It’s the most controversial topic in Canada this summer, the most downloaded application on the market and the best new way to market: it’s Pokémon Go. Despite the negative attention this application is getting, Pokémon Go’s positive effects are making serious waves in the economy, in health and in local communities.
For those who are not familiar, Pokémon Go is a geography-based, augmented reality application. This means that gameplay is based on the location of the user, and can be enhanced when coupled with a smartphone camera. The premise of the game is based upon the story of the popular anime series, Pokémon. The lead character, Ash Ketchum, was on a mission to catch all 729 Pokémon creatures to train and battle them against his foes. Niantic, a software development company from California, brought the story to life in early July. Smartphone users across the world now have the chance to fulfill the same mission in real time.
In an attempt to get gamers up on their feet, the company created a game for the largest group of smartphone users; those aged 18-29.
The application itself is intuitively laid out. Users choose an avatar and can immediately go out to search for wild Pokémon. Movement is based upon the GPS and gyroscopic features in a smartphone. These virtual creatures appear on the cartoon map, and when tapped upon, they enter a “catch” scene. In this scene, players can choose between the app’s background or enter AR (augmented reality) mode. AR mode makes use of the phone’s camera and gyroscope to display Pokémon as though it were in the real world. Users swipe up on their phone with a certain force to correctly capture these pocket monsters. They are caught with Poké balls. Once caught, players are rewarded with candies and stardust. Candies and stardust are used for increasing the CP (combat power) of Pokémon, while candies by themselves are used to “evolve” Pokémon. If players find their supplies low, they may walk to the nearest Poke Stop for a chance to earn poke balls, potions, eggs and much more. Poke stops are geographically chosen landmarks, complete with a photo and short bio. Gyms are another place to visit in the game, and are chosen similar to Poke Stops. Encountering a gym offers players the chance to battle other player’s Pokémon, thus showing the importance of powering up (feeding) your Pokémon. The battling does not happen live.
Not only does the application combine GPS technology with augmented reality software, but it’s based off of the most successful anime series. Pokémon first aired in Canada April 1, 1997. Since then, networks like YTV and Teletoon have kept the series in the eyes of youth. The wide-spread popularity of the show led to the sale of Pokémon trading cards. Players had the chance to be a Pokémon master by collecting all the pocket monsters and putting them to use in battles. The business franchise has shipped over 21.5 billion trading cards to 74 countries in 10 languages since that time. Fast forward almost twenty years later, and we see the same thing happening, only with better technology.
The success of the app is unmatched by any other platform on the market. A quick look in the Google Play Store shows that the app has been downloaded over 10 million times. The App Store, Apple’s purchasing platform, is not far behind.
Pokémon Go is free to download, but the in-game purchases available have broken records across the world. It has been just over two weeks since the release, and the application has brought in $35 million in revenue according to Venture Beat. This means that approximately $2.5 million is being made daily. According to the earnings release of the app giant, Facebook, the social media app is seeing its highest revenues this year. In its latest quarter, Facebook’s earnings are approximately $5.4 million. A popular mobile gaming app, Candy Crush Saga, released their daily revenues for this year at $653,287. Both of these hit applications are nowhere near the instant success of Pokémon Go. With improvements and updates being demanded daily, the company will continue to see exciting figures if they heed the requests of their audience.
In addition to revenue, Pokémon Go is successful in a few other ways; health and community. The application is based upon movement, thus more people are getting out of their homes to take part in the game. In order to hatch Pokémon from eggs, one must walk a specified number of Kilometers. The app has a speed cap to optimize the health of players and hinder cheaters from cheating. The speed cap is 20 km/h. This means that walking, biking, rollerblading and skateboarding are all acceptable means of transportation. Anything over that limit, and the app shuts off its counters. In addition, Pokémon Go is receiving praise from individual communities for a couple of reasons. Since Poke Stops are based upon landmarks, players have the chance to be at the unique locations of their city. The Stop features a photo of the landmark and a small bio. For the regular gamers who play at home on their days off, this software offers the chance for these gamers to get out into their communities. Small business owners and event sponsors are getting in on the craze by purchasing lures, an in-game technique to bait Pokémon to your location for 30 minutes. There is a chance to catch rare Pokémon when a lure is out, which is why most players will wait around while it is active. While players wait, they may get thirsty, hungry or curious. The business or event can capitalize on this by showcasing products, highlighting services and offering deals. It has become a fantastic new way to market.
With every new application, there is always room for improvement. Two of the biggest concerns for players are battery and data usage. There is a power save feature in the settings menu of the app which leaves the software to operate at the lowest power for those who are on the “Go” for longer periods. As for data usage, smartphone users should always be aware of their running applications. Pokémon Go is surprisingly great, using just under 1 MB (Megabyte) every hour. Compare that to Facebook, which uses 1-2 MBs per minute. Devoted players may need to keep in mind that their eight hour hunting walks are going to add up, just as much as those who scroll endlessly on Facebook.
Besides the technical issues, the game seems to be attracting a bit of negative attention. For example, two young adults playing the game in California fell 50 ft. after neglecting their surroundings. Upon opening the application, a disclaimer pops up instructing of environmental awareness. Furthermore, as with texting or reading a book in public, it is common sense to execute spatial awareness. It seems outlandish to label the game as dangerous due to the neglectful actions of two grown males. Finally, there are those criticising kids and adults for playing this game. There are adults who utilize watches to count steps and count calories so they can be more aware of their weight. We use the tools we have available to us to help us. Using a game application to get outside often isn’t lame. It’s a smart strategy. There is no denying that once you start playing the game, that it makes you want to walk further and do more to succeed. If that’s what it takes to get our kids out, who have been around technology since they were born, then we should be giving it a chance.
Niantic came up with a solution to kids being inside too much. It is insanely successful. Like most things in life, moderation is key. Play smart and play safe. Pokémon Go is here to stay and we might as well make the very best of it.
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