Pokémon GO Shadow Raids Controversy Explained

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Pokémon GO has recently come under some controversy with the new Shadow Raid system. There have been controversies surrounding the game since launch, as people debated the safety of the players from the very beginning. This was somewhat counteracted by the idea that it was getting people outside and connecting when they otherwise wouldn’t, but that was part of the controversy too. However, the new controversial issues with the game are completely unrelated.

With the most recent Reward Road in Pokémon GO costing far more than many players might be willing to pay, the game has come under some fire for multiple reasons recently. While the issues are separate, they do compound upon each other and different players might be triggered by different issues. While it does not seem that Pokémon GO is going anywhere anytime soon, an upset fanbase is not a good thing for the health of the game.

Why Shadow Raids Has Pokémon GO Fans Divided

Players Can’t Keep Up With Requirements

Recently, the main reason players feel that Shadow Raids in Pokémon GO are not a great thing for the game is the requirements to be able to participate. While anyone can get up and go for a walk to catch some Pokémon or to find a local gym to battle at, to participate in a Shadow Raid the requirements are a little harder to fulfill.

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The biggest issue is that it is a local-only event that requires players be prepared in advance with strong Pokemon and at least eight Purified Gems among the group that is going to play. The higher tiers of Shadow Raids will also require that players have a friend to join them, meaning multiple people have to coordinate in order to participate. It is hard enough to get a group together once a month for dinner these days, much less have that much coordination for Pokémon GO.

Additionally, the higher the event, the more that this is the case. In Max Battles, players must:

Have strong, specially collected from previous Max Battles Pokemon
Have special moves for those Pokemon
Have a specific strategy for the Max Battle
Have a local, preferably multiplayer location and group that must be walked to

This means that only players who have participated in a Max Battle and caught those Pokémon before can play, they must have trained up those Pokémon and found a working strategy, and they all have to meet up at a specified location to take them down. The harder and higher-leveled the battle, the more people that need to coordinate to do so.

This culminates in the Gigantamax Pokemon, which must be fought in very large groups. This makes it even harder, and players who don’t live in big, urban areas are likely to be ostracized from this type of gameplay. There’s also no mechanic for new or returning players to catch up to the rest of the players to be able to participate, making it harder for those players to become engaged.

Shadow Raids Are The Latest Of Many GO Controversies

Adding Another Problem To The Pile

Pokemon GO Sierra in front of background

Unfortunately, this comes at the end of a long line of controversies. Not even counting the ones that happened early in the game’s lifespan, there have been several big ones this year. The Into The Wild event sparked controversy when players felt betrayed by false advertising claiming that they would get additional Raid Passes when they never did. Additionally, they rolled out new avatars across the board and received a large amount of backlash for doing so.

Recently, it was also revealed that Niantic has been using Pokémon GO to train AI for their Large Geospatial Model that includes 3D positioning. This is something being done by a lot of different companies, and it was never hidden but was not clearly understood in the beginning lifespan of the game. This sparked some controversy, but in a world of growing AI applications it was not as big of news as the others.

There have also been issues with Special Research, the problems with Dynamax Battles, ethical issues surrounding PokeStops in inappropriate locations, the dangers of robberies and environmental hazards, and developing controversies that continue to plague the game’s history. Despite that, Pokémon GO still has a massive fanbase and is still making a more than fair amount of money.

How Pokémon GO Could Fix Its Shadow Raids Problem

Changing The Format

Pokemon Go Max Out Dynamax event with a giant Pikachu facing off against a giant bulbasaur

The best way to fix the main issue with the Shadow Raids would be to employ some sort of catch-up mechanic. Perhaps making the Purified Gems a little easier to obtain would be the best way. Currently, players are obstructed from participating in these Raids because they can’t get their hands on the Purified Gems, which do ask the player to walk to specific locations to get. Making them available from anywhere in the world or even allowing players to pay for a couple would be enough.

They could also lower the amount of Purified Gems needed to participate in the battle, which would reduce the cost and stress of participating quite a lot. For the Max Battles, if there was some way to get other Max Pokémon or make it less localized, it would be much easier for people to find a group and be able to participate and get the Pokémon they need. Making new players feel like they can’t play the game as intended is not a good thing, and making some of these small changes would help those players get into the game.

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Additionally, making things a little less localized would allow players to team-up with players from around the world. This would make the game more accessible to people not in dense, urban areas, and players would be able to enjoy more of the game from anywhere in the world. Perhaps there can still be fun incentives to take a walk and go find a Pokémon in the wild nearby, but these big events that need lots of players need a balancing mechanic. Opening them up and making them less restricted is the key to get this balance.

As it seems Pokémon GO has been haunted since its inception, it is likely the controversy will continue. However, the Shadow Raids can be easily fixed if Niantic takes the time to do so. Time will only tell if the developers choose to make their game a little more accessible to new and returning players.