Unveiling the Purpose of Pokémon GO: More Than Just Catching ‘Em All
The primary purpose of Pokémon GO was to bring the beloved Pokémon franchise into the real world through augmented reality (AR) technology. This encouraged players to explore their physical surroundings, interact with other players, and engage in physical activity while pursuing the shared goal of catching, training, and battling Pokémon. It sought to blend the digital world with the physical one, transforming everyday environments into interactive playgrounds filled with virtual creatures.
The Genesis of a Phenomenon
From April Fool’s Joke to Global Sensation
The seeds of Pokémon GO were sown in 2014 with an April Fool’s Day collaboration between Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata and Tsunekazu Ishihara of The Pokémon Company and Google. The “Google Maps: Pokémon Challenge” envisioned Pokémon appearing within Google Maps, and users could “catch” them virtually. This playful concept sparked the idea of a location-based Pokémon game that would eventually evolve into Pokémon GO. The success of that April Fool’s joke showed that there was great interest in bringing Pokémon to the real world.
A Vision of Augmented Reality and Real-World Interaction
Niantic, a company known for its location-based AR game Ingress, was chosen to develop Pokémon GO. The vision extended beyond simply catching Pokémon. The game was designed to utilize real-world landmarks as PokéStops (locations where players could collect items) and Gyms (locations where players could battle other teams for control). This incentivized players to visit new places, discover local attractions, and engage in social interactions with other trainers.
The Impact and Evolution of Pokémon GO
A Global Phenomenon and its Societal Effects
Pokémon GO’s release in July 2016 was nothing short of a global phenomenon. Millions of people worldwide downloaded the app, flocking to parks, cities, and even rural areas to catch Pokémon. The game had a significant impact on physical activity, with estimates suggesting it added billions of steps to collective user activity. It was said to have added an estimated 144 billion steps to US physical activity, which is about 2724 times around the world or 143 round trips to the moon.
The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again?)
While the initial craze subsided over time, Pokémon GO has consistently evolved with new features, Pokémon, and events. Early features like Pokémon tracking were removed initially, leading to player frustration. However, the game’s developers, Niantic, have continued to update and refine the experience, adding features such as Raids, Community Days, and improved AR capabilities.
Navigating Challenges and Controversies
Pokémon GO has faced its share of controversies. Reports of trespassing, road accidents, and even the discovery of dead bodies were linked to the game’s widespread use. Some players have been robbed after criminals set lures to draw unsuspecting victims to secluded areas. However, it also fostered new forms of socialization and increased foot traffic for local businesses.
Exploring Mental Health Benefits
Despite its controversies, some research suggests that Pokémon GO can positively impact mental health. The game promotes face-to-face socialization, encourages outdoor physical activity, and provides exposure to nature, all of which are essential elements for well-being.
The Evolving Purpose
While the initial purpose of Pokémon GO centered on bringing Pokémon to the real world and promoting exploration, the game’s purpose has continued to evolve. It now incorporates a strong social component with raiding and battling, seasonal events that keep players engaged, and a variety of challenges to complete. Pokémon GO has also been used as a learning tool. This is in line with the work being done at the Games Learning Society. You can learn more about this organization at GamesLearningSociety.org.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why did Pokémon Go become less popular after its initial peak?
Pokémon Go’s decline was characterised by a consistent lack of communication in the beginning. The catalyst was arguably the removal of Pokémon tracking. Some players were left so disillusioned that they requested refunds.
2. Why did Pokémon Go recently face a boycott?
Niantic nearly doubled the price of Remote Raids and issued a worrisome TOS update. This led to Pokemon Go fans calling for a boycott of Go Fest 2023, citing issues with the game and lack of accountability from Niantic as the reason.
3. How many users has Pokémon Go lost since its launch?
After 2016, Pokémon Go dropped to its lowest levels of activity with 65 million users. That rose to 133 million in 2018, but has steadily decreased to 71 million in 2021.
4. What are some of the unintended consequences of Pokémon Go?
Some of the negative consequences of Pokemon Go have been trespassing, road accidents, discovery of dead bodies and people being robbed. On the positive side, new forms of socializing, increased foot traffic in retail stores and less sedentary behavior has been noticed.
5. What is considered the most common reason people played Pokémon Go?
The Pokémon franchise and fandom were the most common reasons to adopt Pokémon GO. Progressing in the game was the most frequent reason to continue playing. Progressing in the game had the strongest correlation to playing frequency.
6. Which country has the highest number of Pokémon Go downloads?
The game has been downloaded the most in the United States, followed by Brazil and India.
7. Which Pokémon Go team is the most popular?
Team Mystic is the largest at about 37 percent, followed by Valor with almost 30 percent and Instinct with 23 percent.
8. What is the rarest Pokémon in the original 150?
Mewtwo is typically considered the rarest Pokémon in the original 150.
9. What are some of the rarest shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Go?
Unown, Heracross, and Pawniard are some of the rarest shiny Pokemon.
10. What are the consequences of cheating in Pokémon Go?
If your account is issued a second strike, you will temporarily lose access to your Pokémon GO account. When attempting to log into the game, you’ll be presented with a message stating that your account is suspended. You will not be able to bypass this message.
11. Is there scientific evidence that Pokémon Go can be addictive?
Although there is no scientific evidence of (Internet) gaming disorder among players of Pokémon Go, some researchers have warned that “users should be made aware of the particularly addictive nature of the Pokémon GO”.
12. What is the average age of Pokémon Go players?
People aged 30–49 now represent 30% of all players, versus the previous level of ~25%.
13. What is the average level of Pokémon Go players?
The average player level was slightly above 23, where 80% were in the range between level 21 and 30.
14. Is it valuable to keep a Pokémon with 0% IVs?
A fully 0% IV Pokemon is extremely rare, even when compared to their 4-star/Perfect IV counterparts. Players may want to keep it just for the rarity.
15. What is the purpose of PokéStops and Gyms in Pokémon Go?
PokeStops are blue waypoints that dispense items and XP. Gyms are locations where players could battle other teams for control.