So what is Pokémon, and Just How Popular is Pokémon Go?
Virtually everyone in the US has heard of Pokémon; whether or not the premise of the game is understood, the media franchise of Pokémon is a well-known, household name. Pokémon is centered on fictional creatures called “Pokémon” short for Pocket Monster, of which there are 722, which humans known as “Pokémon Trainers” catch, train and battle for sport. The franchise has expanded to develop several television programs, movies, print publications, musicals, a theme park and, of course, video games. All together, the Pokémon Franchise has left a significant mark on pop culture since its creation in 1996. Recently, the franchise has added an insanely popular addition that's taking our nation, and several others, by storm.
Pokémon Go was released a little over 10 days ago and seems to have a superabundance of Americans, Australians and Europeans hooked. As of July 11th, only six days after its release, Pokémon Go had been downloaded over 7.5 million times in the US alone. These numbers produce a substantial revenue of $1.6 million per day, estimated from iOS downloads only.
While this number definitely seems big, to put it into context, Clash Royal (one of the biggest recent hits in mobile gaming) makes approximately $350,000 per day. Pokémon Go is making over 4.5 times Clash Royale’s revenue and has been downloaded over 5.92 million more times in the first five days than Nintendo’s other recent mobile title, Miitomo.
So, to say the least, Pokémon Go is a huge hit. As shown in the chart above, having more usage time per day than WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and Messenger was breezy for this free-to-play, location-based augmented reality mobile game. As of July 12th, the game was even googled more often than pornography, according to Google Trends. Further, it has been downloaded more times in its first week than Tinder has in its four years of existence.
For now, Pokémon Go seems to be the most popular topic in the US. While the initial hype will eventually die down, Pokémon has a number of benefits to prolong it, such as the release of over 500 Pokémon that have yet to reach the platform. It is clear that we love it; but, why?
Every day, millions of people are out wandering with eyes glued to their phones to meet up in parks or malls—with lures galore—and spend a collective $1.6 million dollars a day. As an American, with the stereotype of laziness nestled in my brain, this love seems to dapple into the realm of passion. It takes the true work of a genius to get 23% of US adults with smart phones up and out of their seats to walk around town. The Pokémon Company has taken advantage of our ADD nature and addiction to smartphones, the warmth of nostalgia and the general reliance of our culture on escapism.
ADD Nature and Addiction to Smartphones
As Americans, we live in a fast-paced, highly advanced environment. When we close our eyes, it seems as Apple releases a new iPhone and a political figure’s secret past comes into light. Further, we own this instantaneous knowledge to our smartphones.
In 2013, a study showed that the average attention span of an American was about 8 seconds, while that of a goldfish clocked in around 9 seconds. Only 6.4 million American children have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. While this fraction exhibits clear symptoms and suffer from a diagnosed disorder, it is fair to say that Americans, in general, have trouble focusing on one task.
The advancements we have made in technology are, without a doubt, partially at fault for this undiagnosed, mild attention deficit seen in Americans. We are more often than not sidetracked by the buzz of a phone, computer or television set or even the anticipation of such buzz. A recent study has shown that collectively, Americans look at their phones eight billion times a day, 46 times each.
Pokémon Go and The Pokémon Company have profited tremendously from our short attention spans and capitalized on our addition to phones. With Poke Stops refreshing every five minutes and Lures, Lucky Eggs and Incense lasting only 30 minutes, Pokémon Go has short waiting times between user interactions such as spinning a PokeStop or catching a Pokémon.
It is proven that the average American has a longer attention span for subjects that interest them. For those who are sincerely interested in the game, these wait times are breezy and can be filled by transferring Pokémon, walking towards those nearby (marked by one, two or three footsteps to assure our short attention spans that a Pokémon is near) or—if near a PokéGym—training or battling other Pokémon. With a maximum time of five minutes between each user interaction, Pokémon Go can even sustain some interest with those who are skeptical about Pokémon or the new app.
