What’s with the Pokemon Craze?

Since its release this month, people are going insane over Nintendo’s Pokemon Go. If you are one of the few who are in the dark about the craze, we will bring you up to speed.

There has been much controversy over Pokemon Go, due to distracted Pokemon players that are not paying as much attention to their surroundings as they should. There have been multiple incidents reported so far of various incidences. This week Pokemon made the evening news when of a player crashing into a cop car while playing and driving. A few weeks ago it was reported that a teenager had stumbled upon a dead body while trying to capture water Pokemon in a creek. There have also been various reports of real killing kidnappings and robberies that have been arranged by other players.

In a nutshell, the game is location-based, meaning that it is fueled by your phone’s GPS. Your mission is to capture Pokemon in real time, and the game uses your surroundings as part of the adventure. The missions to find Pokemon can be near or far, and the game uses real-life destinations in your area. Pokemon is being credited by some for getting gamers off the couch and out in the real world getting exercise. Most games don’t require you to leave your couch. Some players are using it as a social tool as well. Players can seek out other gamers in the street, as it is pretty easy to tell who is playing with the app. There are also hangouts throughout the app that will get you connected with other players.

The game is uber popular in big cities, where there are plenty of Pokemon hot spots and what they call “Pokemon gyms” available. Not so much for small-town players, or yet at least. We are sure that there is a little bit of a culture barrier when trying to describe the characters. Who is JigglyPuff? So far, we know that in Japan, he is known as “Purin”. He (or she?) is known as a balloon species that is pink with cat ears and a furry forehead. Then there is Pikachu, who it the most recognizable Pokemon character. You can tell you are hunting this character when you see their characteristic yellow color and black-tipped bunny ears. There are hundreds of characters in the Pokemon empire, as you go through the game you get to meet more and more.

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