Why has the world gone Pokemad and what can we learn from it?
In the year of 2016, when it seems the world isn't allowed nice things anymore, along came Pokemon Go to save us all.
Jacqui Suttie is a digital producer at Tayburn.
Created by AR genius Niantic Inc, Pokemon Go takes the Japanese franchise from 90s Game Boys to a new, much wider audience in the most exciting way. We can learn so much from its success. There are so many great things about Pokemon Go and, as a digital geek, I always like to get to the facts behind the phenomena.
Why is it so popular? Why are people going crazy for it? What makes it so successful? Below are some of the reasons why I think the world has gone Pokemad.
Everyone loves collecting things
Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of 'Pocket Monsters', dreamt up the fictional world of Pokemon based on his love of insect collecting. With Pokemon Go, the age old love of collecting things is so much easier, quicker and the possibilities are all around you. The excitement of discovering a new Pokemon on your path to work, or the joy of being a passenger stuck in a traffic jam and having the chance to grab a waiting Jigglypuff just adds an extra spring into your normal day - it doesn't need to be a full time activity.
People are nice (shock horror!)
Pokemon Go is one of the few games where the player community is just plain old nice. It's not toxic or elitist as so many gaming communities are - players don't tend to pull apart your catching technique, or have a go at your collecting skills, which is so refreshing! Yes, there are the bad apples amongst players, but the overwhelming positivity, lack of direct competition and collective goal to 'catch 'em all' drowns out the nitpicking and bad attitudes.
Steps equal Pokemon
Simply put, Pokemon Go gets people outside. If you want to find the rarest ones, you'll need to step further away from your sofa and into your community by going for a walk on your lunch break, or just breaking from your normal routines. The non-competitive but collective force is great for the mental health and well-being of players too. There are numerous reports of people with conditions such as PTSD, autism and agoraphobia getting out of their houses and interacting with others for the first time in months (or ever).
You'll discover more than you could know
Nobody has such issues with geocaching do they? But there are so many similarities! Some argue that you'll see less of the world with your face buried in an iPhone – but I'll bet they're the ones that haven't played yet. Aside from the fact that you don't need to be looking at your phone every step you take, the PokeStops are only found at areas of local interest – like art installations, places of learning and/or worship, and architectural curiosities. And pubs. So you actually see more in the world than you did before (and I don't mean Squirtle waiting on your train platform). I’d walked past the same buildings countless times on my way to work, but it was a Magmar hunt on Pokemon Go that drew my eyes to the beautiful Japanese sculptures on their walls.
Recognising the reasons for the success of Pokemon Go is important to help our industry grow. For every success story like this, we should be analysing, learning and expanding our own knowledge to continually develop bigger and better.
'Test and learn' is something that Tayburn believes in - but that doesn't have to be restricted to our current client base. Constantly reviewing and investigating the digital landscape is only going to help us develop our understanding and skill set - and it's analysing the key to success in apps like this which will help us develop our own successes.
Pokemon Go is a great concept, and something which we're embracing at Tayburn to learn and grow from. If you'd like to see what we do when we're not hunting for a Pikachu, pop in for a chat. (We've got a Pokegym just a minute away!)
Jacqui Suttie is a digital producer at Tayburn