Pokemon Go’s effects on culture

“Pokemon Go” is a smartphone app that mimics the gameplay of the Pokemon series. The user walks around and catches Pokemon in their vicinity. You can then train, battle or evolve your Pokemon to raise their power. Niantic, the company that designed the game, teamed up with Google Maps to help design the game mechanics for walking around in real time to play the game. The user is able to see their avatar walking around the world, as well as ‘PokeStops’, special locations where digital items such as potions, poke balls and eggs can be found. Players also search for ‘Gyms’ where Pokemon are trained and battles take place.

 This article focuses mainly this smartphone app, “Pokemon Go” both having advantages and disadvantages especially about its effects on culture.

[이미지 제공=대한민국청소년기자단 3기 정채현 기자, c대한민국청소년기자단]

  ADVANTAGES

Pokestops which users must visit to progress the game, happen to include many landmarks and historical markers. In fact, Pokestops and gyms were adapted from the Portals in the company’s older game Ingress, which considered the historical, educational, artistic or architectural value of proposed Portals in selecting them.

 Players of Pokemon go gather in large numbers to meet up with other players and create a unique experience. “Seattle Pokemon Go,” a Facebook group hosting a local gathering, is one of the examples that show people collaborating together throughout this game. The group, SeattlePoGo as they are known, sponsored in app-purchases known as “lures” to attract players and Pokemon to PokeStops downtown. Therefore, a crowd of about 60 or 70 enthusiastic players gathered at Seattle’ Pacific Place.

   DISADVANTAGES   

   1. AR sometimes gets problematic in real-life.

In the game, certain real-world sites are designated as “gyms,” where humans can go to train their Pokemons for battle. For instance, Boon Sheridan’s family who lived in a church struggled in handling this problem because the church was designated as a “gym” in the game. Therefore, since the release of the game, people have been showing up in droves to Boon’s real-world house, blocking his driveway, witting in cars on their phones.

Incidents are occurring: two men fell off a cliff in California while engaged in Pokemon Go. One of the men landed on a ledge 15m below the cliff, while the other fell all the way to the beach 24m below the bluff.

The creation of Pokemon Go brought revolution on both ‘smartphone games’ and ‘AR (Augmented Reality.’ Both benefits and harms exists since its appearance, therefore it is the user’s role to manage smartly and not become seriously addicted causing fatal incidents.

[대한민국청소년기자단 3기= 국제부 정채현 기자]