Pokémon Go

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The game that everyone has been raving about! 




Pokémon Go has been the most anticipated game in 2016, and it's not a surprise as to why it is so famous among people of all ages. The game brings back so many memories, especially to those who played it all the way back when they only had the GameBoy version like Pokémon Emerald, Pokémon Red and Blue and so many more. Pokémon even had all these trading cards that kids would bring to school and compare.







(Pokémon trading card)


To be honest, I was in that 1% group of people who did not feel the hype or even the least bit excited over the release of the game. Maybe it's because I never really played Pokémon when I was younger (no childhood I know).
The only reason I knew the game was launched in Malaysia or anywhere in the world was because I kept having friends who tweeted about it 24/7 or posts on Facebook on how amazing the game is/would be and how excited they were. I even had friends that constantly checked the App Store to see if Pokémon Go was already released! 





When it was finally released in Malaysia (August 4 (?) 2016), everyone went wild!! Like I'm not even kidding. Everywhere that I went, there were tons of people on their phones with the Pokémon Go app on their screens! It didn't matter if I was in class, in college, at malls or even at coffee shops, there were still so many people playing that game! Even then, I did not understand what was it that made people so intrigued in the game. I had friends that tried to convince me to download the app and start playing with them, to which I politely rejected. And even the person I least expected to know about the existence of the game, much less to download and play it, was my MOTHER. Like what????
She came to K.L. to visit me with a friend and we stayed at a hotel nearby. She told me that her friends were playing it and how she didn't understand why her friends were so crazy about the game (her friend went to her office during off hours because she wanted to catch a pokémon). And so, she decided to download it and she became as excited and crazy!!! When we went for supper, she was trying to catch Pokémons. Also, she usually takes FOREVER in the shower but after she downloaded the game, she took a really short time to shower because there was no GPS in the toilet LOL. Even when she was about to leave K.L., I went to send her to the airport and she asked me to walk around with her phone to look for Pokéstops because she ran out of Pokéballs. (???????!!!!!!!)


Ok I digressed. Anyway, I finally decided to download the App because I saw Bernard (my boyfriend) constantly engrossed in the game. I wanted to understand what the big deal was and I really did try to understand it BUT I couldn't enjoy it!! There was something wrong with my app that whenever I clicked on a Pokémon that spawned, THE SCREEN WENT BLANK AND MY PHONE HANGED. WHAT THE HELL!! I was so so so annoyed because it didn't happen only once, it was EVERY TIME I HAD A POKEMON! 


The worst part was that Bernard and I were at Mid Valley and there was a sea of people standing around the path that linked Mid Valley to The Gardens Mall trying to catch pokémons. There were so many Pokémons there like Psyduck, Magikarp, Horsea, Slowpoke, SeaKing and so many more!! I WAS SO CLOSE TO CATCHING A MAGIKARP BUT NO, MY APP FAILED ME AGAIN! By this time, I was so angry that I just deleted the game off my phone.
Later that night when we went home, and Bernard told me to try re-downloading the game (btw, re-downloading the game fixed that bug for me). So something happened and I decided to give the game a second chance and did what he said.
Okay so the following happened that made me want to re-download the app: 


This incident made me realise that Pokémon Go really does help people connect.


I know there are many people who might disagree with what I just stated but trust me, it might not have happened to you (yet) but until it does, try to keep a positive mind. When people were defending the game by saying how it helps them connect with other people, I didn't believe it either but look what happened.
After we reached home, Bernard said "Let's go walk around to catch Pokémons and hatch the eggs". Knowing how much he enjoyed the game, I decided to accompany him and we walked around our place. We walked to the nearby café's, to our college (we live near our college), and around the coffee shop's there because we were trying to catch this new Pokémon that showed up in his "Sightings".


(Not mine - but this is what Sightings look like & if you haven't already got these Pokémons, it would appear as a shadow of the Pokémon)
While we were walking and about to give up, the most random thing happened. This guy approached us and this was how the conversation went :
"Hey, are you guys playing Pokémon Go?"
"Yeah we are, why?"
"I'm playing too and my GPS is lagging. Do you see a dragonite in your sightings?"
"Huh? Is is this one? *Shows him the new Pokémon in our sightings (its just a shadow before you catch it so we didn't know what it was*"
"Yeah that one! It's a Dragonite!"
Bernard : "Wow really?! If you didn't tell me I would've went home already, now I'm going to go around to look for it."
"Do you mind if I tag along?"
"Why not?"

And that was how we gained a new friend. Little did we know, he lived in the same place as us. We exchanged names, and walked around for another 20 minutes+ just to search for Dragonite.
Btw, this is how it looks like (and its super rare according to them)


(This picture isn't mine)

But yeah to give you guys an idea of how it looks like. 

Fast forward to the end, we did not manage to find it even though we walked like literally around the whole area. It just disappeared from our radar :( After that, we just decided to go home and called it a night. But that night, we made a new friend. :) 
I guess what I'm trying to say is, despite all the people who dislike the idea of Pokémon etc., I find Pokémon a really great game, it gets people to go out and walk around and interact with each other. 
I know that Pokémon Go is a controversial game and this is just my personal opinion, so don't take any offence if you disagree with what I'm saying. 
To those who are not fond of the game, don't be a wet blanket and let others enjoy it. Just because you don't like it, it doesn't mean that everyone else feels the same way so don't be a killjoy. 
And to those who are playing the game, do try to play with caution and avoid causing road accidents by LOOKING WHERE YOU WALK and AVOID PLAYING WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING.
My final thoughts:
I love the game, love the idea of it and love how it encourages people to get out of their beds (by having to walk to hatch the eggs, to catch Pokémons and to look for Pokéstops). I love how it's a game that encourages people to socialise with their friends (because what fun is there in going Pokémon hunting alone!?). I feel like it's a game suitable for all age groups and can even be used as a bonding activity with just about anyone (w/ your friends/family/partner) & I hope you guys like it as much as I do (at least give it a try before you decide to rule it out). 
xx
Alicia 






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