July 26, 2023 • 25 mins
KittyPokemonsALot, a talented Pokémon GO trainer from the United Kingdom, combines her love for augmented reality (AR) photography and her writing expertise to shape the Pokémon GO experience. In this interview, she shares how capturing Pokémon in the real world through AR photos adds a magical layer to gameplay. As a contributor to Pokémon GO Hub, she also opens up about empowering trainers with insightful guides and strategies to enhance their in-game experience.
Sources
Opening Song: "Forget You" by Alex_MakeMusic from Pixabay
Listen to my interview with Round Table Chat(ot): LISTEN HERE
- Visit our website: www.asthepokeballturns.com
- Join Our Discord Community!
https://discord.gg/AqAbD7FbRt
Your next Pokemon adventure begins here!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
David Hernandez (00:00):
My name is David Hernandez, and you're
(00:01):
listening to As the PokeballTurns.
(00:44):
Welcome to as the PokeballTurns, where the stories are
real and people still play thisgame.
In past episodes, I've had theprivilege of diving into both
journalism and photography withcertain guests.
In this episode, We combine bothof them, and we have a guest who
has spent hours promoting thecreativity of the AR community
through works like the ARshowcase.
(01:04):
With her passion for ARphotography and her love for
Pokemon Go, she has written 666articles for GoHub at the time
of this interview.
What may initially sound likethe devil's number for many is a
sign of her dedication andpassion from her when it comes
to writing, photography, andPokemon.
One could say that she reallyloves Pokemon a lot.
(01:24):
From the United Kingdom, Here'sher origin story into the world
of Pokemon Go, this is KittyPokemon's A Lot.
today I'm joined by KittyPokemons A Lot.
She is a writer for Pokemon GoHub, the self proclaimed AR
queen, and a lover of horrormovies.
Kitty, thank you for coming onto the show.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (01:43):
Thank you so much for inviting me.
David Hernandez (01:45):
For sure, and I gotta ask this question because
I know we're not going to beable to ask this later on.
What are some of your favoritehorror movies?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (01:51):
I am a huge lover of found footage
horror films.
so Blair Witch is a classic.
I have a Blair Witch tattooeven.
and then there's a film calledAs Above So Below, which is all
set in the Paris catacombs.
That's amazing.
there's some really obscure onesI keep, like, a list of all of
the ones that I watch because,sometimes they're really hard to
find but there's one called,Alien Abduction Incident in Lake
(02:12):
County that's really old andit's all filmed on like the
worst camcorders ever but socreepy and brilliant the way
it's done.
I'm also really into scream likeI have a, I have a ghost face
tattoo but it's like a subtleghost face tattoo.
So like every now and then I'llfind people staring at me being
like is that, a ghost facetattoo?
And it's like yeah it is, just asmall secret.
Whichever.
David Hernandez (02:30):
I grew up on, Freddy Krueger and Halloween.
All those are more slasherfilms.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (02:34):
Yes, I love, I love slashes as well
David Hernandez (02:36):
but anyway, we're not here to talk about
horror movies.
Unfortunately, that's going tobe different podcast.
I want to ask, like, what's yourexperience with Pokemon?
Like, when did you first startplaying?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (02:44):
I think, I was, like, about 11 or 12 when
the card game really startedtaking off in England, and so
very early was collecting thecards and I have a very like
distinct memory of being, like,I was, like, the first kid in my
school to get a Charizard, andeveryone was so excited And I
was, one of the youngest in theschool and an older kid trying
to buy it off me and things butit all started with the cards
(03:04):
and then spiraled out of controlfrom there.
David Hernandez (03:08):
base one Charizard, you're probably
sitting on potential retirementmoney right
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (03:11):
I hope so.
It would be good.
I've got some of my early ones.
I found a few out recently, butI know there's like a whole,
it's like a old CD case full ofthem because I never had
anything like proper to storethem in but I know that they're
all in little card sleeves andstuff and they are somewhere in
the attic.
David Hernandez (03:27):
Do you have a favorite Pokemon at all?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (03:29):
I have several, but the one I'm most
known for is, is Turtwig.
I am known as Turtwig's numberone fan.
but then Psyduck is a closesecond.
I have, chronic clusterheadaches and hemiplegic
migraines, so I identify verymuch with Psyduck.
David Hernandez (03:40):
Now, do you have any Psychic Powers, though?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (03:42):
I wish I did, but no, unfortunately not.
David Hernandez (03:45):
Did you ever get a chance play any of the
main series games?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (03:47):
No, I never had any consoles or
anything until I was like about18.
my little brother always had aGame Boy.
So we went to Texas to visitsome friends and he bought a
Game Boy Color when we werethere and bought, red, I think
it was.
it was his game, not mine.
So it was always, having to besneaky when he wasn't playing
it.
So I bought a Switch a few yearsago and then got really back
(04:08):
into it with Sword and Shieldand then I'm very obsessed with
Scarlet and Violet.
I think they're reallybrilliant.
I just think the open worldmechanic worked so well, and
just made it so much moreinteresting.
I can just, stay in one area forhours and feel like I'm not
really accomplishing anythingstory wise, but there's just so
much to do and so much to seethat I don't care that I've not
really gone anywhere andaccomplished anything
technically.
David Hernandez (04:29):
What's your team that you're playing with,
Scarlet or Violet?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (04:32):
I've got a shiny great tusk in there.
which was the first shiny Ifound, and I just found it
randomly the first time I got inArea 0, so that went straight on
the team.
Mycorrhidon, because I love theway that they let you bond with
the legendaries in it, so assoon as I got my second one,
that went in the team.
I'm trying to switch everythingout for shiny variations of
stuff at the moment.
I think I've got Warchan inthere just because I love the
(04:53):
idea that it's like a snail,like, or a slug, it's just a
ridiculous creature and I loveit.
David Hernandez (04:59):
So Pokemon Go comes out in 2016.
Did you play the very first day?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (05:03):
I downloaded it a day before it
got released in England throughlike a dodgy APK because I was
desperate to be playing it.
it was like everyone's childhooddream come true to get to play
Pokemon like in real life andwalk around and catch them.
You know, what we'd all dreamedof as being kids.
So the second I found an APK, itwas immediately downloaded so I
could play it.
And then the next day it gotreleased properly.
(05:23):
So then I downloaded the properversion of it.
But from day one.
So I think from in England, Ithink it was like the 13th of
July, I think it got released.
David Hernandez (05:30):
What was it like when Pokemon Go debuted
over in England?
Like, were people going toparks?
Like, what was the hotspot thatpeople would go to?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (05:37):
Yeah, it's definitely like where I live, I
live in like a smaller village.
