If you've been outside at any point in the last few days, there's no doubt that you've seen people of all ages running around to collect Pokemon. The game is not only appealing to children who are just getting into Pokemon, but to young adults who are reminiscent of the days when they were training to become Pokemon trainers themselves. It seems that every person with a smart phone is out somewhere in the world trying to catch a Pikachu.
One thing that makes the game so appealing is this anyone can play mentality. Virtually everyone you know has a smartphone, and the app is free to download, so anyone has the capacity to play the game. After a quick couple minutes of introduction and character customization, the game is open. You (really you this time) are a Pokemon trainer.
That's another thing that makes the game so appealing to players. Most people had a dream at some point or another that Pokemon were real and that they would be able to have their coming of age story accompanied by these creatures on their quest to be the best, like no one ever was. This app brings Pokemon into the real world, using GPS technology and a camera.
You can catch Pokemon all around your neighborhood and level them up. That's the beauty of the game. It's bringing the nostalgic childhood dream of encountering Pokemon out on the way to school to life.
This is what makes me wonder if Pokemon Go will remain a popular app. The game play is pretty simple right now, mostly involving catching Pokemon due to the glitches of the gyms. The app also drains the battery of phones and requires that you be looking at your screen while walk around, which can sometimes be unsafe.
I think that unless Pokemon go adds more features that make it possible to batter other users real time (or simpler battles in general besides the gym feature) or some more interactive features that make game play something besides walking around and looking for Pokemon while your phone battery spirals downward, then this will be another app that enjoys it's moment of frenzy before users begin to get bored.
