Pokemon GO User Attempts Huge Goal and Charity Donation, Gets Soft Ban and Treated Like a Cheater


Ask any video gamer what their next goal is, and it will always be to go to the next level of their current game. They are always trying to be better than their last greatest accomplishment. Such is the case for Jimmy Derocher of Austin, Texas, who got so good at Pokemon GO this past weekend, game developers thought he was cheating and issued a soft ban according to I4U News.

Jimmy Derocher is an avid video gamer, who wanted to beat a previous goal. Two weeks ago he posted on Reddit that he was able to collect 1 million Pokemon GO XP, or Pokemon GO experience points, in a two-day period. Since that accomplishment, Jimmy wanted to reach the same goal of XP, but in half the time.

Fellow gamers said it couldn’t be done reports Kotaku. That was the only motivation Derocher needed to take the goal of 1 million XP in 24 hours seriously.

Jimmy Derocher then spent the next two weeks mapping out his strategy, literally. But it wasn’t just a gaming strategy. A charity component was added to the event and a Pokemon GO live stream page on Twitch TV was as well. A Pokemkon GO Facebook page was created for the experience, which was clearly noted as “not an Event” but the “most epic PGO experience grind in Austin, TX to date.”

In order to accomplish his goal of one million XP, Derocher created a map that he called “Jimmy’s Loop” according to Kotaku. The loop, or Pokemon GO track was reportedly.2 miles in length, and he had rules for those that were following him along the way.

Included in the locations of “Jimmy’s Loop” was a visit to the Texas State Capitol. One user following Jimmy and the event posted a picture of his Pokestop at the Capitol building, noting what a great time he had during the event.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1132891396754595/permalink/1135260346517700/

Along the 0.2 miles were 10 lures that he mapped to attract Pokemon, and collect XP. It was Saturday August 20 when he began the feat. User Xnosity launched a live stream on Twitch TV where the the 24-hour Pokemon GO marathon was live streamed.

Noticing that a rapid following was occurring as he attempted this never before seen record, Derocher didn’t want his goal to be just about gaming, either. On the Twitch TV page, buttons where followers and viewers watching his live stream could donate to the operating expenses of the site, with 25 percent of donations going to charities such as Austin Pets Alive and the World Vision Clean Water Fund.

With a lengthy list of doners on this website, it appears that the donations were pouring in. Derocher launched the 24-hour marathon on Saturday, and filming began.

As he toured Jimmy’s Loop, he was doing very well collecting XP at each of the locations he had mapped out. By the 13-hour-mark, Derocher had reportedly collected approximately 600,000 XP according to Kotaku.

It was at that point where things went downhill for Jimmy Derocher. Once he reached the 600,000 XP point, game developers kicked in a “soft ban” according to i4U News. The belief was that the developer Niantic saw the rapid collection of XP points and thought Jimmy’s playing mimicked that of a “bot” or cheating software. “Can’t say I didn’t try and do something awesome” he posted to Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/derocherjimmy/posts/10154402867939431

Jimmy wasn’t kicked out of the game, or banned from Pokemon GO for good. He was able to continue playing, and continue visiting Pokestops. He just was not able to accumulate XP rapidly, or reach his goal of 1 million in 24 hours.

He was, however, able to raise some money for charity, and tweeted that he logged 25.9 Charity Miles on August 20.

According to Derocher’s Facebook page, he is a Computer Science and Mathematical Economics graduate from Whitworth University. He is listed as the Chief Technology Officer at Vuevent, an app that allows users to “discover the best events in your city” and tailor event listings to user preferences.

Follow him on Twitter if you are curious about his next Pokemon GO adventure. What was the most amount of XP you have collected in one Pokemon GO session?

[Photo by Thomas Cytrynowicz/AP Images]

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