So there's still no one reallyhere who plays all these years
later, but the nearest town, itwas so many people you could,
turn up to anywhere and it wasso easy to spot all the go
players because there'd begroups and little herds of
people on their phones and you'dsee everyone suddenly fleeing,
looking for a Snorlax that hadbeen rumoured, and there used to
be so many of us for like theearly events and things, they're
(06:00):
petered off a bit now, but backthen it would be, you could
easily guarantee there'd be atleast 50 people in the local
parks nearly every day playing.
David Hernandez (06:07):
You said you're in a small village, so is that
kind of like you were in a ruralarea?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (06:11):
Yes, I write a bit of a series on GoHub
and I tend to call myself semirural because I'm very aware
that the difference between likemy rural in England and then
someone's rural in some statesin America, etc.
can be very drasticallydifferent things.
So where I live, there'sprobably like one and a half
thousand people.
Um, you know, there's like alittle, a little shop and that's
about it.
I travel pretty much for everyevent that I do over to the
(06:32):
nearest towns because there's noone else to play here with like
we've got a lot of Pokestops andgyms because I've submitted
them.
but no one else actually playwith.
David Hernandez (06:39):
What's the biggest challenge, you know,
playing in a small town likewhere you're from?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (06:43):
A mobile signal.
And there's like a whole part ofthe village that I live in is
just completely unplayablebecause there's no signal at
all.
So there's like another littlepark and things that could
easily be a Pokestop, butthere's no signal here to even
attempt to submit it or load upthe game with even.
Not even worth attempting toplay.
David Hernandez (07:01):
It's like basically the phone just goes
dead whenever to go into thatarea.
It's like a force field almost.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (07:06):
Yeah, probably more of like, the newer
buildings and things.
You get to a certain point youjust walk across the line and
that's it.
You're in an immediate dead zoneand that whole area is a dead
zone, so you're very restrictedin the area you can actually
play in.
David Hernandez (07:18):
What was it about Pokemon Go that appealed
to you?
Because you said it was a dreamcome true.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (07:22):
Yeah, like when you're a kid, like, I
never, I didn't really have anypets growing up or anything, so
for me it was, like, the idea ofbeing able to have, like, a
Pokémon and actually have themcome around with me in the real
world.
That idea was just so cool tome, and it didn't matter that I
was in my late 20s by thatpoint, it was still very much a
dream come true to be able toactually have Pokémon in the
real world to go and catch, sostraight away that appealed to
me.
(07:42):
then obviously once they'dintroduced, like, the buddy
system and things, like, gettingto bond with your Pokémon more
it was all I'd wanted from beingable to collect Pokémon as a kid
to actually then be able tocollect them as an adult and
take them out with me onadventures and, you know, make
memories with them and things.
As weird as that sounds, like Ilike to try and collect Smiggles
whenever we go like away ontrips and things.
You know, like name them afterplaces we've been and things
(08:03):
like that.
They're all like little memoriesof all different places that
I've been to.
David Hernandez (08:07):
That's awesome.
So you actually do the ARsnapshot for Smurgles wherever
you visit and you just name itafter the place you're from?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (08:13):
Yeah, I've got quite a few different ones.
And then, like, a lot of, like,the mythicals, I'll try and wait
and catch them in special placesas well, so, like, Cosmog it was
mine and my husband's seventhwedding anniversary, and we went
on a trip to a city called York.
so I waited and deliberatelycaught it there instead you
know, rather than catch itlocally, I wanted to make sure I
could catch it somewhere thatwas a little bit more special.
I've got one that I caught whenI was at Worlds last year.
(08:34):
so I always keep that and thenlike, you know, a few named
after different holidays andthings and places I've been, so
they're just nice littlememories to keep.
David Hernandez (08:40):
the fun part is, is just how people have
gotten creative with Pokemon Goand how they can store memories
of, even if you would just thinkeveryday trips, like your case,
you did Smurgles, which is verycreative.
Now you can do stuff like withpostcards, which thankfully
Niantic did that because thatreally made it a lot more
easier.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (08:56):
Although I'm always running on about five
spaces for postcards, I'mterrible, and I'm obsessed with
the postcard system.
all my friends when they go onholiday will send me things from
like iconic historical placesand things, so I save them all
and, All of my Japanese ARphotographer pals are always
sending me them from all the um,all the manhole covers and stuff
that they have.
so I am that person that hasactually paid cash money to
(09:17):
expand my postcard collection.
to have some more.
David Hernandez (09:20):
No, no judgment at all.
So what's your way to playPokemon Go?
Like, what's, what do you enjoydoing within the game?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (09:26):
so I'm definitely shiny hunter.
as soon as a new shiny isreleased, my gameplay is going
to go up dramatically comparedto in between events times.
but I tried to do my dailyadventure incense every day,
I've got like a nice littleroute worked out where I live.
My other favorite thing is theAR thing.
So I will travel out sometimesto specific areas with the only
intention being to take photosbecause...
(09:48):
particularly during like, thelockdowns and stuff during
COVID, it was one part of thegame that you could play all the
time, and it didn't reallymatter, that I couldn't go out
properly, and actually go aroundand hunt or anything and see
people.
I could still go in my gardenand make my Pokémon teeny tiny,
and take photos of them andthings, and at least feel I had
some sort of creative outlet.
David Hernandez (10:07):
No, that's fair and I love how creative you get
with your photos actually.
Cause I know that there's ateeny tiny glitch that you've
introduced, right?
Or is that you found it, or Iknow you did an article on it.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (10:15):
Yeah, I've done.
I've done a few articles on afew different techniques, but
the tiny Pokemon I think it was,the photographer called Ash
Ketchup.
he was the first person I sawdoing it.
And then there's anothertechnique called Pokemon, which
is like a throwback to An actualphotography style where using a
really shallow depth of field,with like lights and things
behind and people would call itbokeh, because the lights out of
(10:36):
focus would look reallybeautiful.
So you kind of trick your camerainto being in focus on your hand
or something blocking the lens,move your hand away and then
really, really quickly take thepicture before your phone's had
the chance to readjust and puteverything back in focus,
because obviously, like, ifyou're taking a photo with a
real camera of someone, like, aportrait, not everything is
going to be in focus, so it'skind of a way to trick it with
Pokemon Go AR now to kind ofmake it a bit more realistic.
David Hernandez (10:58):
What is it about ar photos that you enjoy
the most?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (11:01):
many years back, I was a photographer.
I used to do like a lot offashion photography, odd
weddings and things.
but I developed carpal tunnelsyndrome, so I couldn't lift the
camera anymore.
Basically, my hands are Kind ofruined from that.
I've had the surgeries and whenI had the surgeries, I thought
great I'm gonna be able to putmy camera up again and
unfortunately no such luck.
