Pokémon Go Forth & Conquer
It was 10pm, dark, and I was walking around my neighborhood waiting for my egg to hatch.
More specifically, I was playing Pokémon Go, the hot new app on the block that prompts users to wander around catching Pokémon monsters, projected onto phone screens using augmented reality. The game was an instant hit, jumping to the top of the Apple App Store’s most downloaded list and gaining 10 million downloads just hours after it was released. With more than 20 million people playing it daily, it has surpassed Tinder in active US users.
You heard that right: More people are out there tracking down Doduos than those looking to catch a late-night shag. What a world we live in.
Immediately after Pokémon Go was released, news channels became flooded with stories of distracted drivers/walkers/boaters getting into crashes and predictions for the future of augmented reality. As a health reporter, I am intrigued about the benefits and downfall of the game, especially when it comes to players’ well being.
The first positive for Pokémon Go is the very nature of the game itself. Rather than the majority of video games that require sitting in front of a screen and minimal movement besides some wrist calisthenics and thumb stretching, Pokémon Go forces the user get out of the house. Pokémon and Pokéstops (locations where users can stock up on Pokéballs) are located all over, near parks, restaurants, national monuments and landmarks. Wandering around on the quest to “catch ’em all” is a fun way to get the miles in, and perhaps visit places you’ve never thought to visit. I also like the community that has formed around fellow Pokémon Go players; more than once I have been called out (very nicely) by fellow players as I make my way to the next Pokéstop on the block. “Hatching” eggs, which you also collect and “incubate” requires walking 5 kilometers — hence my manic pacing outside at 10pm.
But before I spout off exclamations of an “obesity cure” found conveniently in millions of phones, I have to admit: My first few hours of the game were spent seated in a car, driving around catching Pokémon. And I’m guessing I’m not the only one that has thought of this (rather lazy) shortcut. There are also concerns about traffic accidents as people literally stop their cars in the middle of the street to catch the little creatures, and other bodily harm, like the tale of two men falling off a cliff while playing the game.
I’m still not sure how I feel about augmented images crowding our lives, making us focus on the Squirtle in front of us instead of the pretty flowers or sunset. But I have to admit that Pokémon Go is becoming a helpful hand, leading those that are content to stay cooped inside out into the world.
