My firsts time playing Pokemon Go!

I have decided to analyse the game known as Pokemon Go. Pokemon Go is a game that was released on the sixth of July 2016. The game was created by the CEO of Niantic John Hank. Pokemon go is an app that you can download on your phone. It utilises location tracking and mapping technology for users of the game to find Pokemon that may be around them in their local area or any other location. I decided to analyse this game because when this game first did come out, all I remember was how everyone was glued to their phones playing this game. I decided to catch up and see what this game was about. I also chose to analyse this game because Pokemon Go conveys an experience when you are playing the game that I could not wait to analyse. In this post I will show my process through written text and screenshots which I have taken during my first time playing Pokemon Go!

When first starting the game up I was introduced to a character on my phone named Professor Willow. I will attach screenshots of what I was introduced with – to explain how professor Willow introduced me to Pokemon Go. In terms of this observation I found it extremely helpful to have this introduction to the game. The mechanics of having this helped me get introduced to what Pokemon Go was about. From my perspective as a first time player of Pokemon Go, going into the game was a bit nerve racking. Just because it is a new gaming experience, having a detailed introduction to the game made it much easier to understand the game mechanics and get ready for the gaming experience. Professor Willow telling me, “you’ll need to find and collect Pokemon from everywhere”, was an exciting factor. Although this might not be a detailed statement, it was exciting because it prepared me for what was to come in Pokemon Go and made me excited to play the game.

Another aspect of the game mechanics was the second phase, where the game allows you to create your character; to some, this may not be an exciting or fun aspect. But personally, designing my character was a process in the gaming experience. It was enjoyable being able for me to be included in the gaming experience by designing my character. This specific part allows users to feel included in the game. Personally, to prepare for the gaming experience in Pokemon Go, this was an effective attribute to the game.

The third aspect was observing the field where you walk around and catch Pokemon and play the game. Seeing the area, I felt let down; there were elements here and there, but nothing made me want to look around these fields. It was just a green field with the gyms centred around; the gaming experience of the game itself is something you want to enjoy. But seeing the area made me react as if there was not much thought put into the field for the users who were going to play this game. I believe a little more thought to detail for the field of the game would have given me a different mindset about this specific part of the game. But the field felt like it could have been improved and created to a better visual and aesthetic standard for the gaming experience to relate to Pokemon in general.

While playing the game, I was really curious to see if catching Pokemon would be an enjoyable experience. When catching Pokemon, it instantly reminded me of when I was younger when I would watch Pokemon; something about Pokemon Go’s experience in throwing the poke ball in a digital form to catch a Pokemon was an experience within itself. How it worked was you would press the Pokemon you want to catch. It puts the Pokemon in your view, then a green circle appears, and then you throw a poke ball at the circle to catch the Pokemon. The attention to detail when catching Pokemon was a factor that allowed the Pokemon storey to be lived out by users playing the game. When I was younger, I would always imagine what it would be like to have a real poke ball to catch Pokemon. The mechanics, the story of Pokemon, Pokemon Go, and the game’s overall Pokemon theme allowed me to respond to the game with joy and get excited to catch Pokemon. I will include some images of the process which I went through of catching Pokemon in Pokemon Go below!

Learning to play Pokemon Go was not challenging; it was self-explanatory. You started the game by catching Pokemon, realising you can level up to use some elements in the game, like the gyms where you can battle – you have to be on level 5 to battle in Pokemon Go. The process which I found interesting was how I was thrown into the game, and I found that to be a practical element to the game. I was put into the game and learnt how to play within the first 5 minutes, because I am not a person who usually plays games it can be difficult for me to know how to play specific games quickly, with Pokemon Go it is a fairly easy game to be learnt and I believe could be played by literally anyone. Learning the game experience method in terms of learning to play the game was an aspect that was a success.

One other effective response to Pokemon Go was the music in the game. The music added a unique aspect to the game experience. Without the background music playing in the background, it would have definitely lost a fundamental element of enjoying the elements of the game. The music playing in the background allowed me to focus on the game itself, catching Pokemon and exploring the game. Sound and Visual elements are essential in games that are as detailed as Pokemon Go. Still, it did make me realise that music in specific games like Pokemon Go is a fundamental aspect of playing the game.

By playing this game, I learned how games could have and mean so many different things and experiences. Pokemon Go allowed me to understand games to a new extent, while also understanding the fundamental elements of a game at the same time.