Why we loved Pokemon Go for a Month
It was the summer of 2016, times were simple. Our president had not starred in reality shows outside of mainstream news and the world was in disarray as the wondered what really happened to Barb (RIP). Then we received a gift that would make our divided country whole once more: Pokemon Go.
July of 2016 was probably the most active and joy filled month in American history. Office productivity had tanked as we defended out team's territory and adults and kids alike found themselves taking of the hobby of trespassing in the hopes of capturing a rare monster. Looking back, the obsession that our society collectively had for Pokemon Go at launch was a bit disturbing. Kids from age 5 to grandparents in their 70's were staring at their phones to catch virtual creatures from a Japanese cartoon. It was a crazy time.
For me, I think the novel concept of the game's use of augmented reality, combined with nostalgia for millenials like myself, were really the catalyst for this phenomenon. Growing up, we would pretend that Pokemon were real and we were going on adventures as well. Now, through your phone's camera lens, that world did exist and we all were thrown back to innocence of 90's childhood.
This is the power of Augmented Reality. We are seeing that technology can take something from our imagination and make it "real."
July of 2016 was probably the most active and joy filled month in American history. Office productivity had tanked as we defended out team's territory and adults and kids alike found themselves taking of the hobby of trespassing in the hopes of capturing a rare monster. Looking back, the obsession that our society collectively had for Pokemon Go at launch was a bit disturbing. Kids from age 5 to grandparents in their 70's were staring at their phones to catch virtual creatures from a Japanese cartoon. It was a crazy time.
For me, I think the novel concept of the game's use of augmented reality, combined with nostalgia for millenials like myself, were really the catalyst for this phenomenon. Growing up, we would pretend that Pokemon were real and we were going on adventures as well. Now, through your phone's camera lens, that world did exist and we all were thrown back to innocence of 90's childhood.
This is the power of Augmented Reality. We are seeing that technology can take something from our imagination and make it "real."
Comments
Post a Comment