Pokemon Go is now the most popular mobile game in US history, having just reached 21 million active daily players, a number that is still on the rise. This augmented reality game was targeted to hit 90's kids right in the nostalgia, which easily explains the immediate popularity of the game. Users of the game praise Pokemon Go's innovative take on geocaching, while critics of the app claim it is just another waste of time.
Although I am happy to see an app that takes people outdoors, it is a bittersweet sense of joy. Instead of having gamers cooped up alone in their room staring at a computer or television screen, Pokemon Go requires gamers to leave the comfort of their homes and explore new places and get some exercise. Despite this, it depresses me that the users' phones are the only thing prompting them to go outside and adventure. Even when the users are out and about looking for Pokemon, the majority of their focus is directed to their phone screens attempting to locate their next find. Their attention is taken away from these new places and the nature around them and once again placed into a different "reality."
Due to the absence of awareness users have given to their surroundings, multiple incidents that were spawned by Pokemon Go have been reported. Two men in San Diego fell off a cliff after climbing a fence to capture a Pokemon. The men climbed the fence despite a sign posted that clearly stated the dangers it was obstructing. Another disturbing incident involves a Wyoming woman who was lead to a dead body floating in a river while playing Pokemon Go. Other reported occurrences include various ankle injuries and users walking into trees.
Business are already benefiting from the extreme popularity of Pokemon Go. Certain places of business have become PokeStops where users can come to buy various items needed for the game, such as eggs and PokeBalls. While right now the app is advantageous to small and local businesses, it is predicted that bigger, corporate business will soon begin to follow in their footsteps. This could, as per usual, hinder the flourishing of small businesses.
Augmented reality is an up and coming trend in technological advancement. The idea that a piece of equipment is capable of changing our surroundings and putting us into a different "world" is fascinating, yet dangerous. When you alter or add things to our version of the real world, it not only manipulates what is blatantly around us, but it also manipulates what we consider to be our actual reality. It creates this excitement inside of our brains for another world that isn't authentic. It can cause us to become bored with our genuine reality and long for that enhanced sense of actuality inside of a game.
Some downplay these dangers as just another pass time, comparable to reading a book or watching television. While I see the similarities, I don't think the severity of escaping into a book, where you are reading words and imagining scenarios in your head, is anywhere close to the future of augmented reality, which includes headsets that let you experience a different world by arousing your senses. While Pokemon Go is obviously not at this stage, being a mere mobile game, it is not necessarily a severity to our sense of reality, but users should still be cautious of how much time and attention they give the app.
