Let’s be honest: we’re all playing it. And if I try and say that’s not partly the reason I stopped posting for a while then I’m a big fat liar.

Yes! Pokémon Go finally came to phones July 6th 2016. Being a UK resident I didn’t get the app officially until the 13th. That doesn’t mean to say I didn’t play it before then…

Me? Play something illegally? Gasp! No way!

What is Pokémon Go?

For the people out there who may not have heard of this game:

Title: Pokémon Go
Genre: Location-Based, Augmented Reality, Mobile Game
Release Date: July 6th 2016 (Initially)
Publisher: The Pokémon Company
Developer: Niantic

In other words: You go outside, wild Pokémon will appear on your mobile phone screen and you can catch them (level them up, evolve them etc.). Locations that have points of interest will normally become a “Pokéstop” where players can restock on items like Pokéballs, potions etc. or even a gym where players must fight the leading Pokémon to then become the leader of that gym. Players decide to join a team (Instinct, Mystic or Valor) once they reach level 5 which plays into the gym aspect of the game and has on other meaning thus far.

So what do I think of it..?

It is literally the most ridiculous app I have ever become addicted to.

Why do I think it is ridiciulous? Well let me think… I have never been more motivated to go outside and walk 10k in my life. All because I get to throw a ball at a virtual rat.

The premise of the game is so simple and easy to understand and yet I still can’t help but feel enraged when a CP10 Charmander has the audacity to escape and run away from me. Why? Because it’s a CHARMANDER!

Honestly, the app itself isn’t that great. My particular one crashes every time I put the damn thing in battery saver mode or catch a Pokémon after it has been open for more then 5 minutes. Servers go down on a regular basis and sometimes you can’t even log in. Schrodinger’s Pokéball has become a running meme as the app tends to crash once the Pokémon is in the ball and the game has to be restarted but did you or did you not catch the Pidgey? Who knows?! Find out if you can ever get the game to load again. Using lucky eggs and incense to lure creatures towards you is a risky move at any time because the server may die on you mid-use and you’ve wasted it. And if you want to get another one, you have to pay for it…with real money.

Also, the battling system where you just punch the phone screen? That needs work but I can cope with that.

But Kirsten? If the app is so terrible, why is everyone playing it 24/7?

Because it’s Pokémon.

Majority of 90s kids are reliving their childhoods right now and I am one of them. The feeling you get when you catch your favourite is something you can’t explain.

As much as I hate to say it: this app is bringing people together more than any social network has. Having 12-year-olds walk past me on the street and then immediately hearing, “wait, are you playing? What have you found?” is now a common occurence. And I love it!

Right now this is the in-thing and after a while, yes, people will probably stop playing it and give up “catching them all” because after all they’re not real. But right now I’m seeing so many people outside gathering and talking and making friends and honestly, it’s a beautiful sight.

It sounds stupid to think that, after all this time, for millennials and younger to appreciate the beauty of nature they just needed to have virtual animals to follow around.

(That isn’t true but it’s what a lot of the older generation are thinking. My parents and grandparents included.)

I have a love-hate relationship with this app but I can’t wait for updates to come for trading and real battling with other players and so much more.

Likewise, this app is great for natural selection…

I mean, c’mon, who is stupid enough to run into a highway or off a cliff? Seriously? 

Be safe, trainers.