The landscape of Pokemon Go gameplay can vary, a factor incredibly influenced by a player's residential environment. Players based in rural areas, often viewed as disadvantaged, have recently proven that being removed from a city's chaos has its perks.
Given its intricate community-based structure, Pokemon Go rewards living in bustling locales. Vital elements of the game, like PokeStops and Gyms, are typically found in hotspot areas where crowd concentration is high.
This admittedly poses a challenge for Pokemon Go enthusiasts located in smaller neighborhoods or villages. Not only do these areas lack the required infrastructure, but the reduced local player base also limits opportunities to engage and complete tasks collaboratively.
However, the dearth of competition provides rural players with a unique plus point: the relative ease in securing Gyms as they are less likely to face daily onslaughts from enemy teams. This makes the attainment of premium currency, a crucial aspect of Pokemon Go, more feasible.
Rural Dominance in Showcases: The Countryside Advantage
A noted phenomena in the Pokemon Go world is the rural player's tendency to consistently win Showcases. Showcases are built around the premise of judging Pokemon based on various stat factors and, with a lower participation rate in the countryside, rural players' odds of winning shoot up.
It's not uncommon to come across anguished expressions from players based in metropolitan areas regarding showcase outcomes. Admittedly, taxing is the experience of putting up a hard fight in a showcase featuring over 50 Pokemon and not even breaching the top 10.
Contrastingly, players located in the quieter geographic pockets of the world have uncovered massive rewards in showcases. Experiences like winning lucky eggs, incubators, super incubators, and more have been relayed, much to the urban player's envy.
These rural players also revel in the additional advantage of garnering more than four coins from Gyms in one go. It’s a rare and rewarding occurrence for regular players.
Semi-active Surburbs: The Sweet Spot?
Veering slightly off the rural road, the game's semi-active arenas have emerged as winners in players' subtle discussions. Striking the perfect balance, these areas are adequately populated, allowing for both Gym coordination and reasonable Raid completions.
While densely populated zones often result in fierce competition for gym time, remote areas leave players in lonely waits extending up to a year to claim their 50 coins. These far-flung areas also make raiding 5-star levels near impossible unless one is backed by a team of virtual demigods.
Recently, with the introduction of Ph.D. Pikachu, winning PokeStops has grown intense. Achieving a Platinum Medal in PokeStop Showcases for the encounter requires winning 100 Showcases.
In this light, rural areas gain even more appeal. Here, Pokemon Go players have better odds of winning and therefore stand a better chance for the highly coveted medal. Clearly, countryside living offers unique advantages in the delightful, often challenging world of Pokemon Go.