Life as we knew it is officially changing. It’s taken over young adults all over the world — including India! They could be at your favourite juice shop, next to the neighbourhood auto-stand or bhaji kadai, underneath your boss’ desk, or even in between your bedroom sheets… what are we talking about? Pokémon, of course! For most people born in the ‘90s, school evenings meant rushing home for a cartoon marathon of Pokémon (originally a video game and card game), followed by nights sneaking one more look at our Gameboys. A lot of our childhood was spent fantasising about being a kid in an alternate universe where you could ditch school to go out and capture adorable creatures like Pikachu with an assortment of powers.
Now, after almost a decade-long gap, our favourite pocket monsters are back with the augmented reality game – Pokémon Go. Downloading the free mobile app, users can walk all over their cities looking for the little critters; when they get close enough, they’ll appear on the in-game radar on the screen, after which they can be caught… and later used for gym battles, and whatnot.
This immersive experience has everyone out and about on the streets, trying to be the best Pokémon trainer — not to mention, providing some much-needed exercise! A journalism student from Delhi, Arunima Gururani, who grew up with the now-iconic show, tells us about her experience with new game, “I can’t say that I’m a Pokémon Go fan yet, considering I’ve had it for only a day. What I really like about the game though, is the way it is designed to give a real life experience. However, on the flip side since it’s new right now, it has a lot of bugs which need fixing. So, with time we’ll know how it turns out. It would be great if they can find a way for the game to use minimal battery and data.”
She goes on, “Pokémon is something an entire generation grew up with. Many of us have played the previous games. It would be interesting to see how this will change gaming as whole. I won’t be surprised to see people walking around with their phones, screaming at thin air.” Arvind Pillai, a law student based in Gujarat, seems to have caught the Go-fever as well and is very excited by its prospects. He explains, “I wanted to play it since news came out about the app. Firstly, because it’s the Kanto region, which is the region ‘90s kids will remember the best. Secondly, it’s extremely engaging. My phone lacks a gyroscope so a part of the experience is gone but it still felt exhilarating.”
He adds, “Augmented reality has always been the future of gaming. It’s a kick to find a random Growlithe and asking your cab driver to detour for it. It changes the way we game massively.” The Internet is already spammed with memes in just a couple of days since the game’s releases — everything from screenshots of throwing a Poké-Ball at Meowth inside the Ayyappan temple, to a Zubat hanging around Saravana Bhavan… and the craze has just begun, as even people who aren’t Pokémon fans or gamers are taking to it, for the sheer mental joyride and nostalgic hit it provides.
“The trailer got me extremely excited about it and now I’m obsessed with the game. I really like that it gets you out of the house to actively play the game. It’s probably going viral because it marks the comeback of an all-time favourite show and also because it’s exciting to be a Pokémon trainer (albeit a virtual one). Players also get to meet like-minded people via the app,” gushes Supraja Pradeep, a client servicing associate. But the game comes with its own cons., “It’s hard to use your phone when you’re moving around near oncoming traffic. Also, the game will lead you into buildings with restricted access. The guards just don’t let me in!” she laughs.
Deepak Chennakkadan, a game developer says, “It is fascinating to see how games tend to bring in new technology every year. I would say it does bring an impact to the gaming society in general as it encourages people to go out and look for Pokemon in the real world. The concept is put together quite well too, despite the bugs.” He adds, “Everyone has encountered Pokemon sometime during their childhood, in a variety of forms, including anime and video games — it’s such a nostalgia rush!”