I've got permanent nerve damageThankfully, I'm left handed, my
(11:21):
left hand is a lot better thanmy right hand but obviously kind
of need both of them with heavyequipment and things and that
all happened Early 2016 that wasall happening, and then just as
Pokemon Go was coming out waswhen I had my surgeries, so then
realizing that I could takephotos with that, I was like
right, okay I can hold my phonefor a lot longer, I can do that.
So I might not be able to likelift my heavy camera anymore and
take photos of people, but I cantake photos of Pokemon and
(11:43):
that'll at least feel like I'venot given up completely.
David Hernandez (11:46):
It sounds like AR photos allowed you to
combine, you know, the priorpassion you have with
photography with your love ofPokemon, as well as just living
out the dream of going on ajourney.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (11:55):
Yeah, definitely.
I'd say it was something that Iwas, I was really devastated to
kind of lose that as a part ofmy life like I've still got all
my gear, all my equipment allthese years later.
I'm not like let myself get ridof it because now I'm still
hopeful that one day maybe myhands will be okay enough, but
it's nice to be able to stillhave that little bit of my life
I thought it was going to haveto be gone, but actually, you
know, just swapped people forPokemon instead and Pokemon are
much cuter and nicer to dealwith than people.
(12:17):
So,
David Hernandez (12:19):
so you mentioned you have carpal tunnel
syndrome, does that affect howyou play the game at all, having
carpal tunnel syndrome?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (12:24):
Yeah, it definitely does.
I do have to be careful, likewhen we do daylong events and
things, cuz I know by the end ofthe day, I mostly hold my phone
in my right hand and then use myleft hand.
I, I can't do it one-handedbecause I just don't have the
dexterity in my hands to do it.
I have to have, like a popsocket or something similar to
help take the weight of thephone.
the last time I upgraded myphone, important thing for me
(12:45):
was the size and the weight ofthe phone being lighter than my
old one.
So I did loads of research onthat to try and make sure I had,
like, a good phone still, butthat was a lot lighter than my
old one because it was, such aproblem for me but it, it also
means that, like, PVP.
just not that accessible for mebecause the repetitive movements
over and over again quickly justit's not going to happen for me.
My hands are not quick enough orgood enough for the PVP
unfortunately.
David Hernandez (13:06):
Does it make it to where like it's too painful
or it's just to the point towhere you just can't do that
motion fast enough?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (13:12):
It's to the point where it's painful, so
I just have to be careful withit.
So like, I'm going to London forGoFest in August.
I know that I am going to payfor it big time the next day,
but that's fine.
I will do one day of playing andthen the next day will be
socializing day and not reallyusing my phone it'll be relying
on the plus plus, and not havingto worry about the hands too
much.
David Hernandez (13:32):
How excited are you for GoFest??
Because it's right in yourbackyard, correct?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (13:35):
It is, yeah.
Um, I'm actually, I'm draggingmy husband to it and I don't
think he has any concept of whathe's letting himself in for with
it because he doesn't reallyplay Pokemon Go.
he's very supportive and all ofmy Pokemon nerdiness, but he
doesn't really play it.
He mostly has only played itover the years, more when, so
events, obviously now events areall local time, but they didn't
used to be.
So most events used to start,like, when I was asleep, but he
(13:57):
has to get up for work aboutfour hours before I do.
So he would wake up, log in thegame, catch the new things, and
then send me screenshots totorment me with before, you
know, so that he already had thenew shiny things in the game, or
the new Pokédex entries beforeI'd even woken up, so his
interest mostly in Pokémon hasbeen there to tease me.
But he's going to come down withme.
We've got about, I think it'sabout four hours on the train
for us.
(14:17):
we're actually, we're going downfrom the Wednesday through to
this Saturday with our play daybeing the Friday, very, very
excited at this point.
And nearly all of my localcommunity are going as well.
There's a huge amount of usgoing, so it should be
brilliant.
David Hernandez (14:29):
Is this your first GoFest?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (14:31):
It is.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Um, a lot of my friends didGermany, but like because of my
carpal tunnel over the years.
And then I also, I have achronic pain condition as well.
So things like traveling toGermany and things was just not
as viable for me when I was moreunwell.
So London is very doable becauseit doesn't involve any flying.
It doesn't involve any jet lag.
I can take things easy and Iknow the area and things.
So very excited for it.
David Hernandez (14:52):
Now earlier you said you got to attend Worlds.
What was that like?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (14:55):
It was amazing.
I had no idea what to expect,really.
I went by myself and met up witha few of the other GoHub
writers.
Until last year, I'd neveractually met any of the other
GoHub writers in person, whichwas, so that was quite a surreal
thing.
Like Adam had flown over fromAustralia to compete.
which was amazing because Ididn't think I would ever get to
meet one of our Australianwriters and then Jellybean who
we consider like to be the mumof GoHub Uh was there and then
(15:18):
Spindiana as well.
All of whom bar Adam, he's goingto be at the Japanese GoFest,
But both Jellybean and Spindianawill be at London again as well.
So we'll get to hang out againas well.
got to meet a lot of like theinfluencers, content creators,
and stuff that I really admireand I caught a shiny 0% Unown-N,
so I got a real good trophy outof it as well.
David Hernandez (15:39):
That's awesome.
That's a good memory rightthere.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (15:41):
I was very excited about that one, and I
was in the hall while we werewatching the finals as well, so
really good fun.
David Hernandez (15:46):
You've been listening to As the Pokeball
Turns.
We're going to take a quickbreak.
We'll be right back.
(17:42):
So, earlier you mentioned howyou write for GoHub.
how did that all begin?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (17:47):
Years ago, I used to be a plus size fashion
blogger.
so I've written for a lot ofyears and I used to write for
like a body positivity magazine.
Pokemon go came out and I gotreally into that.
I kind of slowly abandonedfashion blogging because, number
one, I just don't care that muchabout fashion.
So I don't know why I ever didit in the first place.
and once you've written anarticle about Demi Lovato being
(18:07):
treated badly by the media andhad Demi Lovato's stans come
after you, you can't have a lotless interested in the whole
scene.
so when I used to read GoHubevery single day, it was always
like my go to place forinformation, so then when, Zero,
boss at Go Hub posted up thatthey were looking for writers.
I was like, oh, I, I can I writethings?
I can totally do that.
and that was, I think that wasthree years ago.
(18:28):
This week I hit like 6 66articles.
So
David Hernandez (18:31):
ooh, devil's number.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (18:32):
where once I realized it, then I was like,
well, now's a little screenshotof that cuz it's another one of
those things that I got into andthen it spirals out of control.
David Hernandez (18:39):
Well, you must be pretty passionate about
writing because before you didblog story, you did fashion.
Now you do stuff about Pokemon.