The app also appeals to our smartphone addiction. By making the interface map location-based, Pokémon Go is bound to enter into our phone app routine. Each location is said to house Pokémon specific to that terrain. For example, near the beach one is more likely to find an abundance of water-type Pokémon. This real-time, location-based property makes looking for wild Pokémon at each new location entirely unique and thus addicting; each new real-life location practically demands us to open up the app and look around (if it’s not already opened, that is). Coupled with our addiction to smartphones, our need to go Pokémon catching is easily quenched.
The Warmth of Nostalgia
Most people can think back to a specific time and get that warm, fuzzy feeling in their bellies; we feel nostalgic. When we reminisce on the past, specifically fond memories, our brains and bodies respond in positive ways. Research shows that reminiscing and feeling nostalgic helps us feel better about the present and more hopeful for the future.
The first generation of Pokémon—Red, Blue and Yellow—sold 40.02 million units worldwide with a target audience of young boys. A later generation of Pokémon—Ruby and Sapphire—targeted the same people that played Pokémon as children and studies show that most of the 1.3 units sold in Japan were purchased by people primarily in their twenties. The reason for this persistent return to the world of Pokémon is partially due to the nostalgic feelings users have towards the Pokémon games as children. Having the same audience for most of its existence, obviously gaining and losing some along the way, Pokémon developed a strong marketing strategy. This strategy has proven itself before and is no different upon the release of Pokémon Go. We keep going back because of the warmth of nostalgia.
Pokémon Go takes users back to their childhoods. Instantly remembering the names of over a hundred Pokémon, users across the world are experiencing this nostalgia. What The Pokémon Company’s strategy is doing, however, exceeds marketing and is actually making these nostalgic users more comfortable with the present and cheerful about the future.
This could be another reason why 7.5 million of us have turned to the game; it literally makes us feel better. Whether the specific little memories we reminisce on are positive or negative, our initial Pokémon experience is relived each time Pokémon Go is opened.
A Culture of Escapism
Escapism is defined as a the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy. Currently, humans are living in a world laced with civil unrest and an ill-tempered election. On a smaller scale, each individual may be dealing with unpleasantness within their lives as well. Just as American’s escaped the nuclear threats of the Cold War with the rise of science fiction novels and television, Pokémon Go acts as our present method to escape the current stressful and unpleasant world news.
Pokémon Go literally transports users into the world of Pokémon. By staring at our screens, we enter an augmented reality. In this new world the fictional creatures called Pokémon hide around every corner. It allows those playing the game to focus on this new world and leave the stressful and complicated real world behind.
Darush Shafa, a 32 year old, explains this escapism: “I’ve got a day job. I’ve got concerns about politics, and the overall status of my community, and of my country, and of the world. But at the same time, if you sit and get overwhelmed by that, that’s no fun. So it’s nice to have something that is enjoyable, that gets you outside, gets you a little bit of sunshine and some physical activity.”
Our dependency and need for escapism is another aspect of American society Pokémon Go creators capitalized on. Research shows that escaping to a virtual reality is incredibly hard to resist especially in a world of turmoil. This escapism “can easily satisfy social needs—sometimes so much that users will withdraw physically from society”. Pokémon Go however, makes us more active in society.
With Pokémon Go, The Pokémon Company is able to satisfy our craving for escapism while bringing together a community. Unlike escaping reality through typical online gaming, Pokémon Go makes its users get up, go outside and communicate with each other. The exercise, sunshine and community makes Pokémon Go seem like less of a mobile game while simultaneously feeding the needs and wants classic video games give us; thus, the game is appealing to more people.
Pokémon Go, while it's not complex or even aesthetically pleasing, has climbed to the tops of the charts. I believe this climb is due to the company’s genius capitalization on the dependencies of modern human beings, our biological components and the current state of the world. If you are not a fan of Pokémon Go, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like the craze will end soon. So for the meantime, you might as well…catch ‘em all!
