Craze of Pokemon and How its changed How people use Technology

You would have to have been living under a rock the last couple of weeks not to know that the Pokemon craze is sweeping through the world. Australians have embraced the phenomenon with thousands of people arranging to meet up to play the game. The aim of the game is exactly like the 90s TV series – to catch all the Pokemon you possibly can. And some people are actually getting pretty obsessed. The Pokemon game has been primarily embraced by two generations, Generation Y which we talked a bit about in our previous blog (Link will go here) and Generation Z who was born in the late 90s.

So what are the differences between Generation Y and Generation Z?

Well to sum it up briefly, Generation Y was the last generation that would remember a life without mobile phones. They were used to playing outside and rocking up to their neighbours’ houses rather than texting or calling to check that it would be okay to go over.

Generation Z, on the other hand, is very much a digital generation and they’ve grown up with computers so didn’t have to play outside as children which have caused health problems such as obesity.

Pokemon Go embraces both old and new technologies, or behaviours would be a more accurate description. In the 90s it Generation Y wanted to play video games their parents would ensure they had time to play outside. The video games were much different too and less interactive.

One such game was Alex the Kidd on Sega Master  Systems. Sega  Master System was the 80s and 90s video game console where you inserted a cartridge. It was then connected to your television.

Alex the Kidd was a hugely popular game which peaked in the mid-90s. The idea was that when you were playing Alex you would batch items known as Baums. Alex was 14 and everyone loved the game.

The next console released by Sega was the Mega System and it wasn’t as popular because times had changed. It was released in the late 90s by which time Nintendo was gaining ground again and Sony was about to release the first PlayStation.

Around this time a new television series, Pokemon was released and was popular for ten years. Like all animated shows, there were the good guys and the baddies, and the object was to catch as many goodies as you possibly could.

Fast forward a few years to the early 2000s and mobile phones now have widespread text capabilities so are embraced by teens. The now defunct Nokia set the trend for mobile games with the inclusion of what was known as Snake. Other manufacturers followed but it wasn’t really until Apple founder Steve Jobs created the iPhone (which I am typing this blog on) that the full functionality of phones could be achieved.

Of course, the downside to this is that people use their mobile phones in a solitary way. They are so engrossed in their own activities that they don’t see what’s going on around them. They’re always looking down at their phones.

Pokemon Go! Which was released a few weeks ago on Android and iOS have been embraced by people of all ages so much so that it’s actually changing the way people interact with their mobile phones.

The Pokemon Go! The game requires people to go to specific locations, predetermined locations where they will meet with other players and compete to catch them all. Aside from the fact that some people have gotten into trouble and been injured or gone onto private property the game is actually a really great idea.

It gets people outside and instead of being glued to their screens with little human interaction. This is because although you play on your mobile phone and use data, you need to be around other users for the game to work effectively. Pokemon Go! Won’t work if you’re at home. There won’t be any Pokemon to catch, other than the one that you get when you first download the game.

People are also getting exercise that they otherwise wouldn’t get because they are so engrossed in their technological devices, so Pokemon Go! has many benefits outside of the game itself.

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