Is ‘Pokémon GO’ Just a Flash in the Pan?

I think it’s fair to say that Pokémon Go has taken the world by storm over the past few weeks. No one can deny that it’s social features and easy to understand format have made it the best mobile gaming app ever released. The app is used even more than social media platforms such as Twitter and Tinder in the USA. Niantic has been quoted as saying they “struck a nerve” with the world, it’s more like they’ve created a social phenomenon. But for all of its success and addicted fans, many have wondered if it has the legs to keep fans walking around the world. With tales of people already capturing all the Pokémon, there doesn’t seem like there’s much for them to do now. With that in mind, the debate as to whether Pokémon Go can survive rages on.

Who can resist those faces?

Lets starts with the good news. Niantic has already promised players a whole host of new features, with updates of varying sizes coming every 2 weeks. The game also has one big trump card to keep players walking and that’s the nostalgia. Parents, grandparents, the family dog, you name it, they’ve all been talking about this game.This mass draw of players to the title is helping to drive it’s well fleshed out social features and ultimately creating an experience that no one has ever witnessed before. Furthermore, the excitement and rush people get when all trying to catch a rare Pokémon or take on a gym is something other games in the series have never been able to capture. For the short term at least, the game is thriving and is a blast to play.

But there might be a few problems. Many features seen in the concept trailer aren’t currently in the game and are a big miss at launch. Trading, player vs player combat and the next generation of Pokémon need to be implemented quickly. These features would certainly be a nice boost of content and social features that can’t come soon enough. While catching cute creatures and walking is fun, it might not be enough to keep fans going forever. Pokémon Go also lacks the deeper strategy of previous Pokémon titles. The title is too shallow in terms of player skill, making gyms just a case of who has the bigger Pokémon. All of these missing features make the game feel like it was rushed out the door. With so much hype building up to its release, it seems to be lacking a backbone in many areas.

When can we start trading those Pidgies away?

All of the previous points are making many fans worried as to whether Pokémon Go will last. It might be one of those games that people only play for a few weeks, or it could be the start of a mobile gaming revolution. The former could spell death for the game because it requires people to play it consistently for it to be fun. If no one battles and no one walks around, the game won’t have the key interactions it needs. So this game might live and die by how fast Niantic can update it. If they can keep rolling out new features and Pokémon on a regular basis, it could be one of the best Pokémon games of all time. Only time will tell for this incredible gaming phenomenon.

Do you think the game can survive? Comment below or tweet me @pattydon101!