As I'm sure you've heard by now, on July 6, 2016, the cell phone app "Pokémon Go" was released for iOS and Android. In the week since its release, the game has become the biggest mobile game in the US, and is also projected to surpass some of the most downloaded social media apps. For an app that has only been released to the public for slightly over a week, "Pokémon Go" is taking the world by storm, changing everything from our economy to the way we behave in public. To some, the app has even changed how we interact with the world on a personal level.
For those who don't quite know how the app works, it's a twist on the 1996 game released by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It retains the original idea of using Pokéballs to capture the creatures known as Pokémon and use them in battles. Like the age old slogan says: "Gotta Catch 'Em All!" Aside from this, however, nearly all of the mechanics have been changed.
The game, though still licensed by Nintendo, runs through a company called Niantic. Niantic has created other apps and recycled their data to create the augmented reality world that is "Pokémon Go," fueled by an idea similar to geocaching. Scattered throughout the world are Pokéstops and Gyms, placed strategically in areas of note like historical landmarks or general places of note where people can see them and gather around them.
Players can gather around Pokéstops (a new idea) and gather Pokéballs, Potions, Revives, and other items that will help them throughout the game. Occasionally there will be a Lure on the Pokéstop as well, which helps you and any other players around that Pokéstop catch more Pokémon.
While Gyms exist in every Pokémon game, they have been changed for "Pokémon Go." In the original Pokémon games, you battle Gym leaders to gain Gym Badges, but in "Pokémon Go" you are battling other players. Every player chooses to join one of three teams: Instinct, Mystic, or Valor. At any given time, a gym will be dominated by one of the three teams, and a player from another team can come and fight the players at the Gym to take it over for their team. There are other aspects to the game, but these are the most important things you need to know.
Having been an avid Pokémon fan my entire life, I was thrilled when the game was finally released. I downloaded it the minute it came out, sat through many server crashes, and spent the first few days running around my neighborhood catching Pokémon and taking over the Gym at the park every time it would get taken back from me. The most notable thing about all of that is that I got out. Before "Pokémon Go," I spent most of my days in my basement watching TV, listening to music, playing video games... Anything but going outside. But "Pokémon Go" had me immediately outside, walking and driving around for hours at a time in the 90 degree heat.
I'm not someone who particularly loves sitting around in my basement. I usually end up turning movie-watching or game-playing into staring at a wall. I am, after all, quite introverted and solitary. It's just a thing that happens when you're like me. You get stuck in an endless loop of building up a safe little cave, all alone, and staying there for as long as possible. But somehow, miraculously, "Pokémon Go" tugged me out of that cave, and it felt wonderful. It was the most positive I've felt in months, and I think I smiled and laughed more in that one day than in any I can remember. There was nothing I needed more.
The first people I personally encountered playing "Pokémon Go" were during an attempt at taking a Gym from Team Valor (I proudly represent Team Mystic). While fighting the defenders of the Gym, I noticed that there were other trainers fighting with me. It turns out that there were two other Team Mystic members in a car nearby helping take the Gym. After the battle, we had a moment of silent recognition comprised of a nod before they drove away, but it was nice to know I was still interacting with someone.
A few days ago, I took the bus down to the city to catch some different kinds of Pokémon. I can't think of a time when I'd want to go so far out of my way to just walk around... for fun. Many people had set up lures around congested areas like the bus and train stations, so you'd run into people just walking around with their phones out and give them a knowing smile. At one point a man approached me and asked if I was playing "Pokémon Go" and we walked for about 6 blocks talking about what Pokemon we'd caught and what strategies we had for various parts of the game before going our separate ways, I to a Gym and he to a Pokéstop.
That day I took some more Gyms with the help of people I would laugh with afterward, having unknowingly been working together with them the whole time. There are many things that "Pokémon Go" has done to change the world already, but the biggest thing it has done for me is getting me out of the house and interacting with others. When I'm out and around others playing Pokemon Go, I feel happy and positive, like I'm doing something productive with my time. I'm meeting new people, getting exercise, and just generally feeling good about myself.
And it's not just me! There are lots of people who have talked about how they've met lots of new friends because of the game, as well as felt like it has helped with their mental health due to the positive factors it causes. For what can be seen as merely another phone app, it turns out that getting out to "Catch 'Em All" is actually much more of a positive experience than anyone could have ever imagined.
