Cape Town - It’s difficult to explain the fascination with the mobile app Pokémon Go to non-fans. Being a Pokémon fan plays a huge part, and the TV series catchphrase Gotta catch ‘em all is a strong hint as to why it is so popular.
The aim is to catch 133 of them in the game. There are loads more in the Pokémon universe, but the game focuses on the first Pokémon featured in the first season of the TV series in 2001.
The app uses your smartphone’s GPS and camera to run its augmented reality imaging, super-imposing Pokémon onto your screen as if they were in the real world.
Players have to physically walk around to find “pokéstops”, which usually take the form of churches, mosques, libraries and other places of interest.
Here, players are able to trade duplicate Pokémon for sweets and potions to strengthen and level up their existing Pokémon. This can lead to awkward scenarios - I ended up gate-crashing a funeral at a nearby church because I wanted to take over the Pokémon Gym the game had assigned me.
Similarly, players will do just about anything to catch ‘em all; if a rare Pikachu were to appear in the middle of the highway, I would seriously consider stopping right there to snag it. The game has impacted the social lives of players as lunch and dinner dates turn into al fresco activities where Pokémon can be hunted down together.
Groups of players can gather, creating a lure module which increases the frequency of the appearance of Pokémon for 30 minutes. It’s by no means a lonely gamer’s app. Certain Pokémon appears more frequently in some areas than others; where I live, I encounter the common species Zubat, with the occasional Pinsir.
Psyduck and other water-type Pokémon can be found close to large bodies of water, and in Dubai, where my sisters live,fire-types such as Charmander arecommonly spotted.
Pokémon Go isn’t just about collecting either. Players will often challenge each other in battles, just like in the original TV series.
By beating another player, you “own” them, getting you global recognition and in-game rewards. Players also defend their turf robustly.
Also read: Pokémon Go for dummies
The app has been a huge success, coming close to surpassing Twitter in the number of daily active users. It’s boosted Nintendo’s stocks and profits. It was such a huge hit, the game had to be removed from app stores because its servers kept crashing due to demand. Once the servers are upgraded, the game will be available again.
Pokémon Go has been literally a breath of fresh air in gaming - taking gaming outdoors because players have to go outside and travel to other areas.
It should be noted that it’s probably best to keep your eyes on your surroundings because there have been incidents in which children and adults have wandered too far from their groups. And it does come off a little creepy sitting alone in your car at night, levelling up your creatures for a few hours while sitting next to a church serving as an in-game Pokémon Gym...
* Rowan Abrahams is the Cape Argus’s graphic designer, resident gamer and geek.
Cape Argus