"Pokémon Go", I am sure that by now you have heard of this new game or should I say phenomenon. Can you believe that the game launched just 13 days ago? And there is already so many articles written about it and everyone is talking about it. I even watched a video last week on how to use it, a video that was published by a news outlet because they saw how fast the game was catching on and wanted to be on top of it. Universities are even adding maps of their campuses with Poke Stop, Gym and Pokémon locations to their websites and visitor packets. You google "Pokémon Go" and you get over 34 million hits, from opinion pieces to new tips to anything in between. So, I know that my article is just one of many many articles but in any case I have a few thoughts I would like to share on this overnight sensation.
First off, do not get me wrong, I love the fact there is a new Pokémon game. I remember spending countless hours watching the Pokémon television show. I dreamed of being Misty and competing in gyms and defeating that villainous brother sister team. I played the Pokémon game on my Game Boy Advance and traded Pokémon cards. I am this game’s target audience because it is bringing out childhood obsession to a whole new level. I just hope that with the creation of this game that some kids do look up the classic game and show just to see how it all began.
Secondly, I like what the game is trying to do. By making your movement the key to the whole game, it is creating this want and incentive for kids to get up and move around. This is good; however, the way the game is set up, it is also a little dangerous. It does say at the beginning of the game to be aware of your surroundings at all times. However, many people are not doing that and are going after Pokémon or running to gyms and running into other people or objects around them. Along with that idea, people are trespassing on private property and knocking on people’s front doors asking to come in so they can get a certain Pokémon. I also wish that it was virtual reality without having to have your location on the whole time. I do not know about you but that makes me a little uneasy and is probably the biggest reason why I have not gotten that into the game myself.
This game is crazy. People run around yelling at other people that they better not take their Pokémon. They spend hours glued to their phone in search of a new Poke Stop or Gym. I wonder if the creators if the game thought that it would become an overnight sensation. I am sure it is because of its foundation and already established fan base that the spark initially lit. But the fire that has come I do not think that anyone could have expected or predicted.
I do wonder what’s next. Games like this catch fire and then there are a ton of different mediums created based off them. For example, "Angry Birds started as a phone game and then became a board game and then had its own movie. Well, Pokémon has already had a game and a television show. So, what’s next? Is it possible for a new movie or show to come out of the huge success of the game? I guess one can only dream.
