virtual suitcase full. But seeing the mums and dads exploring Dortmund’s Go Fest park with their kids, hearing them celebrate their Pokémon catches, or joining the groups of 30-somethings who met playing the game as they wove along the city’s cobbled streets together, playing long into the night – there’s something special here, too. Go Fests are an opportunity to travel and play this game with people you know, cross paths with others who share a common hobby, and feel part of a welcoming wider community. It’s about seeing an entire city get taken over by those passionate about this game, and getting to connect with a few of them along the way.
On my last night there I walked a very old friend back to his hotel around 1am. He’s not old himself, I should say, in fact we’re exactly the same age. But we are the oldest of friends because technically we started hanging out before either of us were born. Our mums met at a baby clinic, and then after he and I actually became people, we – his name’s James – properly met aged about two weeks. We’ve been friends ever since. That night, we’d met in the city centre, got dinner, caught up. We’d talk about our lives for a bit, and then we’d be back to Pokémon. I’d already had my day in the Go Fest park, so had passed on advice for where to go to hunt for the best things, ready for his turn in the morning.
Source: Eurogamer Three years on, Pokémon Go's events prove it's still one of the most social games in the world