For the people who grew up in the 1990s or early 2000s, do you remember wishing you could live in the world of Pokemon, you and Pikachu traveling the land far and wide on a mission to catch them all? You probably had a favorite as well. Mine was Gengar, the scary ghost Pokemon who uses the shadow ball as an attack. My nerdy side is showing, but that's okay because Pokemon is currently the most popular topic around people my age. I will also admit that was one of my nerdiest dreams growing up was wanting to be able to see and catch Pokemon in real life.
However, the concept seemed unlikely and the idea's game developers had on how Pokemon can be played seemed limited to a handheld video game devices where you play a solo campaign style narrative with no sense of realism. Yet in 2016, Nintendo has done what I and many others thought to be impossible. The success of Pokemon Go has vastly increased the value of their stock up to almost $200 a share and is currently holding a profit of over $2 million a day. The only thing I could find upsetting about that was it's too expensive for me to invest in. For those who did invest in Nintendo stock, dividends will quite literally be paying off. Also holding the number one spot on the app store in terms of popularity, Pokemon Go has definitely proven to be quite a success on the global market without even the full version of the game being launched.
The next question and only hurdle it has yet to cross is the factor of longevity and being able to keep people interested. Without constant patches, this game could surely fizzle out, leaving only a sliver of what potential this game can actually be if done right. Now, these are purely opinions, but one thing this game needs to have is player vs. player combat. While the gyms present ways for a combat mode, they lack any serious skill. A gym or any Pokemon battle should be more than just tapping the screen, and it honestly is a real letdown for trainers who spent a long time building their Pokemon up to be just tapping away, hoping they are doing it right. Also, most importantly, how can you prove which of your friends is the strongest trainer without PvP? Bragging rights!
Special events is another game mechanic to keep players continually interested. Such events could be things like catching Mewtwo, Mew and access to the Elite four—all will probably need to be encompassed into this game at one point or another. In short, all I am trying to say is that I am very excited about future gaming technology. Enjoying my childhood fantasy in real life is awe inspiring, and I look forward to the games and products coming out this year.
