New Pokemon Go Virus - How Dangerous It Is

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-12 17:37

Over the past month, it turned out that pocket monsters have proliferated all over the planet, and passers-by in your city are walking down the street with a phone with a new goal - to catch as many of them as possible.

The world has gone crazy: virtual creatures have pushed cats from social media feeds and conquered millions of people, without sparing even police officers, soldiers and Leonardo DiCaprio. They threw a topical theme for the song to Sergei Shnurov. In the place where the Pokémon were caught, the wives figure out the unfaithful husbands. And girls on dates instead of cafes now prefer to wind kilometers in the park, collecting Pokémon and "incubating eggs."

And although the season of the Pokemon hunting is in full swing, we at Cleo.ru have kept out of this virus for some time. But we have friends and acquaintances who got hooked on the game long before its official release. We also spoke with a professional psychologist and game creator to learn about the pros and cons of Pokemon Go.

What is the essence of the game

All you need is a smartphone, an app and mobile internet. The application is free, but so far the official release of Pokemon Go in Russia has been postponed. Nevertheless, those wishing to find different ways to download and install Pokemon Go - special apk applications for Android smartphones or creating a new account for owners of Apple smartphones.

You choose a hero who becomes a seeker and trainer of fantastic creatures - Pokemon (literally - "pocket monsters"). If the Japanese cartoons about Pikachu passed you by, know that unknown animals have supernatural powers, are associated with the elements and can fight with each other.

You won't be able to play at home, sitting on the couch: the trick of the game is to walk around the city. In the area of historical sites, monuments, museums, graffiti, the application shows game stations called pokestops. If you untwist such a cache, Pokeballs will sprinkle from there - balls that are very useful in the game, as well as Pokemon eggs. You can also hunt an "adult" Pokemon by throwing a Pokeball ball: the app will warn you about this possibility.

Captured Pokémon can be groomed and cherished in a special storage, trained, fought in designated areas with other players, and even captured these halls, earning in-game money.

The secret of popularity

Pokemon are not babies, the world first learned about them 20 years ago. Several generations were cut on game consoles, watched anime, many still have stickers with Pikachu and stuffed animals.

The collaboration of Pokemon brand Nintendo with Google has breathed new life into the history of pocket monsters.

“It all came together: $ 25 million in investment, decades of Google mapping, and decades of Pokémon life. The game has very harmoniously made things that exist in a hundred other games. The creators just brought it to the streets, because they could afford it, - comments Vitaly Khit, game developer and psychologist. "However, the question remains what they intend to do in the winter."

The authors of the game took into account: it is not always interesting for people to walk from one point to another. Those who often move the same routes: to work, from work and to the store, were glad to brighten up this time by hunting Pokemon, to see funny creatures on the phone camera screen and interact with them.

“The idea itself is cool: all of a sudden, all of a sudden, a Pokemon. This is something from our childhood, when we collected candy wrappers, moving around the city from one point to another. Pure gathering, plushkinism, - says Ivan, who reached level 10 in a couple of days. - With each level, the monsters you find get stronger and stronger. And in Pokemon Go they are going to introduce the exchange of Pokemon, as we changed in due time."

“A couple of times I left the office specifically for buns to fish for Pokémon. And so I play no more than 20 minutes a day, on the way to work and home. Sometimes, however, in the office I put a bait and then the Pokémon come right there, I catch one of the employees on the shoulder,”Elena says with a laugh, now she is at the 8th level.

In addition, Pokemon Go also uses a social factor: players gather in one place, lure Pokemon, get to know each other live and can chat.

Why Pokemon Hunting is Dangerous

True, not everyone likes such a new game: fans of a popular application are often faced with the desire of others to hang all the Pokemon on them: "Oh my God, you go there too," "You have to be more mature", "zombie people" to do "," that's right, I broke up with you."

Any game has its own habits, which, through many repetitions, the participants then transfer into real life. As videographers see the world around them in "pictures", then the Pokemon hunters will unconsciously try to see and find them. This is especially true of those whose psyche is most susceptible to suggestion - children.

In the midst of a Pokemon hunt, there is such excitement that a child can wander far from home and get into trouble. The game makes money on in-game purchases, and parents should be careful - there are expensive items that will significantly affect the family budget.

However, it is unlikely that it will be possible to protect a child from the virtual world of Pokemon: this is the most popular game in the world at the moment, the whole world is crazy about it, and peers will discuss and show it anyway.

“Pokemon is the case when I downloaded the game before my daughter. It's funny: she started telling me about her, and then I launch Pokemon Go on my phone! Since then, we sometimes go to catch them together,”says Elena.

“This is the best option: when the game is on the parent's phone and they can hunt and train Pokémon together. During this time, you can talk about life. Kids get into the game very quickly, know the rumors about where to find which Pokémon, and are happy to be helpful and share information. In addition, not all of their peers can boast of playing together with their parents,”explains psychologist and game creator Vitaly Khit.

The game process takes a lot of time. To get a new level, you have to try pretty hard, so you need to be prepared for the fact that what began as an innocent desire to pass the time will soon be wasting it. The game was released in the summer; in the fall, a drop in learning is predicted due to the fact that pokéstops and halls for games are located in the area of educational institutions.

The people we talked to are successful in their work, they have a family and hobbies. It is easier for such players to switch their attention and not depend on virtual achievements.

“I gave up Pokemon Go in a few days,” Ivan admits. - Firstly, it works too slowly, our mobile Internet is not fast. And I also realized that I was starting to get carried away, there was too much excitement”.