A couple of years ago, I wrote about a way to make healthy habits more enjoyable: through games. This so-called “gamification” of life phenomenon included a mobile sci-fi game called Ingress, which encouraged me (and thousands of others around the world) to get out and get walking much more. Now, there’s a chance you may have heard of the latest game from Ingress creator Niantic Labs: Pokémon Go. In case you just got back from a yert in Mongolia, let me explain — this is a similar location-based mobile game that blends walking in the real world with objectives starring those cute creatures from the ’90s card game.
Pokémon Go actually uses the photos and data submitted by users of Ingress. Unlike its predecessor, though, this current game rocketed to stratospheric popularity – garnering more users in the first week of its US release than the legendary Candy Crush Saga.
As long as people are aware of their surroundings – not doing anything dangerous or illegal – I’m all in favor of something that encourages more physical activity and social interaction.
Pokémon Go Wiki (a guide for getting started and strategies)