Anomaly Fees and Impact on Disabled Players
From a local:
"I get where they are coming from, but it raises the access barrier for some players. People forget that accessibility isn't just ramps and curb cuts, oftentimes it is also price point. Lots of disabled folks love this game because it is free and playable in some form without major modifications. Recharge rooms are a component that fills those requirements for many of us. That doesn't even get into the awesome layer of being a part of something like realtime team play when your default for most activities is non-participation and isolation.
If this had gone down earlier this year, I simply couldn't have paid it."
This is a serious consideration in my community, who has hosted disabled players multiple times over the Ingress lifecycle; it hits them disproportionately harder, and these agents deserve more consideration than public discourse has provided.
Comments
You can participate in a recharge room without paying the ticket. You will just not get the badge.
Which again relegates the disabled /financially less fortunate to humans of a second class... Don't think that's a goal anyone should strive for.
Not really. When I don't have enough money to do something, I simply don't do it.
Had Ingress started a few years earlier, I wouldn't of had the money to go to Anomalies or play anywhere as much as I have.
This would be very unfortunate given the very generous arrangements for somebody with a physical disability to get a MD badge increment.
I cant imagine anyone wanna put effort in a recharge room now and NOT get a badge for it ? lol...
I completely agree with everyone who don't want to / can't buy a ticket... but anomalies were never free... you have to travel, you have to book a hotel, eat, drink, etc... when it comes to the overall expenses, the anomaly ticket is one of smallest expenses.
I sympathize with the situation, but I have to ask: How many other social events are discounting tickets like this for people with disabilities?
I mean, I go to stuff that isn't Ingress -- game conventions, concerts, sporting events, etcetera, and I don't remember any of them advertising separate rated for disabled persons.
Is this I thing I've just missed, or is this a case of people (once again) expecting things from Niantic they don't expect from other companies?
I disagree, anomalies always were marketed as free, that u travel is ofc nothing to deny, but many for example have anomalies in their own towns so so no fees to join really... and in many countries 15$ for a medal is alot....