What is it about writing thatmakes you want to keep creating?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (18:48):
I was always interested in writing
like when I was a teenager and Iwas a little emo kid.
I used to write terrible poetryas many little emo kids did and
things and then I got older andthen I did an English degree
thinking that that would beuseful or helpful in some way,
uh, my day job involves maths,so it's not useful or helpful in
any way, as it turns out.
Um,
David Hernandez (19:08):
complete opposite of what usually people
do.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (19:12):
I couldn't be any further from it because
now I do accounts for a living,so nothing helpful at all in my
English degree, but I alwayswanted to just keep on writing.
I had a teacher who was reallyadamant that I would get to do
something really cool one daywith writing, so I was like,
I'll just keep doing bits and,keep doing things.
Let's say now it's out to GoHuband I like that I can feel like
I'm being helpful to thecommunity because Obviously, we
know that Niantic'scommunication is not necessarily
(19:33):
the best and I know how helpfulI found it like especially
before I was writing things likethe raid guides and you know
Being able to share them withpeople and help people be able
to take down raids moresuccessfully and things.
It's it's really I really lovebeing able to be a part of that
and, you know, help otherpeople, in the way that I felt
like I was being helped by GOHub, and now I get to be that
person, so it's a real privilegeto get to do it.
David Hernandez (19:55):
It's like you're giving back to the
community that gave you theknowledge that you didn't know
to begin with.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (19:59):
Yeah, definitely.
Like, I was always like, I wasalways a very like socially
awkward and anxious kind ofperson.
And Pokemon is that really anicebreaker with Pokemon Go.
Pokemon gave me so much moreconfidence and things that it's,
it's nice to be able to giveback to the, a game that has
helped me so much.
if I told Kitty of seven yearsago that I just started playing
Pokemon that like, by the way,in 2022, you're going to go to
(20:20):
London by yourself and meet upwith complete strangers from the
internet that you've never metbefore and have like the best
time.
She would have laughed at me andbeen like, no, she wouldn't go
on the train by herself likedon't be daft.
You've never do any of that byyourself.
And no, I did and I will bedoing it again.
At Worlds, I met all theIncensed podcast lads, uh, who
are a really nice bunch and getto see them again, which will be
good and let's say the otherGoHub writers.
(20:41):
And then also, let's say get totake my local community with me
because like Facebook messengerchat, I think every single one
of us is going, which isamazing.
so just to be with them at sucha huge event and, um, hopefully
get some shinies, I'm also notlike hugely fussed if I don't
get many shinies because I justthink there might never be
another Go Fest in London.
I might not ever get to go toone again.
So just to actually be luckyenough that I can go to this one
(21:03):
just to get to experience it.
David Hernandez (21:05):
That's what I was gonna say.
It sounds like you're moreinterested in trying to
appreciate the moment that'sgonna come into your backyard
because you don't know when'sthe next time you go to a Go
Fest
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (21:12):
Yeah, exactly like all the other ones
have previously been like inGermany.
So when there was rumors of thisone, we all started to get quite
hyped.
And it was like, if this is areal thing, like this is viable
for me, I can do this.
I can travel to London and likethat could work and Then
obviously it has all thankfullyfallen into place where I can
get the time off work.
I can afford to travel.
I could afford the hotel andthings.
It's like fantastic.
(21:33):
I'm going to do it.
I'm going to spend far too muchmoney doing it, but it will be
worth it for the week.
David Hernandez (21:38):
Oh that's awesome.
let's go back to the Go Hubarticles.
The one thing I love that you dois I love that you do the AR
showcase cuz it really bringsout the creativity that's within
the Pokemon Go community,especially with the AR
community.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (21:50):
I think I feel like we're such like a
small kind of underappreciatedcommunity, as the communities go
for it and it is.
It's my absolute favorite thingthat I get to do every single
month like it wasn't my ideaoriginally.
There was another writer whoused to do it, who's left.
So when they left, I was like,can I take that over?
Cause I wanted to be able tokeep doing it and seeing all the
different submissions everymonth and seeing how creative
people get.
And that inspires me in turn.
(22:11):
And I used to submit to thembefore I was in charge of them.
The buzz from seeing your workon a website that you read is
amazing, and like, maybe you'llmake the header one day or
something, like, every month Itry to pick someone different
who's done something amazing tobe the header, because I know
how buzzing I would have been ifmy picture had ever been chosen
for the header, so I considerthat to be, like, my ultimate
little, like, you're awesomestamp for someone, and I hope,
(22:32):
people are as excited as I amwhen I pick them for it.
it's just such a nice thing tobe able to do and highlight our
little community, because like,there's so many bugs and stuff
in AR and Niantic just don'teven acknowledge them existing,
so I feel like we're very muchleft by the wayside considering
it is an AR game, but there's agood group of us, there's a good
bunch of us that are still doingit and still enjoying it.
David Hernandez (22:51):
What's something would like to see
implemented within AR thatdoesn't currently exist?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (22:56):
I'd love to see them do more expressions
and things for the Pokemonbecause the animations are so
limited and lots of theanimations are broken from what
they used to be as well.
buddy mode is broken and hasbeen for a year and a half, two
years at this point, they don'twant to acknowledge it as
broken.
so I just want to see moreoptions in variation for the
expressions and things, and thenthere's some of the other
(23:16):
Niantic games, like I also playPikmin Bloom, the AR in that is
so much better.
Obviously the AR in Peridot, somuch more intelligent, but like
none of that seems to betransferring into Go, but I
think that's because.
People just don't think aboutthat side of it as much.
So people aren't as interested.
So they're not as interested indeveloping it, but like we're
here.
David Hernandez (23:34):
That's what I noticed, because I play Peridot
as well and I noticed the AR,like you said you get the
expressions, there so much to dowith it, Peridot, was like, can
we do that Pokemon can I likethrow a ball to an Eevee or a
Growlithe and let them go catchit?
Like I would love to see some ofthat stuff.
Implement, didn't go.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (23:50):
it would It really would be like, having
the option to do, like, a bunchof different tricks with it,
like you can in Peridot andthings, like, just more than the
two animations that we get.
it would make the Pokémon somuch more real and make people
bond with them further, and itwould be so good to see that.
David Hernandez (24:03):
Well, Kitty, that's a show.
Before we do close the show,where can people check out your
articles?
Where can people connect withyou?
By all means, please plug away.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (24:11):
Uh, so I have, both TikTok and Instagram,
uh, under KittyPokemonsAlot thenTwitter is currently
KittyRambles and then on GoHub,if you go on the GoHub front
page, there will always be anarticle by me, and then if you
click on my name, you'll seeeverything I've written, which
there is far too much to read.
I'm nearly always got somethingon the front page on there, so,
easy to find.
