Pokémon Made Fans Go!

By: Alexandra Geisser

February 27, 1996 changed the gaming world as we now know it. It introduced the first two games in the Pokémon series, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green versions, and thousands fell in love with the gameplay, characters, and the Pokémon themselves. Years down the line, the gaming legacy of Pokémon would continue strong.

Now, twenty years after the first release of Pokémon Red and Green versions, fans all around the world have had their dreams of being a Pokémon trainer come true at last. Through a partnership between Nintendo and Niantic, Pokémon GO! was created to bridge the gap between our world and the digital one of Pokémon. Pokémon GO! brings the beloved Pokémon species into our world, prompting fans––who would usually sit inside and neglect the outdoors––to go explore the world around them and catch Pokémon off their phones. It introduces the fans to the earth in a way never seen by Nintendo. Pokémon GO!’s goal is relatively simple––traverse, challenge, and befriend.

The game begins with the introduction of the newest Pokémon Professor, Professor Willow. He is one of many different doctors who has dedicated themselves to studying Pokémon. Being a Professor, he has the authority to gift kids a Pokémon to start their adventure. These Pokémon are called “starter types” and out of seventeen different types, they are always either water, fire or grass.

Professor Willow offers you the choices of the original three starter types Charmander, (a lizard-like fire type) Squirtle (a water type that resembles a turtle) and Bulbasaur (a grass type similar to a walking plant bulb). After you choose your starter, Professor Willow gives you some Poké Balls, orbs used to catch and befriend Pokémon, and sets you on your adventure to complete the Pokédex, an item used to catalogue Pokémon.

As you adventure, Professor Willow introduces you to Pokéstops, places where one can travel to and collect items by spinning the circle in–app. You can find Pokéstops across neighborhoods, towns, cities, districts, states and countries! You can recognize Pokéstops if you search for blue signposts within the app and click them––the app then tells you what location the Pokestop is located at!

That’s not all––walking around, catching Pokémon and sending them to Professor Willow are also a key part in being a Pokémon trainer. To help strengthen and evolve your Pokémon, Professor Willow advises you to send doubles of Pokémon you’ve earned to him. In doing so, you gain both “candies” and “stardust.” Candies are treats you can feed your Pokémon to help them gain power and grow. Candies are labelled by either type or a specific Pokémon. Stardust is generalized for all Pokémon and is used to help empower them. Using both these items, you can either help strengthen your Pokémon’s CP (Combat Power) or evolve them to their next form (if they are able to evolve, as not all Pokémon can).

Walking around, I took note of several Pokéstops and Pokémon I’d come across. I explored downtown Fort Lauderdale with the Pokémon GO! app on, taking in sights and locations I visited. For one odd reason or another, the Federal Court House has a lot of Pokéstops in its surrounding area along with a large abundance of normal type Pokémon. When I explored near the beach, water type Pokémon popped up constantly. The Pokémon you find can also be affected by where you’re located.

To add on, your level as a trainer is very important––you can’t challenge gyms until you’re at a certain level. If you come across a gym before you reach Level 5, Professor Willow will inform you about the location and how you need to be at a specific level in order to even challenge these gyms! Once you reach Level 5, though, that is where the real fun begins.

Reaching Level 5 introduces you to two new experiences––gym battles and teams. Looking in the Pokémon GO! Profile section, you would probably notice the small section titled “Team.” I assumed it was my Pokémon, but it turns out it’s not! There are three teams that one can join once they reach Level 5––Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw…Nah, just kidding! The teams are Valor (labeled red), Instinct (colored yellow) and Mystic (decorated blue). Each team helps you with one aspect of being a trainer and you can only choose teams once, so be careful with who you partner with! Joining a team allows you to fight for gyms and claim ownership over them. Once you defeat the top Pokémon of a different colored gym, you get the gym for your team! Feel free to drop your own Pokémon to guard the gym while you’re away, too. Can’t risk another team taking it, can you?

So, take in the world around you! Explore, befriend and defend you and your team’s place in the Pokémon world. Go and be the very best, like no one ever was!