Here are all the things I knew about Pokémon before Pokémon GO came out:
1. Pokémon is a very popular Japanese anime. It's also an equally popular video game, for Nintendo DS, Gameboy, and probably some other platforms I'm not familiar with. Oh, and also trading cards, which were popular when I was younger. I had a few, but never actually knew how to play. I just thought the cards looked cool.
2. Ash Ketchum. The anime's savvy 10 year old that has been on a quest to catch Pokémon for basically forever, and seemingly never ages. The puberty-dodging little scum.
3. "Gotta catch 'em all!" Also, "♫I want to be the very best, like no one ever was.♫" Also, "Pikachu, I choose you!" These are all, apparently, associated with the show.
4. There are Pokémon trainers, that catch Pokémon by throwing Pokéballs at them. Trainers fight their Pokémon against each other, though I'm not sure why. They evolve Pokémon to become more powerful, and a lot more awesome looking.
5. There are hundreds of different Pokémon, but that's as specific as I can get. I know of a few. Pikachu (of course). Charmander. Ivysaur. And Squirtle (the cutest).
Seriously, LOOK at him. So much light in those young, innocent eyes.
Yeah...that's about it.
In case it wasn't obvious, I was a total Poké-noob. But when I heard about Pokémon GO, I downloaded it immediately, because I knew I had to try it. If you read my article from last week, you already know that I'm into location-based games, so hearing about a new, hyper-popular GPS-based game was enticing, to say the least. And I had always had an interest in Pokémon, but had never actually given it any real attention.
It was the perfect concoction to lure me in. The Pokémon trap had been set, and it worked.
To say that I like Pokémon GO is an understatement- it's taking over my life. I check the app for nearby Pokémon at least hourly, and stop at nearby Gyms and Pokéstops every time I find the chance. Currently I have around 30 various Pokémon- I've transferred all the duplicates for candy- and I several eggs incubating, waiting for me to get off the couch and get moving so they can hatch. I've also chosen my team, which admittedly, I used a Buzzfeed quiz to do. The last few weeks have been a total Pokémon crash-course, and not only have I learned a lot about Pokemon, I can now see why people love it so much- I mean, who wouldn't love running aimlessly around public spaces, capturing fictional creatures on a phone screen?!
No team bias in this article. NONE. Obviously.
In all seriousness, though, I've become addicted to this game, and I'm excited to have gained a deeper understanding of the Pokémon universe. But that's not to say that I've lost my noob status. I definitely have not. At times this can be very obvious. Like how it took me a week just to realize that the Pokéball stash is not infinite- which thankfully, I realized about 9 Pokéballs before running out. Or like how, many times now, I've let good Pokémon slip right through my fingers while trying to figure out the Pokémon tracking system. Like how, before I understood how transferring Pokémon worked, I accidentally got rid of my best Pokémon trying to evolve it. Not to mention how I unknowingly set my real name as my nickname, and am still waiting to hear back from Pokémon support about getting it changed. Whoops.
My pokemon that I mistakenly transferred. Bellsprout, I'm so sorry I let you down.
I'm still learning, about Pokemon, but I'm just excited to be along for the ride. Pokemon GO is an exciting, immersive game, and this noob is hooked! I'm off for now- gotta catch 'em all!
