Setting a world record of over 500mn downloads in 2016 alone; Pokémon Go makes use of the newest domain of technology, the alluring Augmented Reality alias AR. Bringing the popular catch ‘em all franchise to the mobile devices, the game delivered players the feel of catching and battling Pokémon in the real world. The AR-based game was released on 6th July for some selected countries and eventually for others.
Achievements
Ever since its release, the game has been cited as one of the most successful mobile games ever made. This is majorly contributed by the immense popularity that the Pokémon franchise enjoys all over the planet. The game garnered several accolades, such as becoming one of the most profitable mobile apps of 2016 and one of the earliest precursors of popularizing the latest Augmented Reality technology. The game also promoted physical activity among mobile gamers while benefiting local business thanks to the hike in foot traffic.
Issues
Every good thing has some loose points about it too, and Pokémon Go is no exception to that. Along with giving so much to the gaming society and tech savvies, it brought forward some major alarming issues. The biggest of them is the increased number of road accidents as the direct result of playing Pokémon Go. Several accidents caused by Pokémon Go headlined the media that enforced some countries to pass some form of legislation to regulate the use of Pokémon Go within their borders.
What’s Irresistible About Pokémon Go
Despite all the goods and bads of Pokémon Go, people still like to go on a quest to catch ‘em all with their customized avatar. The game lets gamers physically travel to real world locations to find and capture specific Pokémon. Once gamers catch a Pokémon, they need to raise it by engaging in battle and giving it items. The items used in the game can be found at PokéStops, which are just another set of specific locations in the real world. The player can find eggs, potions, pokéballs etc. at the PokéStops which is decided randomly by the game programming.
Different types of Pokémon are found in different locations. For instance, water-type Pokémon appears nearby water bodies, which can be anything ranging from ponds to rivers. Another attraction of the game includes Pokémon Gyms, which are general locations of interest. At these locations, players can engage in Pokémon battle with other players in king of the hill matches. The game features a Pokédex, an encyclopedia about all the 151 Pokémon presently available in the game. Only those Pokémon that are captured by the players are added to the Pokédex and their info such as physical attributes, skills, locations, etc. is available in the Pokédex.
The game is much enjoyable by long-time fans of the popular Pokémon series. However, thanks to the overall depth of the game it can be, and it is, enjoyed equally by people not much acquainted with the fictional series. On the whole, the game is worth a try whether you’re a fan of the series or just want to try a mobile game that provides the chance of engaging in physical activity than just sitting around and grounding eyes in the mobile screens.
