WHAT TO KNOW
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The new augmented-reality game Pokemon Go allows players to see a virtual world of Pokemon characters through their smartphones.
Pokemon Go combines nostalgia with innovation
HAILEY DIXON
Jonathan and Michael Tran have been playing Pokemon for years, and are avid fans of the new game.
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@_hailey_dixon
Summer 2016 will be remembered as the beginning of a phenomenon: Pokemon Go.
It's a game that has attracted both gamers and non-gamers alike. According to the Google Play store, there have been 100 million downloads since the game was released on July 6.
The premise of Pokemon Go is for players to catch as many Pokemon as they can acquire by walking around their community with their cellphone. The GPS in the phone pinpoints the location of the Pokemon. There are also teams in the game that a player can join once they reach level five: Team Instinct (Yellow), Team Mystic (Blue), and Team Valor (Red).
Dedicated Pokemon players will probably still keep playing it until they capture every possible Pokemon."
Johnathan Tran Pokemon Go player
Pokestops are certain locations in town that give players items that add assistance in the game. An important objective of the game is to take control of gyms around the community, which consist of churches, monuments or other landmarks. The more Pokemon a player collects, the faster a level up is achieved.
Additionally, the game tracks distance that is walked by players participating in the game. Once a player completes each target successfully, a new Pokemon is hatched.
Pokemon Go has been welcomed with positive reviews from University students.
"I like Pokemon Go because it gets you active and outside," Hilary Robertson, a graduate student from Wichita, said. "It's nostalgic
since I played Pokemon as a kid and it's fun meeting other people. We all help each other get rare Pokemon or battle at gyms."
Avid Pokemon Go player Jared Coltharp, a senior from Chanute, shared similar views to Robertson about Pokemon Go.
"My favorite thing about Pokemon Go is that it gets me moving and makes me want to walk more," Coltharp said. "I think I've been playing it about every other day. I'll probably play it every day when I get to Lawrence."
Even though the game has shown much enthusiasm from players, there have been technical issues that have risen with its popularity.
"While the glitches can be annoying, a lot of people don't realize that the game is still [being developed]," Coltharp said. "Discovering the game's glitches is the purpose in this stage of development. Threatening to quit playing the game because they're trying to fix the glitches is just childish. That's the reason you even have the game. Also, it's free."
Michael and Jonathan Tran, two brothers studying at the University, said they play the game roughly four to eight hours a day. The most popular places, they said, are Massachusetts St. and Broken Arrow Park, near 31st and Louisiana.
The Tran brothers said during the summer, they played the game anywhere from four to eight hours a day. And they're not going to stop anytime soon.
"That's where we usually go on most nights to camp there, people put the lures down there," Michael Tran said.
"We've been playing it before it got hyped up and everything," Jonathan Tran said. "The thing is, people who go for the hype probably are starting to quit right now because they're just in there just because it's a fad."
"Dedicated Pokemon players will probably still keep playing it until they
The two said they're dedicated veterans of the Pokemon games, and have been playing them long before smartphones existed. This newest version, they said, has been useful for exercise and meeting fellow players.
capture every possible Pokemon." he said.
"It's good exercise," Michael Tran said. "I'm a disabled vet, and it helps me get out of the house and walk around."
The future of Pokemon Go looks to be progressive, as does the future of augmented reality, and virtual games. Coltharp said he thinks there is a future for games like it.
"It's the newest technological advance in gaming, alongside virtual reality, and it was a very challenging thing to develop," Coltharp said. "These types of games just seem to make the experience more immersive, which, for a lot of people, makes the games a lot more enjoyable."
-Lara Korte contributed to this story.
Missy Minear/KANSAN roken Arrow Park.
Popular locations for Pokemon players include downtown Lawrence, South Park, and Broken Arrow Park. Missy Minear/KANSAN