Pokemon Go…or Pokemon No?

Exploring the Pokemon Go Fad

Freshman+Levi+Vangorden+plays+Pok%C3%A9mon+Go.

Freshman Levi Vangorden plays Pokémon Go.

Harley Johnson and Brittani Bolner

People all over the world got some exercise this summer thanks to Pokémon Go, an interactive game that went viral when it came out on July 6, 2016. It is a free, location-based game. Players walk around with the app open on their phone, which will buzz when Pokémon are nearby. By tapping the Pokémon on the map, players will switch to the catching interface with colors showing how easy it is to catch.

“I never thought about how far I’ve walked, but probably around 100 kilometers,” said sophomore Mary Webb. This equates to about 62 miles. Webb walked this distance while “hatching” 13 Pokémon eggs, each ranging between 5 to 10 kilometers.

There are 3 teams in Pokémon Go: Instinct, Valor, and Mystic. Each team has its own strengths and weaknesses. Pokémon Go allows players to walk and catch Pokémon, hatch eggs, train their Pokémon, battle their Pokémon, and even take over a Pokémon gym. There are even two new features where players can make one of their Pokémon as their buddy, and Pokémon Go Plus, which makes it easier to catch Pokémon and go to Pokéstops.

“It was fun trying to find Pokémon that wasn’t really there, and I also liked going to Pokéstops and seeing what it was,” said freshman Levi Vangorden, who played for three months.

This isn’t the first game Pokémon has come out with. Pokémon has been out since 1996 according to Mashable.com. However, Pokémon Go incited brand new curiosity in the franchise.

“For a lot of people, it was a revival of games they loved when they were younger, and it caught the attention of people who hadn’t played before because it gave you a new and exciting way to explore the Pokémon world with your friends,” said Webb.

While some continue to play Pokémon Go, others have ceased playing.

“I quit because it got boring after awhile,” said freshman Bella Schenck.

Others agreed.

“It got boring after you played it for awhile,” said freshman Brendan Siehl. “Also, I heard people died playing it.”

According to Observer, the game has led people to everything from finding dead bodies and crashing their cars to getting caught cheating on significant others and finding love. Two men fell off a cliff while finding Pokémon in Encinitas, where one man fell all the way to the beach while the other only fell 50 feet (syracuse.com)

However, Pokémon could potentially be the main trend of 2016.

“I think it’s kind of a trend. I wouldn’t say fully 100% representing 2016, but it does have a big part in this year’s trends,” said sophomore Kayla Roberts.

According to Apptopia, which provides market intelligence on mobile apps, approximately 45 million people played Pokémon Go daily at its height in mid July (mobihealthnews.com). That number has now declined over 15 million. At the end of the day, Pokémon, gotta catch ’em all.