No matter your age or where you live, unless you have boycotted the news and managed to avoid any conversations lately, there is a very good chance that you have heard about "Pokémon Go." But just for some background information, it is a new app created by Niantic who partnered with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company in order to bring this app alive. This app is available in any iOS App Store and in the Google Play Store. In this game you are playing based on your location, and you get to catch Pokémon, visit PokeStops for extra items and play in a gym against other players. "Pokémon Go" is one of the biggest hits to be released in 2016.
Now that we have the background information, we can talk about the positives that have come from this game. Recently I was visiting some friends and one night we decided to go to a local park because my friends know that there are some good Pokémon to be caught there. Since we all play the game, we thought it was a great idea. But, I did not realize how many people would be there. To say it was crazy would be an understatement.
Not only were there people on their phones catching these little cartoon characters in their augmented reality, but also there were also people just talking to each other and hanging out. People were eating their dinners with their cellphones right next to them so they could get the PokeStop again when it refreshed. And there were people just listening to music and dancing and having a nice night. Not to mention, there were people games in the middle with others that they didn't know or even have their ages in common. It was truly something one would have to see to believe.
One of my favorite parts of the night was when someone would find a rare Pokémon. At one point there was a Dragonite near by, and all of a sudden you heard people yelling to their friends and all the people around about this rare sighting. All at once people would gather together in order to get the creature. Anytime someone would spot a Pokémon they would let everyone around them know because it was all for one, it was one for all.
Seeing everyone come together because of a game is truly something special. It is crazy that a game that was so popular back in the 1990's has been revamped and is now bringing those same kids from 20 plus years ago together again. This was an eye opening experience of all people coming together to help others around them. It may just be a game to some, but from an outsider looking in, it is a wonderful "augmented" reality.
