Whipping out your phone on a roundabout and bursting into a
masjid are just par for the course when you play Pokemon Go
So I may have run inside the men's restroom
today. No, it wasn't like the ladies' room was full and I had an emergency. But
I had to go in there... to catch a Pokemon. Because I wanna be the very best,
like no one ever was.
Such is
the dilemma faced by Pokémon Go players around the world, and now, in Pakistan.
For
those who don't know about Pokémon (because you've been sleeping under a rock
for the past two decades), Pokémon, short for Pocket Monsters, is a Nintendo
franchise that started out as a video game in 1996 and became a popular TV
series that shows a world where these creatures live. The players act as
'trainers'; they have to catch the Pokémon and train them for battles against
other trainers.
With
the launch of Pokémon GO, old and new Pokémon fans like myself are happy
because to catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause. We get to
finally travel across the land, searching far and wide (okay okay, I'll stop!
But admit it, you were singing it too) - and that too literally!
The free-to-play augmented reality game
actually has you getting off your seats and running around finding Pokémon. The
game transforms your current environment into a fantastical world inhabited by
Pokémon. How? It accesses your camera and GPS to place its animated figures in
your space.
You're
the trainer and your phone is like the glasses that lets you see nearby
Pokemon.
I had
to have this. I just had to. I grew up on Pokemon! I've played most of the
Pokémon games out there, from cards to video games, but this one's different.
The draw of Pokémon Go is that it gets me up and moving around, not just
sitting in one place with a joypad. Who'd have thought that all you needed to
be a Pokemon trainer was a good internet connection and GPS.
The game is simple in terms of gameplay;
your phone shows you if there is a Pokemon nearby and you have to go to that
location, and your trainer character moves as you do. Once you locate a
Pokémon, you try to catch it by throwing a Poké ball with the flick of your finger.
The more Pokémon you catch, the larger your collection and the more you level
up as a trainer. You can train your Pokémon, have them battle for you and even
trade it with other trainers.
Pokémon
Go has not officially been launched in Pakistan, but that's only the first of
the challenges of playing the game here.
Here's
a little news flash. This is Karachi. Not really the most
walking-with-your-phone-out friendly place in the world. And since it is
augmented reality, your GPS uses landmarks and turns them into Pokestops (where
you replenish your weapons, i.e., Poké balls) and gyms (where you train).
Do you know where the nearest pokestop to
my place is? A masjid. Yeap. So far, it's either mosques or
roundabouts. Considering the security issue, I highly doubt people will be
roaming around chowrangis in order to replenish their stock...
because... there will be people with guns looking forward to replenish their
stock... I did find a way though, just drive by pokestops very slowly.
Another
frustration of playing the game in Pakistan? People don't understand why the
heck you want to dart into their personal spaces with your phone out. I had a
friend begging the manager of a restaurant to let him in the kitchen because
there was a Snorlax in there. Another almost went inside Imam Barah because it
was showing as a pokestop.
The app
also tracks how far you've walked for some tasks, like hatching an egg. That
seems rather problematic. A number of female players are annoyed as they have
no place to walk around or go out to. I had found a Machamp within my
apartments and asked Dad if he wanted to walk with me. He was amused but raised
a good question, "What about those kids who don't live in apartment
complexes?"
Even for guys, let's be honest, no
roundabout is secure enough to have your phone out. A number of things can go
wrong from mobile snatchers to security at a VIP movement thinking you're up to
something. When a friend joked 'good thing jaywalking isn't an issue here,' it
genuinely made me concerned about the risk of kids running across the street
carelessly. No Charmander is worth running around Boat Basin, people!
But
Pokemon Go also has its own charm of playing it in Pakistan. I have friends
traveling to Seaview to find water-based Pokemon (GPS does that too, the
Pokemon you find will vary with your location) and a park near a cousin's place
is a 'gym' so he has been very social with his friends and family because we
all need to train there.
I made
a trip to the mall and noticed many kids running around staring at their phones
and, knowing what they were up to, I asked them why they came there. More than
half said they decided to accompany their family's shopping trip. Good job
Pokemon, you're bonding families together!
Once
the app officially launches here, I'm sure there will be better locations
selected. There is also the issue of proper internet connection because
sometimes you'll be on a Pokemon's heels and the glitch will have it get away.
The
game needs some work in terms of glitches and more gameplay, but it is an
amazing experience. My colleagues definitely got a kick out of me running
around the office chasing after a Growleth. I don't mind... I know it's my
destiny! Yes... I had to...
Overall,
I think it's fun and definitely a unique experience. Nintendo definitely found
a way to get some exercise into our routines and I can't wait for the official
launch 'cause I gotta catch 'em all!
Representative Image
Source: dawn
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