Players can help Niantic determine which points of interest should be added to its games.
Last year, Niantic launched the Niantic Wayfarer platform, which allows Pokemon Go and Ingress players to review nominations for potential “Wayspots” (think PokeStops or Gyms in Pokemon Go), as well as nominate locations that they would like to see added to the company’s games.
Since Niantic’s games encourage players to visit real-world locations (like museums, statues, and parks), this program allows the community to help Niantic keep its maps up to date with new and interesting locations to visit.
In order to join Niantic Wayfarer, you have to reach a specific level in Pokemon Go or Ingress, as well as pass an entry test. This week, Niantic lowered the level requirements to join Wayfarer.
With this change, Pokemon Go players who have reached Level 38, and Ingress players who have reached Level 10, can join the Niantic Wayfarer community. In a blog post, Niantic said the level requirements for nominating PokeStops and Portals have remained the same.
In addition, Pokemon Go players that are part of Wayfarer can now earn an in-game Medal in Pokemon Go related to their participation in the Wayfarer program. Specifically, Wayfarer will reward Pokemon Go players based on the number of “Agreements” they’ve earned on Wayfarer while their profile on the platform was in “good” or green standing.
(For a bit of context, Wayfarer users earn “Agreements” points when their decisions on nominations match the overall community’s decisions. Each user is also given a performance rating — red, yellow, or green — which can change over time.)
Since Pokemon Go players may have earned Agreements points before this Medal was introduced, the Medal will count points retroactively so players receive credit for all of the points they’ve earned.
For more information on this week’s change (including more information related to Ingress specifically), head over to Niantic’s blog.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
