Pokémon Go was SUPER popular this summer, so when the semester started, I thought I would see everyone playing it around campus. Not including myself, I have only seen two people playing it – only two! So it got me thinking, is this game pretty much over?

Now, there are still quite a few people playing in the Houston community, but they all seem to be a bit older and out of school. So why was it such a small fad for young adults? It could be because it took time and effort to actually play the game, but I also think the company that owns the app is to blame. Niantic really made the game difficult to play and enjoy. First off, they changed the tracking system, which really ruined the game for a lot of people. Now, instead of being able to see how far away a Pokémon is, we have to blindly walk around searching for where it might be. In addition to removing the tracking system, they shut down all the websites that helped people know where Pokémon were located, making it even harder to know where to find them. Basically, Niantic made the game too difficult and too much effort for most people to even want to play. And that doesn’t even count all the server issues we have to deal with.

For those of us that still play, we are just hoping that Niantic will eventually fix things. People had been excited for a game like this for a very long time, so holding out is the best we can do. Hopefully, if they ever fix all the issues, it will regain the popularity it deserves.