A major throwback Thursday has resurfaced in the past week with the craze of Pokemon Go's release on iPhones and Androids across the nation. Angsty teenagers are dropping their Xbox remotes, opening their blinds and are getting back in touch with the great outdoors, all while remaining digitally and socially connected.
Pokemon Go is a smart phone application that is taking over everyone's lives like every other digital obsession in the modern age, however, there is something that makes this technological innovation stand out in the crowd. It actually forces players to go outside (I know, you probably just gasped, too).
Anywhere one walks, anyone from age seven to thirty-seven can be found strolling the streets and hitting popular small-town or large-city landmarks to catch a couple Pidgeys and collect potions and pokeballs along the way. The crazy part is that people know when others are playing the game.
This game has been sensational overnight and has had a positive benefit to society, especially adolescents. Not only are they being exposed to one of the greatest nineties staples of all time, but they are connecting in the outside world and with new people while playing. This game rises against all others, because the player is not locked inside the house, sheltered from daylight and a social life for hours on end compared to playing system-based games like the newer Xbox One or computer games. Niantic got it right by combining the digital era with exercise and sociality.
Let me get down to what I mean: Pokemon cannot simply be caught just by sitting in the comfort of one's own home. Pokemon appear up to three blocks away, and rareities are even more challenging to locate. The app uses GPS location to plant these pokemon in well-known areas. "Pokestops" are checkpoints where players can receive more pokeballs, potions, incense and other rewards - the catch it that one has to walk to it. It's genius.
Pokemon Go is not only encouraging players to get out and be active, but it is even bringing a knowledge for one's surrounding into the picture. Pokestops are commonly found at small landmarks, memorials, museums, historical locations and other common areas. While walking by these places to catch pokeballs, players are even given an opportunity to learn more about the history in their small towns, or if they are based in a big city, they are gaining a real-world sense of what is around them. Attaining a sense of direction is another positive aspect since the app creates a map of the player's current location and moves with with he/she by GPS navigation.
When I say the whole world it playing this game - the whole world IS playing this game. People are forming meetups on Facebook Groups for giant Pokemon Go walks in the city. Others are walking up to each other and meeting at Pokestops and gyms to battle and collect together. People are talking to each other again and are not just sitting on trains, park benches and dinner tables with their heads buried in their cell phones. It's as if Niantic has crafted the best of both worlds of remaining active while, also, remaining connected.
