Wake me up before you Po-Go

Yes, people do still play Pokemon Go. As of March 2019 Pokemon go has around 5 million daily uses and 147 Million Monthly players, The game makes around 4 million in revenue a day!. So, yes ladies, people do still play Pokemon Go, and i am one of them.

I have been a fan of Poke’mon since i was 9 or 10. My mum bought me my first game boy (one of the clear ones and you could see all the wires inside, peak 90’s) and a copy of Pokemon Red for my birthday and i have been obsessed ever since. So when i heard Pokemon Go had been released, I downloaded it straight away.

According to my in game stats i have been playing since the 6th of July 2016, I have walked over 1,811 Kilometers while playing and have caught 22230 Pokemon. I am Level 38 and I am a member of Team Valor.

The thing I really love about Pokemon Go, is that it makes you get up and get moving. It is a challenge for me to walk at least 50 Kilometers a week to make sure i earn the maximum weekly walking reward tier, it serves as an incredible motivation to exercise and to push yourself to keep beating your highest distance count each week. Pokemon Go has had a great effect on my health and fitness and this seems to be a common theme for players in the Pokemon Go community.

The other most common comment from the player base, is how this game can bring together such a diverse group of people and bond us as a community. For any non-players, each month there is an event in game called “community day” it is a set 3 hour window on a certain day where as specific type of Pokemon will spawn in greater numbers and you get the chance to find a rare shiny Pokemon. Each month i travel up to King’s Park in Perth for community day and the Pokemon Trainers come out in hoards! The Park is an absolute Mecca for Pokemon, with a Poke-stop or Gym every few steps, and everything is Lured for maximum Pokemon efficiency!

On any given Community day you will see no fewer than 3 thousand or so Pokemon Players wandering looking at their phones with the occasional excited shout of “SHINY!”. It is the most diverse mix of Humans, people ages 5 – 85, people of all Genders and races, with everyone bonding over a mutual love of a mobile game, its pretty special.

While the main goal of the game is indeed to Catch em all, i have also joined a growing number of people who have a passion for taking Pokemon Photos with the new Pokemon Snap shot feature. This feature allows you to put the Pokemon you have caught in game into the real word to take photos. With Pokemon Snap shot and a little bit of Editing magic you can take some pretty amazing shots. This really makes it feel like Pokemon are a part of the real world and allows a whole new layer of creativity to be used in the game.

I Spoke to some follow Pokemon Go Players to see How the game has improved their Lives.

Katrina – @katrieber

Trainer level – 35
Location – United Kingdom
Favorite Pokemon you have caught? –
would probably be the very first Bulbasaur or the shiny Eevee from community day that i evolved into shiny Espeon 🙂
Has Pokemon go had a positive Impact on your life? –
Pokemon go has had a positive impact in that for the past three summers of having the game, I am out and about playing it more often and so it’s a motivator to exercise. I’ve also met loads of people in my hometown through playing the game and keep in touch through discord and messenger. It’s good to find people locally that u have something in common with and to do raids with!!

Leslie – @leslumatheson

Trainer level – 35
Location – Argentina
Favorite Pokemon you have caught? –
Hitmonchan. Maybe not so special, but I remember that showed up on my radar and I had to walk a really long track to get it, including a train ride. And I think that was the first time that I had spent that much time trying to get a Pokémon
Has Pokemon go had a positive Impact on your life? –
Yes, it had a very positive effect. At first almost all of my family played it and we went on looking for Pokemon together and it was really nice spending time like this with them. My mom still plays with me and now I have my boyfriend catching them all alongside me (I’m way better, of course). Some people say that it’s lame to keep playing, but I do love the game, and I love how much it’s been growing ever since it started!

Jess – @PishPoshness

Trainer level – 40
Location – Canada
Favorite Pokemon you have caught? –
My fave pokemon caught in pokemon go is my shiny psyduck
Has Pokemon go had a positive Impact on your life? –
This game has had a very positive effect on my life. Most of my family plays, so we plan to get together and play a lot of the time. And use the game as a reason to see each other more often. When the game first came out I spent a lot of the Summer in different cities playing Pokemon Go, and exploring different places. I eventually moved to one of the cities we played in regularly we because we liked the area so much!

@pokesnap_39

Trainer level – 34
Location – USA
Favorite Pokemon you have caught? – My togepi!
Has Pokemon go had a positive Impact on your life? – Without a doubt! I’ve become so much more active thanks to pokemong go, I feel more motivated to go out and get some fresh air and plenty of time in the sum and over all just get me motivated to work

Brian – @Lecum_snapshotgo

Trainer level – 40
Location – Mexico City, Mexico
Favorite Pokemon you have caught? –
I’m so proud of my shiny Kyogre, it’s one of my favorite Pokémon and by far my favorite Legendary.
Has Pokemon go had a positive Impact on your life? –
Yes, it brought me very good friends! And lately, since GO Snapshot came out, I can express myself through two of my biggest hobbies: Pokémon and taking photos. It’s so amazing!

Photo by Brian, Check out his Instagram – @Lecum_snapshotgo

Stefan @pokeshotstt

Trainer level – 37
Location – Trinidad and Tobago
Favorite Pokemon you have caught? – MewTwo
Has Pokemon go had a positive Impact on your life? –
it’s definitely had a positive effect because I always used to like take drives to clear my head and now i have more purpose on them because I can play the game also. It’s also made me make more friends, and now with go snapshot I get to combine some of my favorite hobbies

@ARPokego

Trainer level – We are a Couple and are both Level 39
Location – USA
Favorite Pokemon you have caught? – Mine is my Shiny Swablu (now Altaria) and his favorite Pokémon is his shiny Gyarados.
Has Pokemon go had a positive Impact on your life? –
We love playing Pokémon go and enjoy all the friendships we made. Both of us have met new friends, people we call family, and people we would’ve never talked to before. We have 2 children and we all play as a family. It means a lot to us as a family and has changed our lives in a lot of ways

So Ladies, if you have never played Pokemon Go, or if you deleted it back in 2016, i suggest you give it another go, get out, get moving and meet some new Poke-minded People.