On the trail of Pokemon Go

IN THE relatively short time since Pokemon Go landed in Malaysia on Aug 6, Malaysian fans' obsession over capturing these virtual creatures has reached an epidemic level.
Niantic Labs, in partnership with Nintendo, released the game here about a month after Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
Some fans, desperate to be in on the action, had downloaded the game earlier, despite not being able to experience all the features.
When the game finally dropped here, we got on board the hype train, along with a majority of the populace.
After a week of riding the bandwagon ... sadly, we don't think Pokemon Go is all that it is made up to be, despite the fans' obvious excitement. Here's our feedback on the game:
» On Gameplay
Yeevon: "I can't exactly say that it is fun, but the user interface is intuitive, which is good for first-time gamers. But it gets old very fast.
"Surely there's more than just levelling up, evolving and capturing new Pokemons, right?
"Gym battling at this early stage is pretty much out of the question, because many of the Gym Leaders and Pokemons helming the gyms are incredibly 'imba' (gamers' term for 'imbalance'), no thanks to those who have had a headstart by downloading the game through third-party sites before its official launch here, which ultimately hampers the experience for others."
Jeremy: "Quite frankly, I don't find the game fun at all. Basically, this is just another exercise app with a snazzy new layer of activity that forces me to get out of my house and walk around looking for a challenge.
"For me personally, I prefer playing games indoors, in the comfort of my own home and where necessities are at arm's length. I don't want to game under the hot sun or in the rain.
"Why can't I just incubate my egg by sitting where I am, instead of having to walk for kilometres just for it to hatch and get a Pokemon that I may already have?"
Yeevon: "The game does appeal more to those who are familiar with the Pokemon franchise, from its handheld games, trading card games, manga and even cartoon series.
"I personally grew up playing Pokemon on a Gameboy, so the anticipation and excitement is based solely on nostalgia.
"Many who are playing Pokemon for the first time, however, seem to [lose] interest for the game [quickly]. They aren't as enthusiastic and they certainly have no urgency to 'catch 'em all'."
Jeremy: "I do have to agree that the game is definitely very easy to get into. Map and menus are easy to navigate, and colours are bright and colourful.
"Also the fact that the monsters are animated and have designs accurate to the source material makes it a huge draw for new and old fans of the franchise."
» Social Implications
Yeevon: "Sure it gets people out and about, but for what? For zero meaningful social interaction, when we're constantly bent over our phones for fear of missing out.
"Essentially, the game teaches us nothing, except to hoard, and encourages competitiveness that is sometimes borderline maniacal.
"And it is the same kind of unhealthy
competitiveness that is driving people to overlook safety and basic courtesy while playing the game."
Jeremy: "So far, I think the game has made a lot of people less anti-social as many people are 'hunting' together. At the same time, constantly bumping into people staring at their phones is starting to become annoying.
"And I agree that some people have taken it too far, as they obstruct the flow of traffic or endanger themselves.
"On the other side of things, savvy brands and businesses have definitely caught on to the hype very quickly and ... are already using it as a marketing tool.
"For now, it's quite basic but ... I think brands or outlets will soon come up with even more attractive promos very soon."
» Looking for more
Yeevon: "This is nothing like the Pokemon game that I loved to play on my Gameboy.
"Where are the random boys and girls I encounter on the road who want to battle me?
"It would be superb for the game, and the community, if players could battle one another via battle requests."
Jeremy: "If there's one feature they need to implement, it is the ability to trade Pokemons with your friends.
"Also, if they could change the amount of candy you receive when you transfer Pokemon, that would be nice. At least give us more than one candy per Pokemon, based on whether they have higher or lower Combat Points (CP).
"Basically, it feels like Niantic Labs took the formula and data from its previous game, Ingress, and just slapped on a Pikachu costume.
"As such, we think that the game could use more refinement to keep players invested for a longer period of time.
"Still, Pokemon Go has definitely exceeded expectations as it is now the most popular mobile game globally. It will definitely be interesting to see how Niantic Labs maintains the game's popularity."