Even if you’re living under a rock, you’ve probably crossed paths with someone playing Pokémon Go, trying to catch a Charmander. So far, Pokémon Go is the top downloaded iPhone app, surpassing Tinder, and is nearing similar daily number of users as Twitter. We haven’t seen an app catch this much exposure in a very long time.
The first day we heard about this craze, naturally we thought the fad would die down, as most do. Another day goes by and we hear that a girl finds a dead body while trying to catch a Pokémon. By day three, we knew we had to try out this app.
Here’s what we learned:
This game is for everyone. You do not need to know a thing about Pokémon to play, as it is simple to learn the basics. Simply, players level up by catching different Pokémon. It is unique in that you need to physically walk around and search the city to find the Pokémon. The basics are easy, yet there is so much more to this game than a card battle.
It is one thing to catch a Pokémon by throwing a Pokéball, but it is a whole other world, trying to level up. Throwing with flair is a strategy overlooked by many, yet helps significantly. The more difficult the shot and the more style it has, the more points you will receive. This will secure you the ability to catch Pokémon that are of more rare breed, in the future.
This game will keep you awake. Getting up and walking around every 10-15 minutes during the day has been proven to be healthy. Pokémon Go was our excuse at work. The app only works if you physically get out of your seat and walk around town to find Pokémon. We aren’t kidding. The Pokémon are superimposed on your camera screen to seem as if they are actually on the sidewalk in front of you. It’s safe to say that we saved a coworker today from the Pangolin sitting on her desk.
After a day of playing, we totally get why this app is taking over. It’s truly a virtual reality in the palm of your hand. If you’re looking for water Pokémon, you have to be near an actual body of water. When your phone isn’t open to the application, it’s as if you aren’t even alive. You won’t see any Pokémon all day.
While we had a blast doing our due diligence researching this topic, we also understand that this is opening the door for an entirely new realm of applications. People are consumed by a virtual reality and Pokémon Go has shown us that the possibilities are truly endless. We cannot wait to see what is coming our way next.