If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re not playingPokémon Go; there’s probably just as good a chance that youareplaying, you’re just waiting for your local Poké Stop to restock its items. What started as anApril Fools' Day joke by Googlehas turned into a phenomenon based on Nintendo’s pocket monster franchise that has been going strong since 1995.Pokémon Go, the mobile, augmented reality (AR) game from Niantic that allows players to capture and train virtual creatures known as Pokémon in the real world was released only a few short days ago but is already making a strong impression on social media and in actual, real-world society as well. While most of this popularity has been positive - players are interacting with each other in the real world for once and getting exercise while they do it - there are some who have already used the game’s mechanics to lure unsuspecting trainers to a location with the aim of robbing them.
We’ll take a look at the effect thatPokémon Gohas had in its first week, its potentially trendsetting success, its sociocultural impact, and how the gameplay statistics suggest a very strong debut that might be difficult to sustain over the long run, though the game’s success could conceivably continue for a very long time. WhilePokémon Gostarts off by offering up the original 151 Kanto creatures to catch and train, there are well over 700 in thePokémonuniverse, with more debuting thanks toPokémon Sun and Mooneditions debuting this fall, giving the mobile game a lot of opportunity for future expansion.
Image via Niantic[/caption]
First, let’s take a look at the numbers. Currently, the app is only available in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand; in the U.S. alone, it wasinstalled on over 5% of all Android deviceswithin two days of its release. (For a very specific comparison, that’s more than Tinder.) But asSilicon Valleytaught us, success isn’t measured just in installs, but in active engagement. With that metric in mind,Pokémon Gois being used daily by over 60% of those who installed it; that puts it just behind (and poised to overtake) Twitter. That’s crazy, especially considering that most people playingPokémon Goseem to be tweeting about it as well. When it comes to time spent using the app per day (and draining your phone’s battery life), Similar Web’s data shows that, “as of July 8th, the app was being used for an average of 43 minutes, 23 seconds a day, higher than Whatsapp, Instagram, Snapchat, and Messenger.” And since the app is so popular but not yet available elsewhere in the world, programs designed to bypass the official download store have been quite busy in the last few days. Despite that, Nintendo’s stock is currently surging with the game’stop placement in app stores, with anadded value of $7.5 billion.
So while Nintendo’s stockholders are now richer thanGiovanni, the game is actually doing wonders for ordinary people’s activity levels. Yes, they’re playing a game on their phone, but they’re actually having to walk relatively long distances (compared to the distance between the couch and the fridge) to track down Pokémon, stock up on supplies, and drop off their critters to defend the local gym.Forbes has a decent write-up for those of you just getting started with the game, but you don’t have to know much about it to enjoy the great outdoors and the exercise benefits your exploration brings. Now, be aware that it might take you tosome strange places, and, as always,pleasebe careful to mind your surroundings. Local authorities in Australia have alreadyposted a word of caution and a common-sense reminderto Poké trainers, and others have sufferedtumbles, scrapes, and bruiseswhilst distracted in their search. Vigilance (of the real world, not the digital one) is essential; you mightstumble across a dead body, or prevent yourself from becoming thevictim of a robbery.
