That first summer when it came out was so much fun. A friend and I went down to a park and played it for a few hours. Eventually we found another 5 or so people doing the same thing and we all...
That first summer when it came out was so much fun. A friend and I went down to a park and played it for a few hours. Eventually we found another 5 or so people doing the same thing and we all exchanged theories on how things worked, advice, etc. I've never had a more social experience while playing a video game before (or had my battery drain so quickly!).
The problem is, though, that once you get away from these high-pop areas, there's nothing to do. I live in a rural area and there's just nothing around me. Pokemon don't even seem to spawn frequently and when they do it's a super common Pokemon. The gyms within driving distance are untouchable because they're held by high-level folks that live nearby and can keep up on things 24/7.
Then again it probably wouldn't kill me to us the game as an excuse to get out of the house and explore the world a bit. But even then I think the game gets repetitive very quickly.
A viewpoint from living in a densely populated urban area: the game's repetition lends to its popularity. People have become familiar with the Pokestops and Gyms on their commutes, their...
A viewpoint from living in a densely populated urban area: the game's repetition lends to its popularity. People have become familiar with the Pokestops and Gyms on their commutes, their neighbourhoods, and around their homes. There's a lot of daily maintenance tasks that people find engaging enough for a quick commute, and there's a lot of progress meters so they feel accomplished by their engagement. A densely populated area means there's always turnovers with gyms, Pokemon to collect, events to participate in. You can generally tell an X-raid is happening somewhere when there are a few people milling about on their phones.
I'm not a player of it anymore, but my SO is. She doesn't play video games at all, but is a fanatic about Pokemon GO. This seems to be the case, in my experience: people who don't like video games still play Pokemon GO. They're not looking for a video game to play, they're looking for a distraction or a sense of reward for effort in an ephemeral way. For my SO, the game is specifically the reason why she takes more walks so she can go and collect a Pokemon she spotted down the street, and then she usually winds her way from Pokestop to Pokestop on her way back, getting as much as possible.
Myself, I'm happy with the NYT Crossword or Professor Layton on my commute.
That first summer when it came out was so much fun. A friend and I went down to a park and played it for a few hours. Eventually we found another 5 or so people doing the same thing and we all exchanged theories on how things worked, advice, etc. I've never had a more social experience while playing a video game before (or had my battery drain so quickly!).
The problem is, though, that once you get away from these high-pop areas, there's nothing to do. I live in a rural area and there's just nothing around me. Pokemon don't even seem to spawn frequently and when they do it's a super common Pokemon. The gyms within driving distance are untouchable because they're held by high-level folks that live nearby and can keep up on things 24/7.
Then again it probably wouldn't kill me to us the game as an excuse to get out of the house and explore the world a bit. But even then I think the game gets repetitive very quickly.
A viewpoint from living in a densely populated urban area: the game's repetition lends to its popularity. People have become familiar with the Pokestops and Gyms on their commutes, their neighbourhoods, and around their homes. There's a lot of daily maintenance tasks that people find engaging enough for a quick commute, and there's a lot of progress meters so they feel accomplished by their engagement. A densely populated area means there's always turnovers with gyms, Pokemon to collect, events to participate in. You can generally tell an X-raid is happening somewhere when there are a few people milling about on their phones.
I'm not a player of it anymore, but my SO is. She doesn't play video games at all, but is a fanatic about Pokemon GO. This seems to be the case, in my experience: people who don't like video games still play Pokemon GO. They're not looking for a video game to play, they're looking for a distraction or a sense of reward for effort in an ephemeral way. For my SO, the game is specifically the reason why she takes more walks so she can go and collect a Pokemon she spotted down the street, and then she usually winds her way from Pokestop to Pokestop on her way back, getting as much as possible.
Myself, I'm happy with the NYT Crossword or Professor Layton on my commute.