Pokemon enthusiast found Pokemon at Sen Serging Osmena monument in SM. LTFRB warns drivers playing while driving.(CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
I GOT wind of “Pokemon Go” from a tech blog I read oh so many weeks ago and word of the popular Nintendo game that went mobile, courtesy of Niantic, spread in social media sites and TV around the world.
With “Pokemon Go” now officially available for download in the Philippines, stories of players’ experiences in trying to catch these anime creatures in real-world locations abounded, a lot of them good and not so good and some even quite disturbing.
I read some of the reviews at the Google Play store where the game has an average 4 point rating; and while there were complaints and suggestions to improve the game, most of them were positive.
One review from a 52-year-old mother in the US said she and her 25-year-old son managed to spend a lot more quality time playing together while another said the game helps people to get out more and do some actual exercise by walking.
Then there are the stories of jeepney drivers and motorists here in the Philippines, including Cebu, who were actually causing traffic by driving and playing the location-based, WiFi-dependent game on their smartphones and tablets.
On the day the game was launched, Innopub founder Max Limpag and a couple of friends tried it out, and when I posted a query on the Cebu New Media Publishers Facebook page on where a Pokemon gym may be found in Cebu, he replied that there was one at the SM Hypermarket in Lapu-Lapu City.
Considering that there are a lot of historical sites out there, I’m not surprised. So what to make of this mobile game that had become an instant sensation around the world and may have saved the Japan-based Nintendo company out of Chapter 11?
To be honest, while the game initially piqued my interest, the game’s combat aspect is a bit of a letdown if I were to base it on the YouTube videos I watched of Pokemon Go players engaging in combat in a Pokemon gym.
Having played some fighting games in console, PC and now mobile platforms, Pokemon Go is no Mortal Kombat — thankfully since there’s more than enough gore and blood in games nowadays — as actual gameplay consists of the player swiping and holding down a Pokemon to launch their most powerful attacks.
A bit of dodging left to right and the battle lasts maybe 10 or 20 seconds at most, certainly not a stretch compared to other games like say, real time strategy-based Clash of Clans.
That said, the bulk of the fun in playing Pokemon Go is in the hunt for these pocket monsters, catching them and upgrading them to their max levels and becoming a member in any gym so one can play against rivals around the world.
I’m on two minds about downloading and playing this game since it entails a pocket WiFi to power up one’s device during the hunt. Educators and especially tourist guides and entrepreneurs can benefit from its location-based gameplay to promote tourist sites and their businesses, usually fast-food outlets.
That said, I can understand the game’s appeal not only to diehard Pokemon fans but also to a growing number of mobile game enthusiasts whose playing field just got bigger, thanks to its open world play mechanics.
Just be careful not to cause traffic and always be safe when playing Pokemon Go.