Regardless if you own a smartphone or not, it's practically guaranteed that you've heard of Pokémon Go. It's been the talk of the town for months, but it was just released in the United States last week. While some people say that "Pokémon has been dying out" since they've created so many Pokémon, 729 to be exact, with all their expansions of the game, others rival that by saying Pokémon Go was the greatest thing to ever happen to the franchise, and I agree wholeheartedly.
I played Pokémon as a child and have continued to play, even as a college student. Whether it was Pokémon Snapshot, for the Nintendo 64, or Pokémon Diamond, for the Nintendo DS, I enjoyed every single game more than the last. And Pokémon Go has not disappointed me yet nor do I believe that it will.
When I first downloaded the game, it was on a whim because all of my friends were talking about it in our group message and I became curious. I didn't really understand how the game play worked at first, like how to catch more Pokémon or that you could evolve them after you caught them. Every step was a learning experience.
A friend from college came to visit for the day and while showing her around my hometown, we played Pokémon Go together. If one of us didn't know something, the other helped to figure it out. Pokémon Go is not only a game, but rather a way for people to play together and even learn together.
If you know anything about Pokémon, it's all about becoming the best Pokémon Master that you can be. But there is no way you can become a Pokémon Master without learning things from other people. This real life version of Pokémon is bringing together people that would've never been brought together previously. I've met countless people walking around playing Pokémon Go and all of them have a sparkle in their eyes.
The entire objective of the game is to catch Pokémon but also to do cardio. Just by taking a quick walk in your neighborhood, you may find new Pokémon and rack up steps. The game tracks your steps in kilometers- since the game was made in Japan it uses kilometers instead of miles -and if you get a certain amount of kilometers, you can hatch an egg.
Niantic Inc., the creators of the game, knew that there had to be an incentive in order to make people walk around. While the focus of this game is obviously not physical exercise only, it's simply an add-on to get kids and adults who enjoy Pokémon to become more active. That incentive just so happens to be eggs, which are given to players at Pokéstops.
Pokéstops are locations that have significance to your own hometown, such as churches, schools, or community centers. You obtain items from each Pokéstop, like Pokéballs, eggs, or healing potions for your Pokémon. Although you're gaining items for your virtual avatar and Pokémon, you're also subconsciously acquiring knowledge about your own city.
While travelling around looking for Pokémon, in the car or by walking, I've learned the names of many churches, found new and interesting public art pieces, and learned a lot about my city I would've never learned otherwise.
Pokémon Go is bringing together the young and the old. I've seen children playing it but also their parents. Pokémon has always been a universal game for any age and with the new release of Pokémon Go, it's opening even more doors. One can only hope that the new unity of Pokémon players, no matter your age, ethnicity, or religion, can be spread to all people worldwide.
