Let me preface this by saying that I love Pokémon Go so far. I haven’t been able to play much, being abroad and all and limited to free Wi-Fi zones, but it’s a fun game. Not sure how long I’ll be playing it as it’s kind of a grinding game and I have a history of getting tired of grinding in games after a certain point. Of course I also have a history of coming back to these games periodically (cough, Diablo 3, new season, cough) and that might happen with Pokémon Go as well. We will see how it goes, but for now I like it.
And so do a lot of people.
And, conversely, a lot of people hate it (fair enough, no game is for everyone) and the people who play it. From some corners it is met with skepticism, ridicule, and even violence. And it’s this backlash from non-players that I find most interesting. For years I’ve seen campaign after campaign trying to get people (not just kids) to go outside and play, and walk, and exercise. Suffice it to say these campaigns have been less than successful.
In comes Pokémon Go, a game that actively promotes and stimulates people (not just kids) to go outside and play, and walk, and exercise, and a very vocal group decries this as horrible. Now that people are finally going outside and making their presence known eyebrows are being raised. Man, those are a lot of people out on the street, parks, landmarks and residential areas all of a sudden. I get that this can be overwhelming, but isn’t this what we’ve all wanted for years? That people go outside again? Yes? No?
That’s not to say that some players aren’t causing legitimate problems (trespassing, playing while driving, etc.), but on the whole I think this game can do a lot of good.
Now to me, what I like about Pokémon Go is that it combines my love of walking with my love of gaming. I’ve been playing it abroad, and I know what you’re thinking: “Why waste your time playing this game on your travels when there is so much else to do and see?”
Well, couple of things:
- Believe it or not, but I’ve found a lot more landmarks, monuments and street art from chasing pokestops than I would have without it. Sometimes you don’t see the beautifully painted fuse box for instance without something to point it out.
- I am on the road for six months in total and sometimes I need a break from sightseeing, tours, and other typical vacation activities. This is not like a small vacation after all, where every second matters. I need downtime too. Pokémon Go is a fun way to have downtime while still going out and discovering stuff.
- The social aspect is a lot of fun too. There’s an instant connection with people. Granted there are some zombies out there too, but it’s a good way to meet people and strike up a conversation. And that’s also one of the fun parts about travelling.
I’ve also seen and heard some questions from non-players who are baffled why people play this game. What is fun about it? Can you explain the appeal? To those questions I’d like to propose a counter question: What is so fun about stamp collecting? What’s so fun about watching a sport? What’s fun about any hobby or activity?
The answer depends on who you ask. For someone who is gripped by this activity, it’s fun! For someone who isn’t gripped by it, it’s not fun and no amount of explaining will make it fun. Take sports for example; I don’t enjoy watching sports for the most part. Football/Soccer? Not really my cup of tea. People who love it will say it’s the competitiveness or the feeling of team spirit or any number of reasons. I don’t feel any of that. Does that mean that watching sports is stupid and a waste of time and these people should do something worthwhile with their time? If you think the answer is yes, go to a stadium and explain that to the fans, see how far you get.
So really there is no good way of explaining this game that will change the minds of people who don’t get it, but for the sake of argument I’m going to list some of the points that really make this game shine for me.
- Nostalgia: I played the old Pokémon games, I watched the first few seasons of the anime before it became ridiculous that years go by and Ash and Pikachu remain the same age throughout. This game feels like you’re actually a part of that world and going on an adventure to catch mysterious Pokémon.
- Collecting: Gotta Catch ‘em All. There’s something about collecting stuff that is almost universally appealing. We might not all want to collect the same things, but the act of collecting things is inherently fun.
- Exploring: I see a lot of a place playing Pokémon Go, not just the typical tourist areas. You pick a direction and you discover new places or parts of a familiar area you neglected before and it’s amazing.
- Social aspect: Everyone is playing Pokémon Go right now. Go outside and you see other players. There is an instant connection there, much more than any other game or activity right now, if you’re willing to talk to people.
- Walking: This ties in with exploring. Most people do like to walk, but need a goal in order to actually do it. Pokémon Go provides that goal in looking for new Pokémon or hatching eggs by traversing certain distances.
All of these things combined make this game a lot of fun!
Don’t understand the appeal?
Try it, it’s free.
Go out with a friend and collect your first Pokémon, hatch your first eggs, find that landmark you didn’t even know existed by going from pokestop to pokestop. Go out there Trainers and might-soon-be-Trainers, and have fun.