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Pokemon GO PokemonNoDay protest asks: Is accessibility necessary?

By Chris Burns/

If you're playing Pokemon GO today, chances are you've not been swayed by the arguments made by the folks behind #PokemonNoDay and #HearUsNiantic. There's a virtual picket line around the game right now made up of Pokemon GO Trainers who are not pleased with Niantic's latest round of updates to the app. In the latest round of said updates, Niantic's removed and/or adjusted several of the game-changing features first put in place in the year 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic really started to take hold of the planet.

Niantic's recent changes were made to encourage gamers to leave their homes and join in on moving the world back to some manner of normalcy. In Niantic's own words, "these changes are aimed at restoring the focus of Pokémon GO on movement and exploration in the real world." Niantic suggested that the changes would be introduced "slowly and carefully" and that they'd start with a test in the USA and New Zealand.

The boycott became popular enough on Twitter this afternoon that the subject #PokemonNoDay became a trending topic. Below you'll see a bit of text from PokeMiners. They've collected some thoughts on the matter, with emphasis on respect and accessibility in Pokemon GO.

Take a peek at the Pokemon GO Distance Changes and see what you think about the potential for keeping said changes first activated in 2020. Could Pokemon GO be successful without needing to get up close and personal with individual Pokestops, Pokemon Gym locations, and other human beings?

Could it be that Pokemon GO was one sort of game when it was first released than it is now? Could Pokemon GO evolve beyond the requirements and vision Niantic had at the outset? Is Pokemon GO a big enough game that it'll be a cultural touchstone here in the world we live in post-pandemic (if there is such a thing?)

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