Buzz
Whether or not you're familiar with the details of the Pokemon media empire, it's likely that the name itself rings a bell. First launched in 1995, Pokemon started as a video game for the classic Nintendo Game Boy titled Pokemon Red.
The game immerses players in a fantastical world, where they capture diverse and unique 'pocket monsters' with varying skills, then train them to battle against others. This concept has since blossomed into a vast franchise, including video games, animated shows, trading cards, and more, making it the second-most successful video game franchise globally, surpassed only by Nintendo's Mario series.
That was all before July 6, 2016, when Pokemon Go was launched. The mobile app skyrocketed to fame, taking only five hours to reach the number one spot on the download charts—more than twice as fast as its predecessor.
Here are a few fascinating facts about this cultural phenomenon that might surprise you.
10. It Could Surpass All Social Media Platforms
Pokemon Go utilizes GPS to pinpoint players on a real-world map, similar to a basic version of Google Maps. It appears on their mobile devices as they explore the physical world, hunting for Pokemon to capture. Naturally, this demands a significant amount of data, and players aren't just downloading the game and playing sporadically—they're actively engaged. And then some.
The massive influx of users has put immense strain on the game’s servers, and being able to connect to them is crucial for gameplay. During the first week, many users experienced unstable connections. Remarkably, the game has quickly surpassed every social network in popularity, a feat likely not anticipated by even the most optimistic Nintendo executives.
9. Its Players Are Getting a Lot of Exercise
While Pokemon can show up randomly around your home, players know the real way to maximize the game is by stepping into the outside world. As they explore, Pokemon appear on their GPS map. The game then switches to a real-world view—courtesy of the phone’s front camera—overlaying the target onto the actual terrain. Players aim and toss Pokeballs to catch and contain the Pokemon.
If all of this sounds like quite a bit of exercise, that's because it is. Despite the common stereotype of gamers being sedentary, it's not holding them back. During the first weekend after the game’s release, social media was flooded with users humorously complaining about sore muscles and declaring their gym memberships obsolete.
While this isn't entirely new, Pokemon Go is uniquely not a fitness or sports-centered game. It appears that the secret to making the familiar parental command of “Get off that couch and get outside!” effective was creating an irresistible game that requires players to do just that.
8. It's Encouraging Americans to Learn the Metric System
Most Americans would rather eat their hats than use an app, let alone play a game, where key features rely on the metric system. Sure, the US system doesn’t make much sense. Its very name, the 'United States Customary System,' suggests that we only stick with it because we always have, and have no desire to change. Most people rarely need to convert miles to kilometers—unless, of course, you're a Pokemon Go player, who now faces that challenge daily.
Indeed, Google Trends showed a significant spike in searches for kilometer-to-mile conversions in the first few days of usage, particularly for specific distances. This surge is often tied to eggs, a central feature of the game.
Eggs, naturally, are used for hatching more Pokemon (along with other rewards, like experience points and stardust for upgrades). But to hatch them, you must walk. The more you walk, the better the eventual reward.
Eggs come in 2-kilometer, 5-kilometer, and 10-kilometer variants, so it's easy to guess which distances were Googled the most. It'll be fascinating to see if this has any lasting impact on our awareness of the metric system—something no other factor ever has.
7. It’s Created a Lucrative Side Business
Naturally, since this is a game that practically forces players to exercise and learn, some Americans will always find ways to avoid those things—while others will quickly figure out how to profit by helping them. In several major cities, it took only a few days before Craigslist ads appeared offering a service that still lacks a fitting name: chauffeuring Pokemon Go players who want to catch 'em all without all that walking.
This is especially beneficial (or perhaps shady, depending on your perspective) due to two key features in the game. 'Pokestops' are real-world locations (typically public) where players can collect virtual items, and 'Gym Trainers' are places where players can power up their collected Pokemon. Reaching these locations quickly gives players a clear advantage, and some are paying as much as $30 an hour to enterprising drivers.
The ads are advertising all kinds of perks, from snacks and drinks to Wi-Fi, along with the driver's expertise on nearby Pokestops and Gym Trainers. While a dedicated app for this service hasn’t been created yet, it's only a matter of time. And while this is just the first Pokemon-related service to emerge post-launch, it's safe to say it won’t be the last.
6. It Could Aid Criminals in Committing Crimes
Given the game’s widespread online popularity, it’s unsurprising that many unsubstantiated stories have popped up about terrible incidents involving players right from the start. While no one has actually killed a child over a Pokemon or caused a traffic accident by trying to catch one on the highway, there have been a number of cases where the game has been directly or indirectly linked to criminal behavior.
In perhaps the most widely reported incident, a Wyoming teenager found a man’s dead body while looking for a Pokestop. However, the man’s death appears to have been accidental, an underreported detail.
In a far more disturbing case, police in St. Louis County, Missouri, arrested four men on July 10, 2016—a mere four days after the game’s release—for essentially using it to locate people to rob. Players are able to place beacons to alert other players to landmarks, and these thieves were placing them near Pokestops to attract their victims.
