There are some parts of your childhood that you always remember. For me, it was Michael Jordan and Pokémon. So it was no surprise that I INSTANTLY installed Pokémon Go! on my iPhone as soon as it was available in the app store.
But this isn’t going to be your typical article about the popular game that has given Nintendo a 24% boost in sales.
So I’ve had the app installed on my phone for about a week now, and I’m personally addicted. I’ve walked along the beach while on vacation looking like a crazy person trying to capture Crabby instead of soaking up the sun, and even at dinner consistently refreshing my app to see if there are plenty of options for me. But it seems as though for there to be 250 different Pokémon in this Augmented Reality world, I continuously get stuck with the same type of Pokémon: The Bird, or The Rat.
Imagine my surprise (or lack thereof) working in Washington, DC and seeing things I actually see in real life living in the city on the game. The issue lies in the fact, I haven’t seen much else. I’m sick of Ratatta. I’m sick of Pidgeon. I want those cool ones, without having to literally walk for 45 minutes in circles in public places, looking like a certified creep to pick up an adorable Clafary. Today at the white house I sat at a PokeStop for 16 minutes, even after paying $0.99 for “Incense” which is supposed to draw nearby Pokémon to your location, and came up with the same Pokémon I’ve seen at every other stop. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the additional burned calories, but the awkward stares, the 3% battery drain every five minutes of constant GPS use is already starting to wear me down. Now you can easily use what’s called a “Lure Module” at a PokeStop, such as the one I did at my home the evening prior, but even that is hit or miss. Or in my case.. life imitating art.
So late Sunday evening, I noticed that there were three PokeStops all within close proximity of each other, so I put on my shoes and went for a stroll. Here’s what was in my area.
Ironically there’s nothing in my area but bats, a couple of pigeons, and a rat, right? So imagine my surprise when I’m walking in said area, and a real life rat darts out in front of me, shows its teeth, and scurries underneath of a car. I’ve never been more terrified in my life! I almost uninstalled the app right then and there. And since then, I don’t know WHAT it is: living in DC which has rats the size of footballs; or just the developers of Pokémon Go decided that the only Pokémon you can get without making an in-app purchase, or standing around aimlessly for an hour are Weedles, Rattatas, and Caterpies. I’ve seen Rattata at the White House, at the Mediterranean market, Whole Foods, the bus stop… I think I’m sick of all things in the rodent category. That includes Mickey Mouse, Chuck E. Cheese, and the little purple rat with the red eyes.
To be fair though, I’m not the only one. This new gaming craze has had me running into some people in public doing the same thing: looking down at their phones, pacing slowly in circles, flicking the upper right hand of their smartphones attempting to adjust their GPS. It’s only a matter of time before there are people meeting at a Starbucks and falling in love; “We met because of Pidgey”.
All jokes aside, Pokémon Go is one hilarious, yet fun game to play, albeit with a few issues that need to be worked out (GPS Not found issues, Augmented Reality issues on iOS 10 betas, crashing/freezing when getting rare Pokémon). There’s a $30 Pokémon Go Plus wearable that I’m certainly not going to purchase but there are quite a few tricks I have learned. Using public transportation (buses trains), and even being a passenger (NOT a driver) in a vehicle make Pokémon that much more fun. I’ve personally caught more Pokémon in the back of Ubers over the weekend than I did my first three days using the app while walking. There’s even a nifty hack to the game where you can pick Pikachu as your first Pokémon over Charmander, Squirtle or Bulbasaur. (If you walk away from the three of them at the beginning of the game, you will end up with Pikachu.)
For the next few days, I’m just continuing to have fun collecting all of the Pokémon and searching for good ones (I’m coming for you Abra!!). I haven’t ventured into a battle Gym yet, and I’m almost afraid to begin to understand the eggs & incubators thing, but I look forward to evolving my Pokémon and eventually taking over all of my local gyms like I do my favorite coffee shops on Foursquare.
If you’re interested in Pokémon Go, or want more information about the game, head to Pokemon.com today for more information.
You can also download the app in the Google Play or App Store today for free.