“Pokémon Go? I played launch day,” Says Genica Short, the Community Ambassador for Life is Short, Catch Pokémon, a group formed on Campfire, the social media app built for Pokémon Go. Life is Short, Catch Pokémon is located in Downtown Colorado Springs and has over 4000 members. Short has been leading the group since the summer of 2024. Sitting at a restaurant downtown she tells the story of her first day playing Pokémon Go. On launch day, her friend group gathered in Downtown Colorado Springs to play. “I think actually right out here [at Colorado Ave. and S Tejon St.] was the first Venusaur that ever spawned in the game and you saw all of downtown Colorado just run.” says Short.
Pokémon Go is run by the company Niantic, and in 2022 they launched the Campfire App and the Community Ambassador Program. Campfire users join or create groups where they can communicate with other players to set up events, trade with each other, and play the game together. The Community Ambassador Program is Niantic’s way of recruiting players to organize local events and build up communities. Community Ambassador-hosted meetups provide players with in-game rewards. Short and her co-ambassador, Ginny, organize meetups, plan giveaways during large events, and communicate information from Niantic to the community. The community drives Short and she does everything she can to create the best experience for the group. All the work done by Community Ambassadors for their groups is on their own time. Short says that the most surprising thing for people is that she does this work for free.
The Pokémon Go community in Colorado Springs extends beyond the Downtown area. Many players play within the Campfire group Colorado Springs North Raiders, run by Community Ambassador Micheal Culp. Culp has been a Community Ambassador since March 2025 and has been a prominent figure for many years. Culp created the group on Campfire because they met the criteria for a Community Ambassador and wanted to make it official. Colorado Springs North Raiders play at Cottonwood Creek park. Culp’s ambassador status allowed for Cottonwood to become a ‘campsite’ location. A ‘campsite’ is a Niantic sponsored location to play Pokémon Go. Niantic adds additional gyms, pokestops, and powerspots making it a great place to play the game and connect with other players. Culp and his Co-Ambassador Jesse work together to lead events and grow their Pokémon Go community.
When Pokémon Go came out in 2016, the initial success was widely credited to nostalgia among the large Millennial player base, according to multiple news articles written when Pokémon Go first released. Nintendo celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise in February 2026. “Growing up with [Pokémon], it was a pretty large part of my life as an adolescent and as a teenager,” says Rose Grigg, the Store Lead at Cacao Chemistry located on N Tejon St.
The Pokémon franchise impacts its wide audience through its many films and tv shows, trading cards, and video games; and by facilitating real friendship and connections between fans. The games are about collecting ‘Pokémon,’ which are animal-like creatures, and using them to battle other players and stronger Pokémon. The games themselves invite many different play styles, further contributing to the wide audience and fans’ deep connection with the game.
Pokémon Go’s biggest strength is encouraging people to connect with each other and play together in real life. “[It inspires] people across different generations to hang out, to talk, to chat.” says Grigg, “It’s one of those things where even though there’s a huge age gap between us we can still find common ground.” Pokémon Go connects people through their common interest in collecting Pokémon. In Colorado Springs, players meet up every week to play together, “It’s not even just a game at this point. It’s the one thing that people look forward to.” Short explains. Short loves introducing new players to the group by greeting every new face and teaching people about Campfire. One night, while riding in a car with friends, she was able to connect two players with the community just by noticing they were playing. Her group stopped and yelled out the window, “Are you guys playing Pokémon too?” and now these two players are regulars at meetups.
According to ActivePlayer.io, Pokémon Go has over 7.5 million daily users on Android devices alone. Many people use Pokémon Go for their social life; they go to events not only to play, but to meet new people and spend time with friends and family. Short’s introductions have led to tons of people making new friends and really coming out of their shell, “I’ve watched literally thousands of people who have ‘social anxiety’ turn into people that have more confidence than they ever thought they could,” She explains. Pokémon Go connects people to each other and to their communities by encouraging exploring and connection.
One of the local businesses downtown noticed the Pokémon Community outside their shop. Cacao Chemistry, owned by Sam Lang and Travis Ashing, is a chocolate shop located on N Tejon St. During Pokémon event days they hang a sign that says “Show us your favorite Pikachu and get 10% off.” Grigg explains, “You want to have something that helps incentivize people to come in from outside.” In today’s world real life connections are so important, and the Pokémon Community combined with this business’s ingenuity has helped create more in-person connections for the people of Downtown Colorado Springs.
Short and Culp are two of thousands of Community Ambassadors across the country and throughout the world. They work together and with their Co-Ambassadors to facilitate connections between people, the game, and the community. Many people think that Pokémon Go is dead, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Pokémon Go is a game that builds connections between people who may have never spoken otherwise. The Pokémon franchise has a powerful ability to connect people and provide fans with so much more than entertainment.
