I remember how excited everyone was when remote raids were first introduced in Pokémon Go. It brought us all together from all places around the world, despite our real life limitations. People in rural areas, people with disabilities preventing them for being outside for long periods of time, people who live in unsafe areas, people with no in person community’s were finally able to feel a sense of belonging in our online community and make friends. Discord groups were created for organising remote raids, Facebook groups and chats, Telegram groups, and years later, some of us have been lucky enough to meet all of the friends we were able to make online through the remote raiding system. I can say wholeheartedly there are people I consider genuine friends that I wouldn’t even know if it wasn’t for remote raids. With life in general, lots of connections that start online eventually become in person connections because of the online foundation and it’s honestly incredible. It’s no different to the connections we make online through remote raiding, lots become genuine friendship for years to come. Yes, remote raiding was created as a temporary means to help people play from home during the pandemic. Yes, remote raiding goes against the ‘get out and go’ mindset from Niantic, but not everyone can get out and go. As time has gone on it’s proven how much we NEED remote raids to stay for good. Even if you didn’t do many remote raids a day and the recent remote raid changes don’t effect you much, please be mature enough and sensitive enough to understand this was the ONLY way some people could play the game, and feel a sense of community which every person has a right to feel and know. The people who live in big cities like me, who are fortunate enough to raid in person and have big communities, that’s fantastic but as we know, not everyone is fortunate enough to have those circumstances. Remove the limits to remote raids and lower the prices. There is such a concept as bringing people together without it being in person. The online and global Pokemon Go community is the majority, not the minority and that’s the truth. - Fleece #PokemonGO #HearUsNiantic