Hey, don’t seem see this topic here already so I will try to be brief.
I have some pretty sever disabilities. I can’t walk very far or very long. For example I have a hard time standing up long enough to take a shower. The main way I was playing originally was spoofing. I know how the community feels about that so I don’t need you berating me in the comments. That account got banned and Niantic never got back to me.
So then I get a little better and was able, when it was cooler, to play in the car while my husband was driving. I am sensitive to heat and cold and can’t be in either extreme. So then they banned that. Now the only way I can play is if we stop at a corner long enough for the game to acknowledge that I am no longer going too fast.
Does any one know when Niantic is going to address these issues. I know that I am not the only one with problems playing because of physical limitations.
Currently working on getting a wheelchair or some other mobility device covered at least partially by insurance so that I can maybe get out of the house and actually play.
To be entirely honest with you, I don’t see Niantic addressing issues like these for a long time. They appear to be more concerned with other things like raids coordination, Gen3, etc: It is amazing that you can play even in some way, but there should be some way for others who cannot move to enjoy the game.
I have said that there should be a separate server for sooofers/disabled with joysticks, or even a way to appeal to Niantic to use a joystick. So far though, they are more interested in removing said Joystick (which they use to test new features) than help others who really need it.
The benefits of having a second server:
There will be no more ‘taking my gym’ complaints as the only gyms they are taking would be eachothers, and Niantic can monitor all of them in one server at the same time. It would make all players, spoofers and not, so much happier if when you signed in it said “do you want to play on server 1 or 2?”
I generally dont like spoofing personally because it would take out the fun for me, but you and plenty of others are in a situation that you either periodically or regularly spoof, and im perfectly okay with that since there is a legit reason. I just wish Niantic would have a group that could work on the community, since that seems to be missing in a lot of places.
I really like the idea of a seperate server, which would not only bring in more people, the game can move more smoothly with less people stressing one server
The separate server sounds great. Niantic really needs to work on their customer service and public image. So far trying to play just feels like one more thing that I can’t do.
Why go through all the trouble of making a second server for spoofers and cheaters? It’s Pokémon GO! If anyone can’t play the game as intended, either from disabilities or just laziness, there are other games for them, such as Pokémon main series games, etc. Its way more fun than playing Pokémon go with a joystick. I don’t even get how that could be fun in any way. There are MILLIONS of free to play games on the App Store that you can download and play without the need of GPS and location!
You may be right, that the other Pokémon games are more fun (I wouldn’t actually know) but even Niantic relies on the ability to alter your GPS location. When they were testing the exclusive raids in Massachusetts, and Germany, and Japan, they were spoofing there. If Niantic aren’t trying to remove spoofers (they are sort of making half-hearted efforts) they might as well try to accommodate them in some way.
I would have to disagree with you on that. This game is not designed for cheaters. Niantic testing their services by spoofing is different than blatantly breaking the terms of service and cheating.
I have 2 young kids, so taking them in and out of the car when my wife and I are doing some “moning” is not a fun experience. We live in an urban town where most gyms and pokestops are reachable from a parked car on the street. I am level 34 and she is 32.
I don’t buy this fiction about your “disabilities” for one second.
The point here is that you are quite blatantly lying about not being able to play from a car, as that is almost exclusively my game experience. Which gives me no reason to buy into your other lie about being disabled. You’re just trying to create an exception to the rule to make spoofing not seem “so bad” and perhaps if your reasons are genuine and pure maybe people will look the other way…
Its quite amazing that a silly mobile game… has provided you the motivation you need to try and get a wheelchair… and that nothing else in life was motivation enough to do so… its all very “convenient” and I don’t buy it.
I Believe you and have 2000% sympathy, however I also agree with @RexPartysaurus that a lot of Poke stops and Gyms and Raids and etc… are reachable from a car or pretty much any vehicle.
Thanks for making my day that much better. I have been trying to get help with my mobility problems for four years now, when my symptoms suddenly got much worse. So no, it is not because of Pokemon Go that I want a wheelchair.
I want a wheelchair because I have not been grocery shopping in a month and half and my husband sucks at it. He can’t remember all of my food allergies so I can only eat 1/8 of what he comes home with.
I want a wheelchair because I the only people I have talked to in the last two months were my doctors and my husband. Funny thing when you get so bad that mobility becomes and issue that all of your “friends” stop coming around because you are such a bummer and are dealing with so many symptoms that you have to keep canceling on them.
I want a wheelchair because I have a hard time walking to the damn car.
Cooking is a huge problem, can’t stand up that long. Husband got me a bar stool and now I can sit and cook and he can hand me things.
Did you know that when you can’t stand up long enough to bath yourself there are wipes that you can use instead. They come with a whole host of problems if you only do that long term and I can’t stand the grody feeling of my skin but I have to learn to live with it.
So yeah, when I see my friends post about going out for raids on facebook I get pretty depressed.
I personally hate spoofers but I have no problem with people that have disabilities spoofing, you should be able to contact Niantic directly and tell them about your situation and hopefully they will think of a lot of other people in a similar situation.
Niantic have been trying to stop spoofers for so long that the mechanics of the game has suffered for months e.g. the raids are still lagging, errors are appearing all of the game and people are still spoofing when they have no reason to.
I personally know someone with a disability in my area, and he plays the game with the best of our local players! In fact, he puts up a fight for control of our local town (he’s valor and I’m mystic, and my town is mystic-dominated!) We’re friends, though, and we do a lot of raids together. Even with disabilities, you CAN play the game without cheating. Sure, it may be a challenge, but that’s where the sense of accomplishment comes from! Anyone can just sit back and spoof. Absolutely no achievement there. It takes hard work and dedication, but if you can play the game with disabilities without cheating, you are an awesome player.
I am a disabled player, I use my car to get to raids. I can walk, but not for too long, and not in too difficult terrain. There are things Niantic could do to make my life easier, but playing from home is not one of them.
I would like a way to pause the game, so that it would take less time to start it again, when I drive. I DO NOT play while driving I would like to see how far away a gym, pokestop, or wild Pokemon is. not all the time, but it would be Nice as an extra. Then I could easier decide when to push myself or when to leave it well alone. I would also like the map in the game to show a larger area as an incentive to get out of the house :-).
I started playing Pokemon Go to get stronger, and to start walking more. I am stil slower, and miles behind most People, but what is important, is that I am miles ahead of where I started. I know the game is called Pokemon Go, but there are ways to make Pokestops and Gyms accessible to disabled People as well. There could even be a Pokemon Go for the blind or visually impared, using sound.
I have one worry. I hope that Niantics efforts to pevent spoofing, doesn`t make it harder to play for those of us who try our best.
I would like to see how far away a gym, pokestop, or wild Pokemon is. not all the time, but it would be Nice as an extra. Then I could easier decide when to push myself or when to leave it well alone. I would also like the map in the game to show a larger area as an incentive to get out of the house :-).