Idea turned passion project
TL;DR
Lifelong Pokémon fan turned creator, I channel my passion for Pokémon GO into GO Center—a personal project where I share content, tips, and my journey through the world of Pokémon GO.
My Pokémon Background
If you didn't know this about me by now, Pokémon has been in my life since 1999, and when growing up this was classed as just another one of those 'phases' that kids go through.. oh how wrong that statement was.. 😅
When growing up, I was tirelessly collecting Pokémon Cards, playing each of the main series games, and watching the TV series. If I wasn't playing football, I can guarantee that you would see me with my Game Boy, playing Pokémon whilst carrying a backpack full of Pokémon Cards.
Lets skip from the year 1999/2000 all the way to March 2014. No, I'm still very much playing the Pokémon games and collecting cards, but this is where my love for Pokémon would go to a whole new level..
So its March 2014. I'm coming towards the end of my time at College, and I'm slowly getting prepared for my next educational adventure.. university. I was researching design trends at this time and all of a sudden, Google went ahead and released this..
Looking back at this video, little did we know that there was something bigger being worked on behind the scenes that when released, would change the way in which we think of and play Pokémon..
Fast forward to September 2015 and to me, this announcement changed my life forever.. the announcement of Pokémon GO.
So remember, its September 2015 and the release for Pokémon GO was scheduled for 2016.. to me, this felt like years away.
After waiting months, and months, and months, we reach July 2016 and the moment I've been waiting for finally arrived.. the release of Pokémon GO.
I remember this moment like it was yesterday. I just sat down on my lunch break during my summer work placement and my phone went crazy with notifications about the release of Pokémon GO. I downloaded the game immediately and since that very moment, I haven't taken a single day off from playing the game. Let me repeat that, since July 2016 I have played Pokémon GO every.. single.. day..
Its now June 2018, and in my local community I was nominated to be the admin of the group Facebook page and Messenger chat.
From June 2018 to March 2020, I was using the Facebook page as a 'blog' and would document each event that was coming up in Pokémon GO to ensure everyone was prepared and knew exactly what was taking place in-game during this time. I truly enjoyed this aspect as not only was I doing this research myself and making sure I was prepared for each event, but I was also helping fellow Pokémon GO Trainers in my local community.
Throughout this time, I really enjoyed creating content and sharing this with the local community. The feeling of helping other Pokémon GO Trainers was, and still is, highly rewarding.
Unfortunately, this would soon change due to the global pandemic.
For my local area, the pandemic really put a stop on the in-person aspect of Pokémon GO and to be completely honest, the local community simply fell apart.. this also put an end to the Facebook and Messenger chat.
On big events, like Global GO Fest, you tend to see many more Trainers playing during these type of events, whereas on an average day you might simply have the passing "hello" as you're walking around and catching Pokémon.
I truly enjoyed creating Pokémon GO content and using the Facebook page as the platform to share this but as the page was no longer used.. it felt like I needed to do something else..
This is where I had the crazy idea to blend my passion for Pokémon, Pokémon GO, and digital design and start something new using a different platform.. Instagram..
Say hello to the birth of.. GO Center.
GO Center Origin
The idea for GO Center started in November of 2020. I was talking to my partner about the idea of creating a space where not only would I share my own Pokémon GO journey with others, but also create content that hopes to bring insightful information about the things I know after playing the game since day one (Pokémon GO was released in the UK back in July 2016).
But as most things we think of, the self-doubt kicked in and I was already talking myself out of this idea.
My partner said this to me and its something I'll never forget. As I was trying to talk myself out of creating GO Center she said "even if you only help one person, you're doing more than others and that's something to be proud of".
In that moment, a flip switched. I created both a website and Instagram account, and the journey for GO Center began. With my love of design, passion for Pokémon, and my inner compass of wanting to help others, I combined all of these together and fast forward 5 years later, I'm still as passionate about helping others through creating compelling content around my ultimate childhood obsession.
Project Milestones
Throughout the last 5 years of this project, I've been fortunate to have:
- Organically generated an Instagram following of over 8k Pokémon GO Trainers,
- Created a total of 400+ pieces of content (pictures, infographics & reels),
- Been recognised as an upcoming content creator by The Pokémon Company, and was invited to the Pokémon International Championships in London as an official media creator,
- Created an ecosystem between the GO Center website and Instagram so that each digital space compliments one another.
Snapshots
The following platform is publicly available to everyone across the world.
Future
As previously mentioned, I've been working on this project for 5 years and not once have I thought about slowing down and stopping.
I will always continue to create content on the GO Center website and Instagram because not only is it fun to do so, but the overwhelming feeling of helping others through creative content cannot be measured and is truly rewarding.