One of the most consistent complaints fromPokemon GOplayers since the game launched has been the lack of things to do in rural areas. Cities are flooded withStops, Gyms, and spawn points; but players in rural areas often feel left out of the fun. Hopefully that may be changing soon, now thatIngress, Niantic’s other mobile AR game, is opening up submissions for new Portal locations.
Players who have been followingPokemon GOclosely may be aware that in some ways the game launched as a Pokemon-themed re-skin ofIngress. That’s not completely accurate, but the basic mechanics and, most importantly, community data are built on the same foundations. Because of that, nearly everyPokemon GOStop or Gym correlates to anIngressPortal. So if newIngressPortals are on the horizon, the hope is that newPokemon GOStops or Gyms aren’t far behind.
Niantic recently announced that level 11+Ingressplayers are now able to submit locations as potential new Portals…
At first,PoGOplayers may think this is a great time to make anIngressaccount and get to level 11 over the weekend. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. Level 11 inIngressis roughly the equivalent oflevel 30 inPokemon GO,which is no joke. There’s no speed leveling to 11, especially if you’re already in one of the rural areas with little to do.
SomePokemon GOplayers are attempting to leverage their friends in theIngresscommunity byposting submission suggestions on Reddit. Many members of theIngresscommunity seem interested in helping out, since it helps their game as well, as long asPokemon GOplayers don’t start floodingIngresschannels of communication withPoGOrequests. Hopefully many of the submissions will be accepted and this will end up making both games more enjoyable for players who live outside of cities. The popularity ofPokemon GOis still fairly strong, so the game could definitely benefit from another wave of Stop and Gym additions.
Good luck out there, trainers (and agents)!
Pokemon GOandIngressare both available now on Android and iOS devices in select regions.
