If you haven’t opened the game since launch, the new improvements are everything you’d ask for: you can now battle friends and trainers 1-on-1, your team captain will rate the Pokemon you catch so you know which ones are good, there are raids to get Pokemon that are often fancier than you’d catch in the wild, you can sometimes get egg incubators from Poke stops, there’s more than just Pidgeys and Zubats in the city now, and you can trade Pokemon with friends.

But the thing that makes Pokemon GO stand out from other apps, and the soul that keeps it alive, is its community. And that community bond has only been strengthened by the introduction of raids.

Playing the game in the city, it’s easy to get the required twenty people to take down a level five Pokemon together. It’s wonderful to see this group of people of all ages, from all backgrounds, banding together to help take down a common foe. People will give advice on which variety of Pokemon will be the most effective for this battle and trade other playing tips. Or it’ll just be a group of twenty people standing in comfortable silence, united by their goal for five minutes before wondering off to resume their lives.

One of my favourite experiences playing the game happened over the holidays, when I waited around on a bridge for a raid to start only to see it be a battle for Jynx (who is quite common these days). At that moment of reveal, about five people on the bridge who I hadn’t realised were playing — who clearly didn’t know each other — let out the same frustrated noise I did, and we all dispersed. Wasn’t great for my game, but I’m still chuckling about it.

It’s a comradery that transcends language barriers and is found all over the world. I’ve shared these moments of encouraging teamwork at Flinder’s Street Station, the steps of the Sydney Opera House, in New York’s Central Park, small country towns, and at random German airports.

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The other great thing about Pokemon GO is that it’s a shared activity that promotes exercise and doesn’t require you to hand over money. Too often when you want to go out with people you have to go out for coffee, or to a bar, or out shopping. The commodification of daily life can become grating, and activities which don’t require special skills or money are extremely welcome.

It’s also having the same effect on my family that the Fitbit did when we first got them. We’ll go on extra walks at night if we have an egg that’s close to hatching, or see a new Pokemon come up on the radar. It’s also helping me discover new places in Melbourne. After living in and around the city for more than a decade I thought I’d seen it all, but I love the way Pokemon GO forces me to find new nooks and crannies.

While you’re probably not going to catch them all without real dedication, the time has come to return to Pokemon GO and not only see how it’s improved, but meet the people in your local area who make it great.