Since its debut on July 6, experts have estimated that Pokémon Go, the first mobile app from the Nintendo Co. who originally created the Pokémon franchise in the 1990s, was downloaded an incredible 7.5 million times and grossed nearly $1.6 million daily within it's first week.
The interactive gaming app uses GPS tracking and camera functions to allow players to capture and collect the iconic characters from the popular television series and trading cards within players' geological surroundings. This simple concept has swept the globe into a "Gotta catch 'em all" frenzy that has gained a staggering amount of media attention in just a short while. However, despite its immense popularity worldwide, some players are incapable of explaining what's actually enjoyable about the game. "I don't know, it's dank?" laughs Pokémon player Nicholas Graham when asked why he is a part of the global phenomenon. "It's fun, everybody plays it, it gives me something to do." Lackluster responses such as this are the reason many non-players are left wondering: What's the big deal?
All "dank"-ness aside, the game has left a lasting impression on both Pokémon enthusiasts and non-players alike. As the month of July has progressed, it has become nearly impossible to escape the hordes of players with eyes glued to their screens as they track down the nearest Pokémon. Even for those who did not grow up with the Pokémon franchise, words such as "Rattata" and "Pokéstop" are vastly becoming a part of everyday conversation.
The social and community aspect of Pokémon Go also have cities and business raving, using the game's popularity to draw in more visitors. "I think it's been really good at getting people to go out and explore their hometowns more," explains Kris Nilson, another Pokémon Go player. "With so many of the Pokéstops being monuments and memorials, you end up discovering a lot of neat things around you might not have known were there."
Pokéstops, which are hotspots where large groups of Pokémon gather -including extremely rare breeds- are one of the many elements of the game that have added to the hype and excitement of playing, but there is also a growing concern of safety for players that seek them out, especially after dark. Less than a week after the app's release, 10 to 11 robbery related crimes were reported in the St. Louis and St. Charles counties of Missouri. Teens had allegedly used the app to create a beacon at local Pokéstops in order to lure players in and rob them.
Playing while driving also has police concerned about the safety of players and the community, and many non-players are also getting fed up with the increased distraction Pokémon Go is causing. "I think the original idea of the game, in terms of getting people out of their houses and exploring their cities, had good intentions, but in reality they're too focused on the game to see what's going on around them," says Madison Jones, Kris Nilson's non-player girlfriend. However, what many players do not understand is the sentimentality behind Pokémon's massive following, especially among millennials. As player Joshua Sharp describes it, "I get to go out and live the childhood dream of capturing Pokémon." For fans like Graham, Nilson and Sharp, Pokémon Go is more than just a game, it's the embodiment a childhood fantasy made reality.
As the month of July begins to wind to a close, the continuing popularity of the game is called into question. How will Pokémon Go affect the upcoming school year? Though a Facebook poll of Belmont University's Class of 2020 proved inconclusive in determining the ratio of players to non-players who will be joining the student body this August, a comment left by incoming freshmen Taylor Simmons inspires hopes of the intensity of the Pokémon frenzy beginning to die down. "I was into it at first, but I actually deleted the app yesterday," writes Simmons on Wednesday, July 20. "I just found other things that mattered more to me than [the game] did."
Hopefully, the pressures of college life will soon outweigh the importance of Pokémon Go, but leave behind the fun and excitement that speaks to fans of the Pokémon universe.
