Pokémon Go! Announced
Time to catch ‘em all! For realsies this time.
A few years ago I wrote a post about ARGs, or augmented reality games. The premise involves using games, gaming mechanics and gaming theory to enhance the real world with richness, fun and beauty. Today, the pirate ninja robot geniuses at Pokémon have taken the fledgling world of ARGs to a whole new level. Some of you may remember when Pokémon took over Google Maps. You could use the app to look for various Pokémon all over the globe. Now, they’re taking things to the next step.
Pokémon Go will be released next year and will allow users to catch, trade and battle anywhere. A small device called a Pokémon GO Plus will enable Pokémon GO players to enjoy the game even when they’re not looking at their smartphone. The device connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth and notifies the player about events in the game—such as the appearance of a Pokémon nearby—using an LED and vibration. In addition, players can catch Pokémon or perform other simple actions by pressing the button on the device.
With innovations like this in gaming, the future is starting to look a little brighter to me.