Just a week ago I was sure Nintendo was on the verge of going belly up from years of subpar sequels and shoddy systems. If anything I assumed the upcoming Zelda Breath of the Wild would save them. However, it seems it isn’t even necessary anymore and Nintendo’s attempt to use apps has paid off big, ironically after years of bashing app games as a fad. Unlike its first real attempt Miitomo which has already been mostly forgotten. In only a week Pokémon Go has become one of the biggest sensations around, nearly overcoming Tinder, Facebook and Twitter. While Nintendo stock was suffering just a week ago, it has already increased by nearly an unprecedented 10 billion. Millions of users in select parts of the world of every age and creed have already rushed out to start catching them all, or at least the first 150(/1?).
Is Pokémon Go too big to fail though? While it has become wildly popular in a very short amount of time it has a lot of problems that would easily turn many gamers off most free to play apps. The current server issues are the primary concern since it can be extremely difficult to even play at certain times of day. Neither developer Niantic or Nintendo seem to have a great solution either, barely keeping up with demand and forcing them to postpone the world wide release. There was also the alarming amount of info Pokémon Go was allowed to access in peoples Google accounts but that was more or less plugged within a day. What it really needs though is a damn tutorial because it can be confusing at first.
If anything can bring down the rising giant Pokémon Go it is ironically the game itself. While people from across the board are playing for nostalgia or just something new it tends to make playing difficult. The battery issue is a major problem since the game has to be on at all times to count steps for hatching eggs and spot nearby Pokémon and PokeStops. Just walking around outside for a couple hours drained my phone by nearly 70% with all the settings turned down. The major problem that may cause fans to become frustrated enough to leave is the lag and freezing issue. While some of the problem rest with the user’s phone a lot of the problem is in the game itself. PokeStops can take an awful long time to register and then may not work at all. Freezing is the big one since the game has about a 50/50 chance of freezing up after catching a Pokémon. I personally lost a high level Slowpoke and Nidoking that way and almost missed a Dratini.
While the game has a lot of problems it is still growing rapidly and gym battles are becoming fierce. Whether it can hold on to that or not when the summer ends and people become busy is the real question… that and when the next 100 Pokémon will come out. As someone told me, Pokémon Go has done more for child obesity than Michelle Obama did in 8 years and it may be accurate. It also seems to have helped businesses as well with trainers flocking to PokeStops, sometimes set by the store itself. Not everyone is thrilled though with some shops banning Pokémon Go players. Or others like the holocaust museum in DC, which does have a good point actually. Even the white house has become a highly coveted gym, originally conquered by a mystery Blastoise (maybe Obama himself?), then the Pidgeot MERICA and a host of others now. It has even become a major problem with trainers just wandering into places they shouldn’t, getting injured and even robbed.
So seriously people, watch where you’re going, nobody needs to pay that much attention to it. Falling in ponds and getting into car wrecks just gives all gamers a bad name. Kind of like the reporter in the video below because I’m not convinced that was an act. However, as I learned, it is very difficult to look inconspicuous when you’re trying to use a hotspot set by a group of kids in the park; that would be a difficult question to explain to the cops… god I’m old now. Lastly, screw red team and go team Mystic!
