So Pokemon Go has been out for a while in the US and only recently in the UK. As an eager Pokemon fan living in the UK I downloaded it early through the US app store. The game has been all over Youtube, Twitch and the news. It is clearly a success so far, making $14 million within just 2 weeks of release.
Around a year ago when I first heard about Pokemon Go and how it allows you to combine real life with Pokemon, I knew it would be something to get excited about. Being the introvert gamer I am I thought it would help motivate me to explore places outside that I wouldn’t usually go to.
Boy, was I happy when it turned out to be true.
I’m sure all of you reading this are aware of what Pokemon Go is and how it works. What some of you may not know is that the developers hired by The Pokemon Company, Niantic Labs, made a very similar game around 3 years ago called Ingress. Ingress required you to capture portals surrounding landmarks throughout the world for your chosen side. The game was quite good and gained positive reviews all around. The only issue was that the fan base had to be built from the ground up.
This brings me onto why Pokemon Go is already a huge hit. Pokemon has such a huge fan base that the game was guaranteed exposure and, as the series began over 15 years ago, it has roots in older people’s hearts. Now it’s arrived we can see how it has quickly spread throughout the population.
The game isn’t perfect. It lacks some of the features we saw from the trailers a few years ago. The combat is a little lacklustre but as the point is to be able to play while on the move, I think we can accept that. We currently can’t trade our Pokemon and I think we can all agree on wanting to battle amongst friends. I’m sure that these things will come with future updates.
When I first played in a city I was happily surprised by the sheer numbers of people I could see playing. I could tell because no one usually looks down at their phone quite so eagerly while walking through a crowded street. And then there was the Pokestops; the landmarks spread across the city almost always had lures placed on them. Lures are what attract high numbers of Pokemon to one area. A hotspot for trainers, you could call it. The community the game has created in just a few days is incredible and has the potential to only get better and stronger with time.
READ MORE: 11 Pokemon Go Tips For New Trainers
So, why do I and so many others enjoy Pokemon Go so much? Well of course there is the fantasy of being able to capture Pokemon in the places you get your coffee. But I mainly think that it is largely due to its uniqueness. No other game franchise has done anything quite like it. Does this game even have a genre to accurately describe it? But I am sure that soon, other businesses will seize the opportunity to make their own versions. And competition to be the best within any genre can only mean a better choice for the consumer.
Now we have Pokemon Go. Every avid Pokemon fan’s dream game. What’s next? I’m sure other game franchises will catch on to the fact that this new genre of games is unique and unexplored. Imagine the possibilities! There could even be a new genre called MMIRLRPG (Massively Multi-player In Real Life Role Playing Game). What if we added VR goggles and the Pokemon appeared in front of your eyes at unexpected times? This could be a new era of gaming, folks.
And I’m excited to be able to see it develop and mature.
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