Pokémon Go is my childhood dream come true, and apparently, it is for a lot of other people, too.
Pokémon Go has both children and adults alike flooding the street to "catch 'em all." The app has become wildly popular since its release in early July. Pokémon Go has become the most played mobile game in US history, surpassing Candy Crush. Pokémon Go has also topped Twitter's daily users, has people spending more time on it daily than Facebook and, one day after its release, it was downloaded by more people in the U.S. than the popular dating app Tinder.
The app uses a phone's camera and GPS to allow players to catch cute creatures called Pokémon in the world around them. Pokémon Go uses augmented reality to connect the world of Pokémon to the real world. Unlike virtual reality where the user is immersed in a virtual world as if it were reality, the virtual world interacts with the user in the real world via the app. "Pokéstops" have been placed at landmarks in cities and towns all across the country. At these stops, players can refill on Pokéballs, which are used to catch Pokemon and other items that are useful. There are also Pokémon Gyms in various locations where players fight against other Pokémon players.
However, the app has had mixed reactions.
Users of the game recount stories of meeting new people and travelling new places because of the app. It has become a motivation to get people of all ages active and exploring different parts of their communities. Pokémon Go meetups are happening all across the globe. The application has been a motivation for people with mental illness to interact with the world and meet new people in a way they could not before. It has become a new social medium. Companies, such as T-Mobile, are using this app as a way to gain more business. The game also has potential to help the police.
Even with all of this success, the game has created very real dangers for users if they are not constantly aware of their surroundings.
Deaths and near-deaths have occurred because of this app. People have fallen off cliffs, been sent to the hospital, robbed and stabbed while playing this app. Some users have begun playing the game while driving, causing accidents and near tragedies. Police have put out public service announcements to discourage people from playing the game while driving. Most recently, two teenagers were shot at by a man in Florida who suspected them of robbery while they played Pokémon Go.
Pokémon Go can be used lure innocent users into danger.
The game has modules called "lures" that can be bought and placed on Pokéstops to attract Pokémon to them for up to thirty minutes. All players have an increased ability to collect Pokémon at these stops, not just the user who places it. This element can and has been used by people to cause harm. Four suspects were arrested in Missouri for armed robbery by using the application to lure people to their location and rob them. Using the GPS, the robbers were able to place lures in specific, secluded locations and locate unwitting victims towards them. Other reports of robberies through the use off this app have been reported. However, there is also the potential for the police to use this technology to attract criminals and fugitives to themselves as well.
Another major issue is the location of Pokéstops.
Some Pokéstops have led players to dangerous locations while others have been placed in inappropriate locations on private property, memorials and even a Holocaust museum in Arlington. This points out a major issue with how Pokémon Go, and augmented reality game function and make money. Unlike the world of Pokémon, our world is not owned by Nintendo. They do not have full reign over our world, its content, its property or its people. Pokémon have been placed in different spots all around the world where this app has been released.
Pokéstops have been placed in spots without any permission from the property owners. While these creatures and stops are virtual, they affect real world people who do not play the game. Bystanders have no choice in interacting with this app. It is thrust upon them, their lives, their property and the people around them. Nintendo and Niantic are making money by using property and spaces that are not theirs to use. Will this app create a precedent for other companies to do the same?
Whether or not the Pokémon Go craze will continue is still up for debate. Factoring in the limited amount of Pokémon there are to catch and the amount of effort it takes to travel and catch them all, its popularity may be short lived.