David Hernandez (24:30):
Cool beans.
And I'll make sure to includelinks to everything she said in
the description of today'sepisode.
Thank you for listening to Asthe Pokéball Turns.
If you want to support the show,consider becoming a patron by
either clicking the link in thedescription or going to
patreon.com/asthepokéballturns.
Now here's a sneak peek for thenext episode of As the Pokéball
Turns.
My name is David Hernandez, and you're
(00:01):
listening to As the PokeballTurns.
(00:44):
Welcome to as the PokeballTurns, where the stories are
real and people still play thisgame.
In past episodes, I've had theprivilege of diving into both
journalism and photography withcertain guests.
In this episode, We combine bothof them, and we have a guest who
has spent hours promoting thecreativity of the AR community
through works like the ARshowcase.
(01:04):
With her passion for ARphotography and her love for
Pokemon Go, she has written 666articles for GoHub at the time
of this interview.
What may initially sound likethe devil's number for many is a
sign of her dedication andpassion from her when it comes
to writing, photography, andPokemon.
One could say that she reallyloves Pokemon a lot.
(01:24):
From the United Kingdom, Here'sher origin story into the world
of Pokemon Go, this is KittyPokemon's A Lot.
today I'm joined by KittyPokemons A Lot.
She is a writer for Pokemon GoHub, the self proclaimed AR
queen, and a lover of horrormovies.
Kitty, thank you for coming onto the show.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (01:43):
Thank you so much for inviting me.
David Hernandez (01:45):
For sure, and I gotta ask this question because
I know we're not going to beable to ask this later on.
What are some of your favoritehorror movies?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (01:51):
I am a huge lover of found footage
horror films.
so Blair Witch is a classic.
I have a Blair Witch tattooeven.
and then there's a film calledAs Above So Below, which is all
set in the Paris catacombs.
That's amazing.
there's some really obscure onesI keep, like, a list of all of
the ones that I watch because,sometimes they're really hard to
find but there's one called,Alien Abduction Incident in Lake
(02:12):
County that's really old andit's all filmed on like the
worst camcorders ever but socreepy and brilliant the way
it's done.
I'm also really into scream likeI have a, I have a ghost face
tattoo but it's like a subtleghost face tattoo.
So like every now and then I'llfind people staring at me being
like is that, a ghost facetattoo?
And it's like yeah it is, just asmall secret.
Whichever.
David Hernandez (02:30):
I grew up on, Freddy Krueger and Halloween.
All those are more slasherfilms.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (02:34):
Yes, I love, I love slashes as well
David Hernandez (02:36):
but anyway, we're not here to talk about
horror movies.
Unfortunately, that's going tobe different podcast.
I want to ask, like, what's yourexperience with Pokemon?
Like, when did you first startplaying?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (02:44):
I think, I was, like, about 11 or 12 when
the card game really startedtaking off in England, and so
very early was collecting thecards and I have a very like
distinct memory of being, like,I was, like, the first kid in my
school to get a Charizard, andeveryone was so excited And I
was, one of the youngest in theschool and an older kid trying
to buy it off me and things butit all started with the cards
(03:04):
and then spiraled out of controlfrom there.
David Hernandez (03:08):
base one Charizard, you're probably
sitting on potential retirementmoney right
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (03:11):
I hope so.
It would be good.
I've got some of my early ones.
I found a few out recently, butI know there's like a whole,
it's like a old CD case full ofthem because I never had
anything like proper to storethem in but I know that they're
all in little card sleeves andstuff and they are somewhere in
the attic.
David Hernandez (03:27):
Do you have a favorite Pokemon at all?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (03:29):
I have several, but the one I'm most
known for is, is Turtwig.
I am known as Turtwig's numberone fan.
but then Psyduck is a closesecond.
I have, chronic clusterheadaches and hemiplegic
migraines, so I identify verymuch with Psyduck.
David Hernandez (03:40):
Now, do you have any Psychic Powers, though?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (03:42):
I wish I did, but no, unfortunately not.
David Hernandez (03:45):
Did you ever get a chance play any of the
main series games?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (03:47):
No, I never had any consoles or
anything until I was like about18.
my little brother always had aGame Boy.
So we went to Texas to visitsome friends and he bought a
Game Boy Color when we werethere and bought, red, I think
it was.
it was his game, not mine.
So it was always, having to besneaky when he wasn't playing
it.
So I bought a Switch a few yearsago and then got really back
(04:08):
into it with Sword and Shieldand then I'm very obsessed with
Scarlet and Violet.
I think they're reallybrilliant.
I just think the open worldmechanic worked so well, and
just made it so much moreinteresting.
I can just, stay in one area forhours and feel like I'm not
really accomplishing anythingstory wise, but there's just so
much to do and so much to seethat I don't care that I've not
really gone anywhere andaccomplished anything
technically.
David Hernandez (04:29):
What's your team that you're playing with,
Scarlet or Violet?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (04:32):
I've got a shiny great tusk in there.
which was the first shiny Ifound, and I just found it
randomly the first time I got inArea 0, so that went straight on
the team.
Mycorrhidon, because I love theway that they let you bond with
the legendaries in it, so assoon as I got my second one,
that went in the team.
I'm trying to switch everythingout for shiny variations of
stuff at the moment.
I think I've got Warchan inthere just because I love the
(04:53):
idea that it's like a snail,like, or a slug, it's just a
ridiculous creature and I loveit.
David Hernandez (04:59):
So Pokemon Go comes out in 2016.
Did you play the very first day?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (05:03):
I downloaded it a day before it
got released in England throughlike a dodgy APK because I was
desperate to be playing it.
it was like everyone's childhooddream come true to get to play
Pokemon like in real life andwalk around and catch them.
You know, what we'd all dreamedof as being kids.
So the second I found an APK, itwas immediately downloaded so I
could play it.
And then the next day it gotreleased properly.
(05:23):
So then I downloaded the properversion of it.
But from day one.
So I think from in England, Ithink it was like the 13th of
July, I think it got released.
David Hernandez (05:30):
What was it like when Pokemon Go debuted
over in England?
Like, were people going toparks?
Like, what was the hotspot thatpeople would go to?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (05:37):
Yeah, it's definitely like where I live, I
live in like a smaller village.
So there's still no one reallyhere who plays all these years
later, but the nearest town, itwas so many people you could,
turn up to anywhere and it wasso easy to spot all the go
players because there'd begroups and little herds of
people on their phones and you'dsee everyone suddenly fleeing,
looking for a Snorlax that hadbeen rumoured, and there used to
be so many of us for like theearly events and things, they're
(06:00):
petered off a bit now, but backthen it would be, you could
easily guarantee there'd be atleast 50 people in the local
parks nearly every day playing.
