[Issue 56] Real World Phenomena: Pokémon GO

[Vikingsrallentando 3,058]

If you look outside your window and notice a flock of people looking down at their phones and seemingly walking nowhere, one can assume they are playing the latest and greatest game to become a smash hit in the industry: Pokémon GO. It is the latest game to be released around the virtual world of fictional animals that are kept as personal pets and used to battle each other.

 

It's also the latest in virtual reality games that aim to bring such games within the bounds of our lives - and as I am about to explain, it has infiltrated a macro audience. I'll round off this article with my thoughts on the quality of the game itself.

 

Pokémon GOsphere

 

In order to obtain viewing from those who haven't played and those who have, I'll briefly explain the game and explain its reach between generations along with some unintended drawbacks. Then I will give my critique of the game. Lets get started.

 

The Game Itself
 
It’s simple: “you gotta’ catch ‘em all!” It’s simple in theory, but it can be difficult depending on a player's situation. To break it down to layman terms for those that are unfamiliar, you walk around collecting the Pokémon and train/evolve them, earning XP from this to level up. Upon each level up, you receive different rewards - such as Pokéballs (used to catch Pokémon), potions (to heal them), revives (to do as it says), etc. As you progress, new items are made available to you.

 

 

When you reach level 5, you can go to a 'gym' and select a team. The game consists of three teams; Mystic (blue), Valor (red), and Instinct (yellow). They each have a mascot, each with one of the three legendary birds: Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos, respectively. They also have team leaders, Blanche, Candela, and Spark; characters that stand for different kinds of training that can point out strengths in your Pokémon. Gyms are places in the game that a team claims and leaves Pokémon at to defend. Teammates can battle there and earn points for the gym and opposing teams attack to reduce the points for the gym and take it over.
 
Positive Impact
 
Men, women, and children far and wide have downloaded the game. People who you wouldn’t suspect are gamers at all have given it a shot. The game is set to unite people in completely new ways; much like how social media keeps us connected through what we post, Pokémon GO is a great topic of social conversation in which we compare each others progress, and eventually, battle each other directly. Those two things also have come together in the form of memes and comedic content in the form of videos.
 
In areas of large population, trainers can clump up in search of Pokémon in the same area. Videos have surfaced on social media of eyes-glued-to-phone zombies walking around, barely paying a nod's worth of attention to their surroundings. A prime example would be in New York City where a flock of people were after one of the rarest Pokemon named Gyrados. This garnered attention not only because of the infamous serpent, but also because our beloved baby-faced pop star Justin Bieber was there and went unnoticed.

 

 

What I mentioned is how it was reported. That flash mob of trainers could have been there for a simple Pidgey for all I know. And I’m sure a few people that were not a part of Bieber's crew noticed him; I still have some faith in trainers being attentive. This game allows people to step into a different skin, one that is not defined by social status. I want to show you another isolated example in a more high profile event. This time, US State Department Spokesperson John Kirby in a press briefing spots the trainer, a reporter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nlF-3NQNJQ

 

He should have known the signal was bad; a good trainer knows to check the building before settling in. He also should not have had it out during Mr. Kirby’s introduction. But it shows that this game has reached across generations. You have to explain to the grandparents what the "Pokemans" are; kids who are old enough to have a phone are training; and everyone in between!
 
Console and PC games keep you inside and out of the elements, but Pokemon GO gets you outside and forces you to walk around in order to play the game. You can walk, jog, or ride a bike in order to get to the nearest Pokéstop (places in the game (based on landmarks) where you can collect items). There is a genuine case for a child to make to his /her parent or guardian that it is possible to game and exercise at the same time. A teen that is glued to the monitor may go for walks with a mobile phone. Playing the game requires regular movement, and that is always beneficial for the body.  
 
Unlike portable versions of the game for Gameboy or DS, the mobile game engages you in an entirely different way. It’s also more accessible and convenient, since you don’t have to carry another device. It means many of the players are not only novice to the GO game but the Pokémon game itself. It also brings people with bad intentions into the mix, which I will get to in a moment. Although, it can lead to slightly less horrible discoveries, like a fresh corpse. Additionally, young people might notice that a building is on fire before the adults do and call for help.

 

Negative Impact

 

On the other hand, a few bandits  have figured out how to use it to their advantage not long after the game was released. A group of four teens were able to stake out a high traffic area for Pokémon Go players, and got caught.

 

 

The group of locals of the O'Fallon, Missouri area were caught and are set to receive punishment. The three individuals you see above were charged with Robbery in the 1st degree and Armed Criminal Action. The fourth suspect was a minor and was sent to a local juvenile center.

 

When your visual attention is inhibited by a screen within your palm, accidents are bound to happen. Injuries are not uncommon, as this Reddit user can a test to.

 

 

It was awful kind of her to edit the post clarifying who is at fault. As the first comment to the post says; "You were the trainer in the loading screen walking into a Gyrados!" These types of incidences are probably what you've heard more about, since the nature of the news is rarely positive.

