Embrace the Bulbasaur: despite some risks, Pokemon Go is fun for all
Yat Siu says parents should join their children for some quality time together outdoors
Pokemon Go is smashing records and sweeping the world as fans of all ages flock to a mobile game that has users chasing virtual creatures superimposed on real-world locations. With its launch this week in Hong Kong, should parents be concerned about their children playing it? Here is my perspective as a father, IT entrepreneur and game developer.
The innovative use of augmented reality and location tracking makes Pokemon Go a rarity: a video game that requires physical activity and real-world exploration. This has various benefits, like increasing physical activity among people who would otherwise be sedentary and stimulating social interaction with other players.
As you can imagine, this is incredibly unusual in the world of video games, and it presents some novel challenges. If you are a parent, the arrival of Pokemon Go means that your children will spend abnormal amounts of time outdoors attempting to capture virtual creatures with names like Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle.
Now that Pokemon Go has come to Hong Kong, here’s how to play it
Pokemon Go has encouraged millions of users around the world to go outside and search for “pokestops” and “gyms”, special game locations that are often near landmarks such as museums, art galleries, monuments, churches and parks. Players are rewarded for walking a certain distance as they hunt for Pokemons to capture, and for interacting at pokestops and gyms to advance within the game. The experience can be highly social, because players tend to gravitate towards the same pokestops or gyms where they can hang out with their friends, while making new friends as they encounter other Pokemon Go users.