The Pokemon Company addressed this quickly, issuing a statement urging players to play in groups when in unfamiliar places and to be alert to their surroundings. Police stations nationwide have taken note of this incident, which hopefully does not become a trend.
5. It Could Completely Transform Nintendo
Nintendo, the much-loved gaming giant, has faced some challenges in recent years. The Wii U, their successor to the highly successful Wii console, aimed to combine the Wii's interactive play with high-definition visuals and a cutting-edge touchscreen controller. While the console itself wasn't terrible, it turned out to be a major disappointment, leaving many fans wondering if Nintendo could ever release a next-gen console that could rival the powerhouses of Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation.
The short version: Nintendo owns a 32 percent share in both the Pokemon Company and Niantic Labs, which means they now have far more financial resources to fuel innovation. Just six days after the release of Pokemon Go, Nintendo's market value soared by 60 percent, adding a whopping $12 billion to their worth. The long-term financial impact on the company is set to be truly monumental.
Pokemon Go marks one of Nintendo's first major ventures into the mobile gaming market, and they’ve also announced the development of a new console, codenamed NX, which is slated for a 2017 release. Given the massive and ongoing cash influx the company is receiving, it's likely we'll soon see a fresh strategic direction that could drastically transform the future of Nintendo and its competitors.
4. There Are Risky Counterfeit Versions
Although the game is free to play, some users have faced difficulties downloading it due to the overwhelming demand. Eager to get ahead, many sought out ways to access the game before it became officially available in their region. As a result, a number of unauthorized copies have surfaced on third-party servers, and most of them come with unwanted surprises.
This brings us to the issue of malware—specifically, a dangerous tool known as DroidJack. It does exactly what its name implies: it installs a backdoor that gives the attacker full control over the infected Android device. The first instances of this malicious software were discovered within just 72 hours of the game's release.
Fortunately, installing these counterfeit versions isn’t straightforward. To install any third-party apps, Android users must disable the device's security settings, and apps downloaded from official app stores undergo a verification process. As the game becomes more widely available, it will become harder for hackers to distribute their fake versions. However, given the game's popularity, they will continue to try.
3. It’s Bringing Augmented Reality To The Mainstream
Augmented Reality (AR), which merges virtual elements with the physical world, is not a recent development. It has been used in various contexts, including underwhelming heads-up displays in cars and on the helmets of F-35 fighter pilots. The technology also made its way to the public through Snapchat filters, allowing users to capture videos with digital animations layered on top of their real-world surroundings.
Although Pokemon Go's AR features are far from perfect—often rendering digital elements awkwardly placed and without interaction with physical objects—the game has successfully brought the concept of AR to the forefront, introducing it to a mass audience in record time.
There are likely many efforts underway to replicate this massive success, although the game’s remarkable popularity can probably be attributed more to the iconic Pokemon brand than to the game itself (after all, Ingress has barely been heard of).
Considering the substantial amount of money at stake, it's only a matter of time before we see the emergence of AR-exclusive gaming platforms, which don’t yet exist. Maybe it's time for Google Glass to make a return?
2. Bringing Real-World Businesses Into the Game
Pokemon Go was built upon the foundation of Ingress, another Niantic project that also utilized GPS tracking and displayed real-world environments. Instead of Pokestops and Gym Trainers, Ingress featured “Portals” mapped to physical landmarks, which included some local businesses. This Portal system was largely adapted for Pokemon Go’s landmarks, which, predictably, led to some businesses wondering why their foot traffic had suddenly skyrocketed.
Even businesses that weren't automatically included in Niantic’s system can still take advantage by using Lures. These in-app purchases attract Pokemon for a set period and can be placed at any real-world location.
Some smart business owners have reported setting up their own games, placing lures inside their stores, and watching as Pokemon-chasing customers flock in. Using lures has proven especially effective for businesses that are already designated as Pokestops or Gym Trainers, or are located near one.
Not everyone is thrilled about this phenomenon, though. One National Weather Service office, which was previously a Portal in Ingress, has now become a Gym in Pokemon Go, prompting meteorologists to put up signs requesting players to take their monster battles elsewhere.
1. It’s Gathering An Enormous Amount Of Data
Pokemon Go collects and stores GPS location data, with users agreeing that the Pokemon Company has the right to share this information with third parties. But that’s just the beginning. The app can pinpoint the user’s device either roughly or precisely, and it also accesses the camera, as well as the user’s storage, contacts, and network connections, among other data points.
If users log in through Google, they also grant automatic access to their Gmail, Google Docs, and other Google services. Niantic has the freedom to use this massive trove of data however they choose, and if they have any plans for it, they’re keeping quiet about it.
Naturally, all this data collection and Niantic's unrestricted use of it is outlined in the License Agreement, which specifically mentions that location data may be shared with law enforcement if needed. However, it provides few other details. It seems clear, though, that the marketing potential of tracking the exact movements of millions of people at all times is enormous, to say the least.
