Believe it or not, I’m one of the few that have never experienced anything Pokémon. Of course, I’ve heard all about it over the summer, but I hadn’t downloaded the app until recently.
It was confusing at first. I’d heard a lot of the terminology, but had no idea how any of it applied to the game. Poké balls? Eggs? Gyms? What in the world does any of this mean? However, after a few hours in the sun catching Pokémon, I’m a little more versed in the lingo.
One of the first things I realized was that I had to move – a lot – to get anywhere in the game. In most apps, you can reach high scores by sitting on the couch, but for this one, I’d have to cover a lot of distance to do anything exciting. And while it’s not necessarily a bad thing, sometimes I’d just want to play, sitting in my room, late at night. It’s not like I’d want to be walking around my neighborhood in a rainstorm or below freezing weather. It puts boundaries around the game’s usage.
Another thing I noticed fairly quickly was that the game was repetitive. I felt like I was doing the same thing over, and over again – because I was. Find a Poké Stop, collect Poké balls, and catch Pokémon. Sure, the occasional egg gets thrown your way, but those take forever to hatch. Due to this constant repetition, boredom hit, and I found myself looking for new apps to fill the free time I had. I wish that there were more things I could do, especially things I wouldn’t have to go anywhere to achieve.
On the plus side, it was really straight-forward and easy to understand. It didn’t take me forever to figure out, and it is a quality game. The graphics were also awesome and the Pokémon were designed really well. I especially liked Charmander and Pidgeotto.
As for my team, I had to choose Team Mystic. Apparently, it’s a little mainstream, but Blanche seems like a pretty cool leader to have, and I’m excited to be a part of the team.
I can see the appeal of this app. It’s eye-catching, it’s somewhat addictive, and, for some, it brings back many fond memories. However, on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d have to give it a 6. I think that the game just isn’t my thing. Unfortunately, I don’t see Pokémon GO in my future.
Jordyn Dees // Staff Writer
