Why use Discord?

Our group (like many others in Brisbane/SEQ) uses Discord for chat and raid coordination. It's not a popular chat app - so why would we use Discord instead of popular group chat apps like Facebook Messenger?

Go to: Other questions


1. Chat size

This is the biggest one! Facebook Messenger has a limit of 250 members in a group chat. Discord is unlimited! The PoGo Sunnybank Discord Server has over 500 members - double the limit in Facebook Messenger.

With Discord, everyone is welcome to join and remain a member. You won't get "booted" if you don't regularly raid or check the chat.

2. Multiple rooms/channels

In Discord, we can separate types of conversations into different rooms, called "channels". We have one channel for raid coordination and another for general conversation (called the lounge). We have channels for research task reports, nest reports, trading, etc. Having these in separate channels means that our messages won't disappear as people coordinate raids.

You can adjust notification settings for each channel. For example, if you're only interested in raiding, turn on notifications for the raid channel only. If you're hunting an elusive research task, turn on notifications for the research reports channel.

3. PokeNav Bot

Here's where Discord really shines. Our group, like many other SEQ groups, uses the PokeNav Bot. This allows the following:

4. Other funtionality

With the availability of other "bots" and tools, additional functionality can be added to Discord. For example, we have a game-news channel that automatically posts tweets from various official and unofficial twitter sources plus "hot" posts from The Silph Road on Reddit to provide the latest games news, research, speculation and leaks.


Why "force" people to use Discord?

No one is forcing anyone to do anything. By using Discord, we give everyone the opportunity to join and participate as frequently or infrequently as they want - without fear of being kicked out of a chat group when it gets full. It might take time to get used to a new app, but it's worth it.

Who made you the boss?

Nobody. Discord/chat admins are Pokemon Go trainers, just like you. They love the game. They want everyone else to be able to enjoy the game just as much as them - so much so that they're willing to give their time (and often money) to support other trainers in the best way possible. They get nothing in return. They certainly don't deserve personal attacks when they make decisions that some people don't like.

What's stopping me from creating a Facebook Messenger chat for the area?

Nothing. However, having such a large group, it is better to pool our resources and post/coordinate in the one place. This gives everyone the opportunity to find and participate in raids.