 

As with all the new fads, like "Candy Crush" and so on, you feel like you're forced to download and play something because everyone else is. This binding social stigma is called "the fear of missing out." Its very reminiscent of grade school, back when you have to have the coolest lunch box; you have to stick your tongue on the cold pole to hang out with the cool kids; or you have to look a certain way to hang with them, etc. etc. This also translates into more adult things as pointed out in the article I linked, and it ultimately afflicts Pokémon GO. 

 

You might have also heard of instances where former churches are still being recognized within the game and have Stops or Gyms on them. This is particularly objectionable when new residence are on site and receive unnecessary traffic nearby. Just down the road from my house is a sort of landmark, a unique building, which is recognized as a PokéStop. It serves no use because this building is too far away from the road to be reached and is on private property. Fortunately, it is possible to request it be removed.

 

 

Overall Review
 
Although the impact sounds beneficial for people, it’s another question as to whether the game is of fair quality and worth playing. I’ll take a contradictory stance (on the content and conclusion) below. At this point, I’ll explain less of the game specifics; this is more for those who have at least downloaded the game and want to share their thoughts.

 

Intuition
 
This will seem self-explanatory to some, but to the novice player, it can be hard to get going in the game because it doesn’t tell you what to do. There is no walk-through or training simulation. There is a “tips?” button in the top left by the settings, but a minimal amount of information is given to you by Professor Willow. Apparently, you are supposed to learn as you go just as Ash did in the anime. I suspect this was overlooked, as you’re bound to figure out how to play or ask around, eventually. Perhaps shows a little too much confidence by the creators in the reach of the game.
 
Functionality
 
The game interface is comfortable and easy to use. It is a nice feature to have your Pokémon arranged in various ways, “recent” and “combat power” seem to be most helpful to me. Selecting favorites could also be helpful. I favorite Pokémon that I want to evolve soon. I keep a good amount of those in reserve and use a Lucky egg and rack up XP. Renaming your Pokémon allows for additional creativity. It also has a purpose when it comes to the cute cuddly Eevee (If you don't know already, look it up).

 

I think the menu could be more interconnected with itself because there is no way to go back to the menu from any of the 4 sections. You’re forced to close the menu to go to another part. It would be nice to have a link to the Pokédex from your Pokémon and vice versa. Also, to link from your items to the shop, and vice versa. The one example of inter-connectivity is in the egg screen, when you press the incubator button at the bottom right, there is a path to the shop. This might all be a trivial blunder having to X out of something then tap twice to where you want to go, anything that makes the players life easy adds to quality. 
 
Gameplay
 
Finding and catching the Pokémon is alright in my eyes. A traditionalist might not like that the sighting of the wild animal does not interrupt your game and force you to address it, or that you cannot battle the wild Pokémon. Although it does make sense for them to only appear to you if there are other Pokémon nearby, I don’t see why we cannot attack them. Hopefully that is an update to the game in the future. The special awards of XP for Great, Curve, and Excellent throws is kind of annoying. While extra experience is nice, its a small amount and the act of trying for that XP is distracting when trying to time a throw between a Pokemon's jumps or hits.

 

 

Gym battles are a mess. In this case, I feel like more like a traditionalist. It is not turn based attacking, it is mindless, spammed tapping. It… it’s just bad. I’m sure this is a fun new approach to the combat system for some, but it’s really difficult to master; in part because the matches are quite laggy. There probably is some strategy involved too, if you have the cat-like reflexes to do it, but it feels like it involves less strategy because you’re jamming your finger into the screen really fast.

 

 

Biggest drawback of the game hinges against people who live in a rural setting. Pokéstops, Gyms, and Pokémon themselves spawn around cities more often than not. This potentially prevents someone from playing the game entirely. And to highlight the progression through the game; collecting stardust and candies is dependent upon your exercise of the game in places where Pokémon are located in gross sighting. If you don’t live in a city and only visit one with a sizeable Pokémon GOsphere occasionally, then there is significantly less value in the game for you.

 

Unfortunately, due to the stardust and candies setup of the game, the point of catching Pokémon is to transfer most of what you catch in order to progress. You can't be fortunate enough to grow a bond with all of your Pokémon, only your top few; which eventually will be put aside because you've obtained a stronger Pokémon. Its not optimal in comparison with the anime and previous versions of the game, but it must have been necessary to keep people searching for stronger Pokémon, thus playing the game.

 

Room for Debate

 

The lack of in-game communication is a complaint by many which I don't feel is necessary. The impromptu interaction between people you see playing the game and the players you find at your team's local gym should suffice. If everyone in an area (within their team) would coordinate an assault, the gym ruling would be more insane than it is. Gyms with a lot of strong Pokémon stay that way for a while, and if people were able to communicate with teammates, that whole situation would be worse. It would accomplish getting strangers together though.

 

The lack of direct player combat, however, is a worthy point. Although less common for previous versions of Pokémon games, the probability of you finding someone with the game is more likely, since its simply an app for a smart phone. The combat would feel less artificial (and probably more lagged) if both players were determining attacks. Perhaps this feature is on the way, but it seems like an odd thing to overlook.