David Hernandez (06:07):
You said you're in a small village, so is that
kind of like you were in a ruralarea?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (06:11):
Yes, I write a bit of a series on GoHub
and I tend to call myself semirural because I'm very aware
that the difference between likemy rural in England and then
someone's rural in some statesin America, etc.
can be very drasticallydifferent things.
So where I live, there'sprobably like one and a half
thousand people.
Um, you know, there's like alittle, a little shop and that's
about it.
I travel pretty much for everyevent that I do over to the
(06:32):
nearest towns because there's noone else to play here with like
we've got a lot of Pokestops andgyms because I've submitted
them.
but no one else actually playwith.
David Hernandez (06:39):
What's the biggest challenge, you know,
playing in a small town likewhere you're from?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (06:43):
A mobile signal.
And there's like a whole part ofthe village that I live in is
just completely unplayablebecause there's no signal at
all.
So there's like another littlepark and things that could
easily be a Pokestop, butthere's no signal here to even
attempt to submit it or load upthe game with even.
Not even worth attempting toplay.
David Hernandez (07:01):
It's like basically the phone just goes
dead whenever to go into thatarea.
It's like a force field almost.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (07:06):
Yeah, probably more of like, the newer
buildings and things.
You get to a certain point youjust walk across the line and
that's it.
You're in an immediate dead zoneand that whole area is a dead
zone, so you're very restrictedin the area you can actually
play in.
David Hernandez (07:18):
What was it about Pokemon Go that appealed
to you?
Because you said it was a dreamcome true.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (07:22):
Yeah, like when you're a kid, like, I
never, I didn't really have anypets growing up or anything, so
for me it was, like, the idea ofbeing able to have, like, a
Pokémon and actually have themcome around with me in the real
world.
That idea was just so cool tome, and it didn't matter that I
was in my late 20s by thatpoint, it was still very much a
dream come true to be able toactually have Pokémon in the
real world to go and catch, sostraight away that appealed to
me.
(07:42):
then obviously once they'dintroduced, like, the buddy
system and things, like, gettingto bond with your Pokémon more
it was all I'd wanted from beingable to collect Pokémon as a kid
to actually then be able tocollect them as an adult and
take them out with me onadventures and, you know, make
memories with them and things.
As weird as that sounds, like Ilike to try and collect Smiggles
whenever we go like away ontrips and things.
You know, like name them afterplaces we've been and things
(08:03):
like that.
They're all like little memoriesof all different places that
I've been to.
David Hernandez (08:07):
That's awesome.
So you actually do the ARsnapshot for Smurgles wherever
you visit and you just name itafter the place you're from?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (08:13):
Yeah, I've got quite a few different ones.
And then, like, a lot of, like,the mythicals, I'll try and wait
and catch them in special placesas well, so, like, Cosmog it was
mine and my husband's seventhwedding anniversary, and we went
on a trip to a city called York.
so I waited and deliberatelycaught it there instead you
know, rather than catch itlocally, I wanted to make sure I
could catch it somewhere thatwas a little bit more special.
I've got one that I caught whenI was at Worlds last year.
(08:34):
so I always keep that and thenlike, you know, a few named
after different holidays andthings and places I've been, so
they're just nice littlememories to keep.
David Hernandez (08:40):
the fun part is, is just how people have
gotten creative with Pokemon Goand how they can store memories
of, even if you would just thinkeveryday trips, like your case,
you did Smurgles, which is verycreative.
Now you can do stuff like withpostcards, which thankfully
Niantic did that because thatreally made it a lot more
easier.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (08:56):
Although I'm always running on about five
spaces for postcards, I'mterrible, and I'm obsessed with
the postcard system.
all my friends when they go onholiday will send me things from
like iconic historical placesand things, so I save them all
and, All of my Japanese ARphotographer pals are always
sending me them from all the um,all the manhole covers and stuff
that they have.
so I am that person that hasactually paid cash money to
(09:17):
expand my postcard collection.
to have some more.
David Hernandez (09:20):
No, no judgment at all.
So what's your way to playPokemon Go?
Like, what's, what do you enjoydoing within the game?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (09:26):
so I'm definitely shiny hunter.
as soon as a new shiny isreleased, my gameplay is going
to go up dramatically comparedto in between events times.
but I tried to do my dailyadventure incense every day,
I've got like a nice littleroute worked out where I live.
My other favorite thing is theAR thing.
So I will travel out sometimesto specific areas with the only
intention being to take photosbecause...
(09:48):
particularly during like, thelockdowns and stuff during
COVID, it was one part of thegame that you could play all the
time, and it didn't reallymatter, that I couldn't go out
properly, and actually go aroundand hunt or anything and see
people.
I could still go in my gardenand make my Pokémon teeny tiny,
and take photos of them andthings, and at least feel I had
some sort of creative outlet.
David Hernandez (10:07):
No, that's fair and I love how creative you get
with your photos actually.
Cause I know that there's ateeny tiny glitch that you've
introduced, right?
Or is that you found it, or Iknow you did an article on it.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (10:15):
Yeah, I've done.
I've done a few articles on afew different techniques, but
the tiny Pokemon I think it was,the photographer called Ash
Ketchup.
he was the first person I sawdoing it.
And then there's anothertechnique called Pokemon, which
is like a throwback to An actualphotography style where using a
really shallow depth of field,with like lights and things
behind and people would call itbokeh, because the lights out of
(10:36):
focus would look reallybeautiful.
So you kind of trick your camerainto being in focus on your hand
or something blocking the lens,move your hand away and then
really, really quickly take thepicture before your phone's had
the chance to readjust and puteverything back in focus,
because obviously, like, ifyou're taking a photo with a
real camera of someone, like, aportrait, not everything is
going to be in focus, so it'skind of a way to trick it with
Pokemon Go AR now to kind ofmake it a bit more realistic.
David Hernandez (10:58):
What is it about ar photos that you enjoy
the most?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (11:01):
many years back, I was a photographer.
I used to do like a lot offashion photography, odd
weddings and things.
but I developed carpal tunnelsyndrome, so I couldn't lift the
camera anymore.
Basically, my hands are Kind ofruined from that.
I've had the surgeries and whenI had the surgeries, I thought
great I'm gonna be able to putmy camera up again and
unfortunately no such luck.
I've got permanent nerve damageThankfully, I'm left handed, my
(11:21):
left hand is a lot better thanmy right hand but obviously kind
of need both of them with heavyequipment and things and that
all happened Early 2016 that wasall happening, and then just as
Pokemon Go was coming out waswhen I had my surgeries, so then
realizing that I could takephotos with that, I was like
right, okay I can hold my phonefor a lot longer, I can do that.
