Pokémon GO is now the biggest mobile game in U.S. history
Why is everyone walking around staring at their phones? In droves? Like the walking dead mob? Why are kids going out for spontaneous walks? Exercising? Well yes and no. One thing is sure – groups of people are walking around aimlessly with their phones.
Mobs of people with Pokemon game
The biggest thing in tech is Pokemon GO. Ask your kids. Not only has this app become the most downloaded in the US, it’s ready to pass all Apps in a record amount of time. Viral gone viral.
Pokémon GO is the biggest mobile game in U.S. history.
Social Side Effects
So what is the game doing to social interactions?
The phenomenon is getting folks off the couch and out into the world. Across social media, players have begun chiming in with their own stories of bonding with strangers while walking outside and playing the game:
The game is bringing together strangers who might otherwise never have met—it could also be good for their health. Since its release, users have been posting screenshots of their step-counting apps to document how the game has upped their physical activity.
- The app rose to the top of the app store on the day it was released
- Within 24 hours Pokémon GO beat out indie hit Slither.io and Supercell’s heavily promoted blockbuster Clash Royale to become the biggest game of 2016 (measured by daily active users)
- Within three days of its release, Pokémon GO attracted more users than Twitter
- Niantic, the publisher earned millions of dollars for Nintendo in days
- As of 7/11, Pokémon GO attracted just under 21 million daily active users in the United States, surpassing Candy Crush saga’s rumored peak US smartphone audience of 20 million and making it the biggest mobile game in US history.
Pokémon blew Twitter away, and now it’s gunning for SnapChat and Google Maps!
Need I say anymore? Look at that stock in 6 days!
What is Augmented Reality AR?
Augmented reality (AR) is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (overlay) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.
The Pokémon games take place in a world populated by exotic, powerful monsters — they can look like rats, snakes, dragons, dinosaurs, birds, eggs, trees, and even swords. In this world, people called “trainers” travel around the globe to tame these creatures and, in an ethically questionable manner, use them to fight against each other.