Over the course of the past few weeks, a new craze has been sweeping the globe – Pokémon Go. If you haven’t heard of it, well let’s just assume that one or two of you haven’t, is a free-to-play location-based, augmented reality game developed and published by Niantic for iOS and Android devices. Basically, you download the app to your smart phone and begin collecting Pokémon creatures of different size, shape, colour and literally everywhere.
Pokémon Go received mixed reviews after being launched but has had enormous popularity with people of all ages and in all corners of the world. The game received praise for being interactive and getting people out of their homes to go seek for the much-desired creatures, but was also met with some negative reviews as there were some software glitches out of the gate.
Despite such reviews, it quickly became an overnight global phenomenon and one of the most used mobile apps, reportedly having been downloaded by more than 75 million people worldwide. It was credited with popularizing location-based and augmented reality gaming, as well as for promoting physical activity. However, it has also attracted controversy for contributing to accidents and becoming a public nuisance at some locations.
Stories began popping up all over social media of people participating in the game trespassing and also getting hit by vehicles as they wander into traffic, in some cases even crossing international borders without noticing, as they have their heads down on their phone searching for these mystical creatures.
Many Chestermere residents have told their stories of Pokémon Go on social media saying that it is something they have found to do together as family, especially for those that were maybe struggling with getting their kids off the couch and away from their screens. Now the screens are going outside and are being used in a more interactive way in the great outdoors.
Some working in the mental health profession have also said that done correctly, this craze is getting some that suffer with depression and other mental health issues out of their homes and participating – whether it be alone or in a group.
Through in-game purchases, the game generated more than $75 million USD in revenue by July 26. From iOS users alone, the game generated approximately $1.6 million USD in daily revenue.