So I might not be able to likelift my heavy camera anymore and
take photos of people, but I cantake photos of Pokemon and
(11:43):
that'll at least feel like I'venot given up completely.
David Hernandez (11:46):
It sounds like AR photos allowed you to
combine, you know, the priorpassion you have with
photography with your love ofPokemon, as well as just living
out the dream of going on ajourney.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (11:55):
Yeah, definitely.
I'd say it was something that Iwas, I was really devastated to
kind of lose that as a part ofmy life like I've still got all
my gear, all my equipment allthese years later.
I'm not like let myself get ridof it because now I'm still
hopeful that one day maybe myhands will be okay enough, but
it's nice to be able to stillhave that little bit of my life
I thought it was going to haveto be gone, but actually, you
know, just swapped people forPokemon instead and Pokemon are
much cuter and nicer to dealwith than people.
(12:17):
So,
David Hernandez (12:19):
so you mentioned you have carpal tunnel
syndrome, does that affect howyou play the game at all, having
carpal tunnel syndrome?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (12:24):
Yeah, it definitely does.
I do have to be careful, likewhen we do daylong events and
things, cuz I know by the end ofthe day, I mostly hold my phone
in my right hand and then use myleft hand.
I, I can't do it one-handedbecause I just don't have the
dexterity in my hands to do it.
I have to have, like a popsocket or something similar to
help take the weight of thephone.
the last time I upgraded myphone, important thing for me
(12:45):
was the size and the weight ofthe phone being lighter than my
old one.
So I did loads of research onthat to try and make sure I had,
like, a good phone still, butthat was a lot lighter than my
old one because it was, such aproblem for me but it, it also
means that, like, PVP.
just not that accessible for mebecause the repetitive movements
over and over again quickly justit's not going to happen for me.
My hands are not quick enough orgood enough for the PVP
unfortunately.
David Hernandez (13:06):
Does it make it to where like it's too painful
or it's just to the point towhere you just can't do that
motion fast enough?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (13:12):
It's to the point where it's painful, so
I just have to be careful withit.
So like, I'm going to London forGoFest in August.
I know that I am going to payfor it big time the next day,
but that's fine.
I will do one day of playing andthen the next day will be
socializing day and not reallyusing my phone it'll be relying
on the plus plus, and not havingto worry about the hands too
much.
David Hernandez (13:32):
How excited are you for GoFest??
Because it's right in yourbackyard, correct?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (13:35):
It is, yeah.
Um, I'm actually, I'm draggingmy husband to it and I don't
think he has any concept of whathe's letting himself in for with
it because he doesn't reallyplay Pokemon Go.
he's very supportive and all ofmy Pokemon nerdiness, but he
doesn't really play it.
He mostly has only played itover the years, more when, so
events, obviously now events areall local time, but they didn't
used to be.
So most events used to start,like, when I was asleep, but he
(13:57):
has to get up for work aboutfour hours before I do.
So he would wake up, log in thegame, catch the new things, and
then send me screenshots totorment me with before, you
know, so that he already had thenew shiny things in the game, or
the new Pokédex entries beforeI'd even woken up, so his
interest mostly in Pokémon hasbeen there to tease me.
But he's going to come down withme.
We've got about, I think it'sabout four hours on the train
for us.
(14:17):
we're actually, we're going downfrom the Wednesday through to
this Saturday with our play daybeing the Friday, very, very
excited at this point.
And nearly all of my localcommunity are going as well.
There's a huge amount of usgoing, so it should be
brilliant.
David Hernandez (14:29):
Is this your first GoFest?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (14:31):
It is.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Um, a lot of my friends didGermany, but like because of my
carpal tunnel over the years.
And then I also, I have achronic pain condition as well.
So things like traveling toGermany and things was just not
as viable for me when I was moreunwell.
So London is very doable becauseit doesn't involve any flying.
It doesn't involve any jet lag.
I can take things easy and Iknow the area and things.
So very excited for it.
David Hernandez (14:52):
Now earlier you said you got to attend Worlds.
What was that like?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (14:55):
It was amazing.
I had no idea what to expect,really.
I went by myself and met up witha few of the other GoHub
writers.
Until last year, I'd neveractually met any of the other
GoHub writers in person, whichwas, so that was quite a surreal
thing.
Like Adam had flown over fromAustralia to compete.
which was amazing because Ididn't think I would ever get to
meet one of our Australianwriters and then Jellybean who
we consider like to be the mumof GoHub Uh was there and then
(15:18):
Spindiana as well.
All of whom bar Adam, he's goingto be at the Japanese GoFest,
But both Jellybean and Spindianawill be at London again as well.
So we'll get to hang out againas well.
got to meet a lot of like theinfluencers, content creators,
and stuff that I really admireand I caught a shiny 0% Unown-N,
so I got a real good trophy outof it as well.
David Hernandez (15:39):
That's awesome.
That's a good memory rightthere.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (15:41):
I was very excited about that one, and I
was in the hall while we werewatching the finals as well, so
really good fun.
David Hernandez (15:46):
You've been listening to As the Pokeball
Turns.
We're going to take a quickbreak.
We'll be right back.
(17:42):
So, earlier you mentioned howyou write for GoHub.
how did that all begin?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (17:47):
Years ago, I used to be a plus size fashion
blogger.
so I've written for a lot ofyears and I used to write for
like a body positivity magazine.
Pokemon go came out and I gotreally into that.
I kind of slowly abandonedfashion blogging because, number
one, I just don't care that muchabout fashion.
So I don't know why I ever didit in the first place.
and once you've written anarticle about Demi Lovato being
(18:07):
treated badly by the media andhad Demi Lovato's stans come
after you, you can't have a lotless interested in the whole
scene.
so when I used to read GoHubevery single day, it was always
like my go to place forinformation, so then when, Zero,
boss at Go Hub posted up thatthey were looking for writers.
I was like, oh, I, I can I writethings?
I can totally do that.
and that was, I think that wasthree years ago.
(18:28):
This week I hit like 6 66articles.
So
David Hernandez (18:31):
ooh, devil's number.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (18:32):
where once I realized it, then I was like,
well, now's a little screenshotof that cuz it's another one of
those things that I got into andthen it spirals out of control.
David Hernandez (18:39):
Well, you must be pretty passionate about
writing because before you didblog story, you did fashion.
Now you do stuff about Pokemon.
What is it about writing thatmakes you want to keep creating?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (18:48):
I was always interested in writing
like when I was a teenager and Iwas a little emo kid.
I used to write terrible poetryas many little emo kids did and
things and then I got older andthen I did an English degree
thinking that that would beuseful or helpful in some way,
uh, my day job involves maths,so it's not useful or helpful in
any way, as it turns out.
