Another Vanguard farewell - and thank you

edited February 2020 in General

It is with a heavy heart that I join @MM207A in resigning as a Vanguard. Ingress has truly changed my life for the better. I have met people who will be friends for life - I hope to include many of you on that list. I have grown tremendously as a person, and learned a ton about myself and how to work with others. I am grateful for the skills I have gained, and the ridiculous and amazing adventures I have had pursuing green lines and triangles, and trying to move virtual triangles from one portal to another. It has been a pretty wild ride!

I have felt for quite a while that the magic of Ingress is gone. Changes over the last year have led to hemorrhaging of active players and decimation of our active communities. Some of that is probably expected - things change, and it is not reasonable to expect the game to retain that same sense of wonder and enthusiasm for its entire life span. I do think it is reasonable, however, for the company that makes the game to recognize that things are not going in the right direction, and listen to the voices of players who know the issues. I think it’s reasonable for the company that makes the game to understand and value the unpaid labor that has built their game, and that has run their live events for years. I think it’s reasonable for the company that makes the game to value the players enough to make meaningful and transparent changes in enforcing the rules, and for that company to not rely on unpaid labor to police the game for them. Unfortunately, the company that makes our game of Ingress does not seem to be reasonable, and has not shown itself capable of doing any of those things. 

There are some really good people who work for Niantic - I do not think this is necessarily a personnel issue. It feels clear to me that as a company, Niantic does not value Ingress enough to understand it - to REALLY understand it. I have messaged this point consistently for two years in the Vanguard program, and I’m at the point where I just don’t want to keep saying the same things anymore. I have devoted a lot of time to making this game a success, and I’m really proud of what this group of people has accomplished. I no longer feel, however, that there is will or capacity on a corporate level to support Ingress as it needs to be supported to survive and thrive.

I am really grateful for the chance to have met so many interesting, creative, committed, and enthusiastic players through this silly game. Thank you to all those who I have met in person, who have carried the Yonicorn banner, run around with me in a strange city, or did whatever ridiculous I asked you to do via comm, Hangouts, Telegram, Slack and even (God help me!) GroupMe! The players are the true treasure of this game and I want all of you to know that I think you are spectacular and my life is better for having worked with you. Thank you thank you thank you <3

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Comments

  • Today is popcorn worthy

  • Be well and I'm glad to have met you and the many discussions and opportunities to work on things these past years @pinesinger, good luck with the next leg in life and enjoy it to the max!

  • ❤️ Feel you. Nice words. ❤️

  • Sad to see you go as well.

  • mortuusmortuus ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wow 2 vanguards leaving in same day? Whats going on :(

  • Love you Pinesinger 😘

  • F

  • Sensei ❤️

  • Thanks for the work and effort to make this game better for all.

  • Thank you for supporting this community, truly sucks it has come down to this. The ball is in Niantic's court...

  • Truer words have not been spoken. Thank you so much for all the years of your time and energy that you have put into the game. Niantic did not deserve you. I am honored to have met you and worked with you, and wish you all the best going forward. This just makes me so sad. Much love to you.

  • I can’t say I’m surprised. Especially since around here (I’m local to pinesinger) the game has been pretty dead for a long time, for a variety of reasons.

    Thanks for all the work.

  • Suprised the moderators haven't deleted this thread. Censoring comms and this forum every minute of every day.

  • roarexroarex ✭✭✭

    Thank you for all your work!

  • "Love it or leave it"

  • Thank you for the time you’ve put into the game. I wish that Niantic would listen to concerns that have been expressed, by you and by others.

  • GearGliderGearGlider ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thank you for all your hard work. Hopefully things go great for you here on out!

  • You were one of the first I met in Boston... Oh, Hippo Spout lol, and one of the first I look for at events. Not just because we have become friends over the years, but because you have your fingers on the pulse of the live events and I know you'll point me in the right direction. Thank you. Ingress is amazing as it has brought all of us together - and in doing so has lived on because of those bonds.

    I'm sure your wisdom will be missed here...

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