Gotta Catch-em All! That's right, Pokemon Go is sweeping the country. You see people everywhere. Walking in the parks, down the street, in the store, all with one thing in common. They all have their phones out and are catching Pokemon. To tell us all about it is my video game pro Chris Hauser.
Pokemon has been around for 26 years. As a child I remember watching Pokemon on TV and thinking how cool it would be if they were in the real world. That is exactly what Pokemon Go does... sort of. While the basic idea is there, walk around, see Pokemon, catch Pokemon. It lacks certain nuances of the earlier Pokemon titles. It lets you see Pokemon in the real world and capture them, and then what? This is where the game limits your options. You can improve your Pokemon's overall CP or combat power, and challenge to take over gyms. But the combat system lacks any real depth and quickly devolves to randomly clicking on the screen as fast as possible. There is no way to trade or battle with your friends, though both these things have been promised to happen in future updates.
As I walk through the park you can see hordes of people with their phones out trying to catch'em all. Trying to become a Pokemon master. It has a level of social interaction that the game is responsible for, but doesn't necessarily support. It could evoke would be trainers meeting up with other like minded individuals sharing stories of favorite Pokemon and tips like where to catch them. The game lacks social features, that if added would greatly improve the user trend. People want to meet up, chat, and share the experience.
Right now the game gives you a reason to go outside, take a walk, and see the Pokemon you remember from your childhood. And that's not such a bad thing. If supported properly in the future with updated game mechanics one day we may fully realize the joy of living in a Pokemon world!
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