Um,
David Hernandez (19:08):
complete opposite of what usually people
do.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (19:12):
I couldn't be any further from it because
now I do accounts for a living,so nothing helpful at all in my
English degree, but I alwayswanted to just keep on writing.
I had a teacher who was reallyadamant that I would get to do
something really cool one daywith writing, so I was like,
I'll just keep doing bits and,keep doing things.
Let's say now it's out to GoHuband I like that I can feel like
I'm being helpful to thecommunity because Obviously, we
know that Niantic'scommunication is not necessarily
(19:33):
the best and I know how helpfulI found it like especially
before I was writing things likethe raid guides and you know
Being able to share them withpeople and help people be able
to take down raids moresuccessfully and things.
It's it's really I really lovebeing able to be a part of that
and, you know, help otherpeople, in the way that I felt
like I was being helped by GOHub, and now I get to be that
person, so it's a real privilegeto get to do it.
David Hernandez (19:55):
It's like you're giving back to the
community that gave you theknowledge that you didn't know
to begin with.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (19:59):
Yeah, definitely.
Like, I was always like, I wasalways a very like socially
awkward and anxious kind ofperson.
And Pokemon is that really anicebreaker with Pokemon Go.
Pokemon gave me so much moreconfidence and things that it's,
it's nice to be able to giveback to the, a game that has
helped me so much.
if I told Kitty of seven yearsago that I just started playing
Pokemon that like, by the way,in 2022, you're going to go to
(20:20):
London by yourself and meet upwith complete strangers from the
internet that you've never metbefore and have like the best
time.
She would have laughed at me andbeen like, no, she wouldn't go
on the train by herself likedon't be daft.
You've never do any of that byyourself.
And no, I did and I will bedoing it again.
At Worlds, I met all theIncensed podcast lads, uh, who
are a really nice bunch and getto see them again, which will be
good and let's say the otherGoHub writers.
(20:41):
And then also, let's say get totake my local community with me
because like Facebook messengerchat, I think every single one
of us is going, which isamazing.
so just to be with them at sucha huge event and, um, hopefully
get some shinies, I'm also notlike hugely fussed if I don't
get many shinies because I justthink there might never be
another Go Fest in London.
I might not ever get to go toone again.
So just to actually be luckyenough that I can go to this one
(21:03):
just to get to experience it.
David Hernandez (21:05):
That's what I was gonna say.
It sounds like you're moreinterested in trying to
appreciate the moment that'sgonna come into your backyard
because you don't know when'sthe next time you go to a Go
Fest
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (21:12):
Yeah, exactly like all the other ones
have previously been like inGermany.
So when there was rumors of thisone, we all started to get quite
hyped.
And it was like, if this is areal thing, like this is viable
for me, I can do this.
I can travel to London and likethat could work and Then
obviously it has all thankfullyfallen into place where I can
get the time off work.
I can afford to travel.
I could afford the hotel andthings.
It's like fantastic.
(21:33):
I'm going to do it.
I'm going to spend far too muchmoney doing it, but it will be
worth it for the week.
David Hernandez (21:38):
Oh that's awesome.
let's go back to the Go Hubarticles.
The one thing I love that you dois I love that you do the AR
showcase cuz it really bringsout the creativity that's within
the Pokemon Go community,especially with the AR
community.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (21:50):
I think I feel like we're such like a
small kind of underappreciatedcommunity, as the communities go
for it and it is.
It's my absolute favorite thingthat I get to do every single
month like it wasn't my ideaoriginally.
There was another writer whoused to do it, who's left.
So when they left, I was like,can I take that over?
Cause I wanted to be able tokeep doing it and seeing all the
different submissions everymonth and seeing how creative
people get.
And that inspires me in turn.
(22:11):
And I used to submit to thembefore I was in charge of them.
The buzz from seeing your workon a website that you read is
amazing, and like, maybe you'llmake the header one day or
something, like, every month Itry to pick someone different
who's done something amazing tobe the header, because I know
how buzzing I would have been ifmy picture had ever been chosen
for the header, so I considerthat to be, like, my ultimate
little, like, you're awesomestamp for someone, and I hope,
(22:32):
people are as excited as I amwhen I pick them for it.
it's just such a nice thing tobe able to do and highlight our
little community, because like,there's so many bugs and stuff
in AR and Niantic just don'teven acknowledge them existing,
so I feel like we're very muchleft by the wayside considering
it is an AR game, but there's agood group of us, there's a good
bunch of us that are still doingit and still enjoying it.
David Hernandez (22:51):
What's something would like to see
implemented within AR thatdoesn't currently exist?
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (22:56):
I'd love to see them do more expressions
and things for the Pokemonbecause the animations are so
limited and lots of theanimations are broken from what
they used to be as well.
buddy mode is broken and hasbeen for a year and a half, two
years at this point, they don'twant to acknowledge it as
broken.
so I just want to see moreoptions in variation for the
expressions and things, and thenthere's some of the other
(23:16):
Niantic games, like I also playPikmin Bloom, the AR in that is
so much better.
Obviously the AR in Peridot, somuch more intelligent, but like
none of that seems to betransferring into Go, but I
think that's because.
People just don't think aboutthat side of it as much.
So people aren't as interested.
So they're not as interested indeveloping it, but like we're
here.
David Hernandez (23:34):
That's what I noticed, because I play Peridot
as well and I noticed the AR,like you said you get the
expressions, there so much to dowith it, Peridot, was like, can
we do that Pokemon can I likethrow a ball to an Eevee or a
Growlithe and let them go catchit?
Like I would love to see some ofthat stuff.
Implement, didn't go.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (23:50):
it would It really would be like, having
the option to do, like, a bunchof different tricks with it,
like you can in Peridot andthings, like, just more than the
two animations that we get.
it would make the Pokémon somuch more real and make people
bond with them further, and itwould be so good to see that.
David Hernandez (24:03):
Well, Kitty, that's a show.
Before we do close the show,where can people check out your
articles?
Where can people connect withyou?
By all means, please plug away.
Kitty Pokemons A Lot (24:11):
Uh, so I have, both TikTok and Instagram,
uh, under KittyPokemonsAlot thenTwitter is currently
KittyRambles and then on GoHub,if you go on the GoHub front
page, there will always be anarticle by me, and then if you
click on my name, you'll seeeverything I've written, which
there is far too much to read.
I'm nearly always got somethingon the front page on there, so,
easy to find.
David Hernandez (24:30):
Cool beans.
And I'll make sure to includelinks to everything she said in
the description of today'sepisode.
Thank you for listening to Asthe Pokéball Turns.
If you want to support the show,consider becoming a patron by
either clicking the link in thedescription or going to
patreon.com/asthepokéballturns.
Now here's a sneak peek for thenext episode of As the Pokéball
Turns.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.