On July 6th, a (pocket) monster of an app hit the US iOS and Android marketplaces.
The new app is Pokemon Go, an augmented reality mobile game by Niantic that is essentially what every Pokemon fan has been waiting for since they first started playing the games. What the app does is it uses the GPS tracking from Google Maps and allows players to search around for creatures from Nintendo’s Pokemonfranchise in real-world locations, as well as visit local landmarks to gain free items (by the use of Pokestops) which you would have to pay for otherwise. Using your mobile device’s front camera, you can encounter a variety of Pokemon that look like they are appearing right in front of you, without any of the danger of actually being attacked by a real life Pokemon (unless it’s a caterpie. Any of us could probably kick the crap out of a caterpie).
Pokemon is a game series that is developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. With the original Pokemon Red, Green, and Blue being released all the way back between 1996-1997, the legacy of the company has had time to grow for 20 years. The premise of the original series is rather simple. You’re a Pokemon trainer (with qualifications including owning one Pokemon and being ten years old) given one Pokemon to start out with. From there, you get to grow your team by capturing more Pokemon and making them stronger by battling other trainers and Pokemon in a turn-based style of gameplay combat. Pretty simple concept, yet it is the simplicity of this that allows the game to grow into more advanced styles of play that can provide unique experiences for every trainer. It can be strategic, planning out each of your Pokemon’s learned moves and skills in order to take down your opponents. You can also take the collector's route of the game and try to catch all of the Pokemon provided in the game. It also encouraged playing with your friends because certain Pokemon could only be acquired through trading with friends who had a different copy of the game than you. It was a perfect mix of a game that could be played casually, hardcore, solo, or socially.
The Pokemon series has been praised by critics and fans alike. The Pokemongame series is the second best-selling game series of all time, selling over 270 million copies since 2016. It’s the game series everyone has refused to stop playing. You loved it in elementary school, pretended you were “too cool” in middle school to play it, then hated your middle school self in high school and began to play it again.
If you couldn’t tell, I love and know a lot about Pokemon. I didn’t start playing until middle school, so it felt like a dirty secret to me. While everyone else was hiding the fact they were going through puberty, I was trying to hide the fact my Nintendo DS sheathed a copy of Pokemon Platinum. It’s been something dear to my heart ever since. So when I found out Pokemon Go was going to be created, my body was ready. Look at that face and YOU tell me that it wasn’t ready to catch Pokemon in real life???!
I downloaded the app the day of its release and honestly, I’ve been pretty impressed by the app. Starting out it was a little annoying because the servers couldn’t handle how much activity the app was getting, thus resulting in it being shut down every ten minutes, but in the days following its launch, the servers have been noticeably less buggy. The app itself isn’t exactly a major stride in games. The leveling-up and battle system in Pokemon Go are extremely different from the ones in the core Pokemonseries and the change isn’t really that much fun. In fact, they are pretty confusing and aren’t really explained in the app at all. Most of the app’s instructions come from Google searching different people’s theories on how it all goes. Though there are rules for how the game works, most of it is trial-and-error based.
For a game that annoys me for how much nothing is explained, I still find myself enjoying it loads and playing it at any chance I can find. Why is that? Because the game has more charm(ander) behind it than any other game, (butter)free-to-play or at a cost, in any kind of store right now.
Pokemon is a beloved franchise with a loyal fanbase, but this is a fan base many would consider having a large amount of anti-social people. Pokemon Go has gotten many of these fans to overcome their fears of the outside world and go explore it to find creatures that they never thought they would be this close to in real life. It also has them bonding with others who have the app, sharing good times with total strangers, something that seemed like a nightmare to them before. What I find even more amazing is that it isn’t just the fans since the game started, but the app is bringing new people into the world of Pokemon. Since the app is easy to access and free for a mobile device, many of those who wouldn’t want to spend money on a Nintendo handheld console (as well as money on a Pokemon game) have gotten to see the joy of this franchise.
Hell, I even found my mother downloading the app and asking me to hunt Pokemon with her. It was actually pretty fun. She’s learning that it isn’t pronounced Pok-ie-MEN and that every Pokemon’s name isn’t “Pikachu.”
Like anything that takes the world by storm, the app has also caught a lot of heat. One of the more reasonable complaints is where people are catching the Pokemon. Since you have to actually walk around to find the Pokemon, Niantic has spawned some of the Pokemon in pretty strange places. One of the more noticeable incidents was when the National Holocaust Museum had to ask players to please stop catching Pokemon in the museum. Not exactly an unreasonable request. If the Pokemon is just in there paying its respects to a tragedy, the least you could do is let it and maybe pay your respects, too. If the only reason you’re going in there is because of the Pokemon, you might have fallen asleep during the wrong history class
One of the other reasons people have complained about the app is… well, because it’s popular, of course!
If you want something to get sh*tted on like a toilet in India, all it has to do is be popular. Then you can see the masses of people complaining about how it is “stupid” and how people should go to a real gym instead of a Pokemon gym, they should get outside (even though the app is used exclusively outside), yada yada yada. Yes, it isn’t a full-blown workout filled with stretching, weight-lifting, trying to look like you’re not staring at other people’s asses, and cardio that meets some standards of being active, but it is better than nothing. Plus, it gives people a sense of entertainment while being more active and social than they usually would. Can’t see how that's a bad thing. Plus, for some reason, everyone thinks they’re the first person to say “Pokemon Go f*ck yourself.” I promise you, you’re not… I’ve seen that joke way more times than I’d care to admit. Stay one step ahead of everyone else on the internet and start thinking of other pun-based jokes.
Financially, the game has had a huge impact. After the release of the game, Nintendo’s stock value has raised almost double its previous value (currently, it stands at 220 million USD). Too bad it was Niantic that made the game, yet Nintendo gets all the credit. Kind of a Dolly Parton/ Whitney Houston situation. Send Niantic a sympathy tweet before you continue to dump money into Nintendo, if you play the stock market as much as you play Pokemon Go.
Overall, Pokemon Go is a fun and creative app that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. It’s a great way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the franchise and is actually pretty amazing to see how Pokemonis always looking for ways to innovate. So go off and brag about how many Pokemon you’ve caught… or brag about how you don’t play the game. Whatever makes you feel special when you close your eyes at night.
