6 Reasons Why Pokemon Go Rocks

People are hating like crazy about Pokemon Go. I don’t really understand why everyone is so upset about a simple game. For those of you who are, let me explain why Pokemon Go rocks, and if you don’t understand that, you just don’t get it.

It all started a long time ago with a cartoon that launched with a card game. The whole concept of the show Pokemon was about a group of friends who traveled the world finding and catching Pokemon (pocket monsters). Long story short, the show and card game were a hit and eventually the video games followed. The bulk of the games were in the Nintendo DS platform. The games echoed the show by creating a world that you explored to find Pokemon. There you would join gyms, train, compete and advance. There were even special Pokemon that would come out on special days in particular places. Like if you went to Toys R’ Us or McDonald’s on a particular day and hour, you could download a monster for free and have it in your game. Suffice it to say, people loved this! Collectors still abound.

But the game was pretty much a sitting game. The Pokemon creators have always wanted to counteract this and have been pretty ingenious at it too. Before Pokemon Go, some games came with step counters that you connected to the games to get more stuff and others had them in the DS and if you walked around with it, you would gather coins. But again, it was very limited…

Lo and behold: Pokemon Go

In my opinion the game is genius! Now you actually go and catch the Pokemon in the real world and not the fake one of the DS. The games are the same, with gyms, teams, training and such. The integration of reality and gaming is done with the right purpose. Here’s a list of pluses for you short and simple, so I don’t bore you. (There may be a few cons, but those are usually when the people playing don’t have much common sense.)

1. 

   It gets you walking. You can’t really catch anything while driving (it’s too fast) so you have to be on foot.

2. Pokestops are in the real world. You have to get out of your house, off your ass, and out in the world in order to advance in the game.
3. Pokestops include street art, restaurants, museums, and sights worth seeing. (Encourages cultural awareness and travel)
4. You have to walk to hatch your eggs. Yes, even if it’s back and forth in your own living room, in order to hatch the egg, you gotta walk. So the game makes you exercise!!! (Back to point 1)
5. Augmented reality fun! Yeah, you get to take pics with the Pokemon on your head and stuff.
6. It creates a strange #PokemonBond among users.

So bravo to Niantic, The Pokemon Company, and John Hanke for a great concept. BTW (although the play is buggy, I play in my 4s which according to Niantic is not supported, so there.)