I downloaded the popular new game "Pokémon Go" onto my phone last Thursday when it was released. I'd heard about the game a year ago and was anticipating the day it would be available; the way it had been described made me curious. I wondered how they'd make it seem like the Pokémon are in the real world. Now that I have played the game, and see how they have done it, I am amazed. Younger me, trading cards with school mates and playing the game on my Nintendo DS, would have never imagined there'd be this kind of technology available for a game. It amazes me to see the advances in technology as it keeps evolving.
For those who haven't played the game before, I'll try to explain what it's like (though I'm sure almost everyone has at least tried playing it once). Basically, the game uses the phone's camera and makes it seem like a Pokémon character is in your area. It's cooler than it sounds. It also uses GPS and displays a map of where you are walking, so that players can walk real steps to catch virtual Pokémon.
I grew up loving Pokémon, so this game has brought back a lot of nostalgia. I have been able to share this nostalgia with others who grew up playing it that are now playing "Pokémon Go." I feel like Pokémon has brought a lot of people closer together. With social media becoming more and more popular, people haven't had to leave their house to keep in touch with people; it's gotten as easy as a quick message to them on Facebook or a check of their Twitter status to see what they've been up to. "Pokémon Go" is the opposite of this. The best part is that it gets people off their couches and out of the house. I went walking around my neighborhood with my friends catching Pokémon, it was great exercise. I also went searching for Pokémon with my boyfriend and his mom, which was a good bonding experience. "Pokémon Go" brought me to the park where I ran into many old high school classmates that I hadn't seen in years (except for on Facebook).
There have been many negative stories about "Pokémon Go" in the news, such as people being so distracted that they fell off a cliff or robbers using the game to know where people may be at. Even though there have been some negative effects because of the game, the positive effects are greater. In order to hatch an egg people have to walk a certain amount of kilometers. People are actually talking to each other face to face and PokéStops are allowing people to find landmarks near their houses that they never knew existed.
This game amazes me and I think it is having a positive effect on society. I think that people who are against trying it should play it just once because they may end up liking it. It keeps people from hiding behind their computer screens and may very well be the future of phone gaming technology.
