So Pokémon Go continues to be an incredible social experience. I was actually at a 3 day intensive training last week, with some great folks. The topic area was focused on addiction recovery, and specifically on certifying us attendees as a first group of Certified Recovery Coaches (CRCs) in the county. It was a great time, and I got to hear many inspiring stories from folks in recovery, as well as other professionals trying to make changes. It got me inspired to work even harder to achieve my goals to be more of a help to people.
On a much lighter note, we spent our lunch hours together networking with one another and sharing ideas. I was in a group of several folks who were actively playing Pokémon Go, and the restaurant where we were eating at had a Poké Stop right outside. So each of us would take turns setting up a lure so that we could catch Pokémon while we ate. One of the discussions that came up out of this (between Ryan, Kyle, Abby, and I) was on the interaction that continues to be central with this new mobile experience.
The discussion went something like this. Abby asked about this being one of the first games where people would have to physically meet up to be able to take advantage of the multiplayer functionality in the experience. I had a realization that actually, this mirrored some of the experiences that I had way back before services like Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. I would literally pack up my N64 (or whatever console) and go to a friends house in order to play a multiplayer game. We'd hook up the TV and systems, and link up physically in order to play. This continued well into my college experience, where we'd set up our consoles together in what my friends identified as the "Fortress Digitalus"
On a much lighter note, we spent our lunch hours together networking with one another and sharing ideas. I was in a group of several folks who were actively playing Pokémon Go, and the restaurant where we were eating at had a Poké Stop right outside. So each of us would take turns setting up a lure so that we could catch Pokémon while we ate. One of the discussions that came up out of this (between Ryan, Kyle, Abby, and I) was on the interaction that continues to be central with this new mobile experience.
The discussion went something like this. Abby asked about this being one of the first games where people would have to physically meet up to be able to take advantage of the multiplayer functionality in the experience. I had a realization that actually, this mirrored some of the experiences that I had way back before services like Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. I would literally pack up my N64 (or whatever console) and go to a friends house in order to play a multiplayer game. We'd hook up the TV and systems, and link up physically in order to play. This continued well into my college experience, where we'd set up our consoles together in what my friends identified as the "Fortress Digitalus"
The discussion then went on to include the changes that went on with large scale online multiplayer, and though we had an opportunity to connect with people around the world, we would sometimes isolate to do so.
Kyle pointed out that it feels like we've really come full circle. We now, as a result of this augmented reality experience, are exploring a virtual world, but re-exploring the meet ups that used to be such a part of gaming in the past. It really is a strange and wonderful world we live in. I've been finding many experiences to socialize with new people since Pokémon Go was released. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next given this being such a huge hit.
Until next time folks,
All the Best,
- Steve
Kyle pointed out that it feels like we've really come full circle. We now, as a result of this augmented reality experience, are exploring a virtual world, but re-exploring the meet ups that used to be such a part of gaming in the past. It really is a strange and wonderful world we live in. I've been finding many experiences to socialize with new people since Pokémon Go was released. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next given this being such a huge hit.
Until next time folks,
All the Best,
- Steve