 

Conclusion
 
Pokémon GO is an immersive augmented reality game, though it has its flaws. I kept mentioning the word “traditionalist” in relation to the gameplay to show how much of a contrast there is between the game and its previous portable versions. I am not a huge Pokémon guy, to be honest. I believe I played some of Crystal and all of Gold (represent!) and loved it. That was a long time ago, though, I still found this to be a refreshing return to the Pokémon world in an entirely new way. Even so, the game seemed incomplete in many aspects that I covered. Although I live in a rural setting, I only live a mile or two from town so I can bike there to play the game. As is, it’s more of a toy for the city folk. Boy, If that wasn't a mixed review, I don't know what is.
 
Should you try it?
 
I am, in no way, suggesting you play this over Tanki; in my view, Tanki has much more “replay value” than Pokémon GO. Although, I do suggest you try the game out if you haven’t. If you want to stay out of the fray because you’ve heard its criticism, such as what I've explained, that’s fine. If you don’t want to play because it is not made by Nintendo, then you’re simply missing out on the experience. When you walk around town, throwing Pokéballs at Pokémon, it feels like you are in the mindset of a trainer. If you end up disliking the game... you know you like Tanki, so get back to battling!

 

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As this Real World Phenomena series continues in upcoming Issues, a variety of events worthy of attention shall be covered. Pokémon GO was destined to become a hit, but completely turns around the classic style of the games. What do you think? Real World Phenomena or a new class of drown-me-now? Let me know.

 

Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed.

 

[L.I.I3.3.I2.T.Y 820]

Nice. Tanki should maybe make something like a Pokemon Go parody called Tanki Go :ph34r:

[omrot 2,327]

You are only 2 months late  :P

 

Nice article though

[opidude 437]

oooo Pokemon gooooo my second fav game after tenki <3

Who else is Team Instinct (yellow)? :D

[GetG0ldB0x 31]

I'm team Mystic. :p I started playing recently, only occasionally though.

[Guest Maserati]

I like this article :) 

[Blackdrakon30 2,943]

oooo Pokemon gooooo my second fav game after tenki <3

Who else is Team Instinct (yellow)? :D

Ayyy Team Instinct ftw!  :lol:

 

Nice article, this game is super beast though. We just need more people getting smart about the game and making better safer decisions.  -_-

[Anonono 1,233]

Mystic FTW!

[beaku 2,656]

Never played it.. :cc

[personia 4,036]

Ew. Pokemon go? More like pokemon go kill yourself...

 

 

 

Please don't kill yourself, I just don't like pokemon go.

 

 

[falcosenna1 8,320]

Mystic FTW!

Yeah!! :D

[OscarWatkins 64]

Like you said,  I  wasn't very interested in this game but I wanted to keep up with my friends and so i downloaded this game few weeks back. And  I've gotta say I really don't find that pokemon tracking system useful cuz when it says 3 steps it means a loong time away (ofc it's ok even if they do that) what really made me angry was the fact that theydidnt giv direction to which is necessary to make the search much less time consuming and fun. 

 

Currently it's banned in  some parts of  my country so I  can't play it btw some say it will be available my mid-sep or something.. 

[marc.jp_44 20,837]

Yeah, I agree. Pokemon Go gym battles are the worst thing ever. It's legit cancer, especially for people who played REAL Pokemon. That's right, I said REAL Pokemon! Pokemon Go has so much potential ... They should make me a developer! :d

[Rico_Viking_9000 942]

dont play and have no plans to

[GetG0ldB0x 31]

I caught 3 new pokemon today, pikachu, Mr.Mime and koffing. :D

[Guest]

I caught 3 new pokemon today, pikachu, Mr.Mime and koffing. :D

kfalc

---

 

If ever the Pokémon Go app doesn't work for you, try this :)

 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=yAmGdn9t5Rs

[falcosenna1 8,320]

^Will keep that in mind in case the Pokemon Go servers don't work. Thanks for the wise advice as always.  :)

Edited September 4, 2016 by falcosenna1

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

I like how your avatar keeps changing :P Excellent article!

[M-axis 589]

http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=331329

 

Topic Stealer  :angry:  <_<

[Som126 102]

Who is team Valor here?

[r_md920 2]

Very detail discusion.

[Vikingsrallentando 3,058]

Who is team Valor here?

Me :3

 

Is the GO fad over? I've spoken to friends that I knew played, and now they don't.

[LaserShark 2,095]

 

Is the GO fad over? I've spoken to friends that I knew played, and now they don't.

Yup, died almost as quickly as it started.

[caution_tanker2 3]

I personally dont like pokemon go cause to me it is just stupid

[HAPPSHOT 2,029]

Lol i really LOVE IT. My brother is level 19 ( he is a noob). I am level 24... gonna levell up soon! ( a bit pro im) and my sister is level 34!

 

 

WE ALL TEAM INSTINCT!