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Stampeding Pokemon Go Players in Taiwan


OverSword

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No, we are not.

Well...let me take a stab at this "Pokemon Go" thing to see if I understand it to some degree.

You use your device, in conjunction with Google Earth, to locate certain pokemon in your area. Am I right so far?

Then you go to the coordinates that are stipulated and you try to locate this image then if you are so inclined you attempt to catch it, right? But apparently it is not that easy, you most likely have to use items to lure it to you so it can be caught, right so far...pretty much?

But not only can you catch these images but you can find and obtain items including special pokeballs, right? Plus you can battle and trade with other people and go hunting with them. From what I understand, unless I was misinformed, that you can even receive alerts if there is a pokemon in your area that you have your eye on.

So..what is the allure of this game then? What makes it such a rage that people are willing to trample one another just to catch a "rare" image? (meaning pokemon)

Missing any major points on this game or was it pretty much summed up? Maybe someone fill me in on what is so different about this game that it separates it from other pokemon games.

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Oh good lawd ... its just a game ... it was bad when there was no pokemon go ~ it got worse ~ and soon it will just be normal and bad again ...

~

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So you don't know anything about the game too? I was hoping Podo or someone could fill me in. Just asking.

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Just now, Ryu said:

So you don't know anything about the game too? I was hoping Podo or someone could fill me in. Just asking.

Its not that I don't know ... it is I don't wish or want to know ... there is a difference ... :yes:

Quote


Persistence: Constant dripping of water wears away the stone

(水滴石穿 (shui di shi chuan))

 

  • global outreach org link

~

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6 minutes ago, third_eye said:

Its not that I don't know ... it is I don't wish or want to know ... there is a difference ... :yes:

  • global outreach org link

~

And I was starting to think I was the only person alive that has never had anything to do with Pokemon, old or new!

I wouldn't know a Pokemon from a pokey stick ^_^

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14 hours ago, Ryu said:

No, we are not.

Well...let me take a stab at this "Pokemon Go" thing to see if I understand it to some degree.

You use your device, in conjunction with Google Earth, to locate certain pokemon in your area. Am I right so far?

Then you go to the coordinates that are stipulated and you try to locate this image then if you are so inclined you attempt to catch it, right? But apparently it is not that easy, you most likely have to use items to lure it to you so it can be caught, right so far...pretty much?

But not only can you catch these images but you can find and obtain items including special pokeballs, right? Plus you can battle and trade with other people and go hunting with them. From what I understand, unless I was misinformed, that you can even receive alerts if there is a pokemon in your area that you have your eye on.

So..what is the allure of this game then? What makes it such a rage that people are willing to trample one another just to catch a "rare" image? (meaning pokemon)

Missing any major points on this game or was it pretty much summed up? Maybe someone fill me in on what is so different about this game that it separates it from other pokemon games.

Close, but no cigar. 

Coordinates aren't involved. Pokemon are show on the bottom right of the screen. That means they're 200 meters away. You just have to walk around a bit and maybe you'll find them.

How easy the Pokemon is to catch is depedant on their CP aka their power. The higher the CP, the harder to catch. You can use things like Razzberries to delay them running away, but it's basically based on luck.

I reelly can't explain the allure of it if you don't play it. Honestly, you just have to play it yourself and you'd understand. The people trampling each other to get a rare Pokemon are idiots, and are mostly a minority. (Mostly, though this isn't the first incident.)

So that's it, I guess?

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13 minutes ago, Game Gear said:

Close, but no cigar. 

Coordinates aren't involved. Pokemon are show on the bottom right of the screen. That means they're 200 meters away. You just have to walk around a bit and maybe you'll find them.

How easy the Pokemon is to catch is depedant on their CP aka their power. The higher the CP, the harder to catch. You can use things like Razzberries to delay them running away, but it's basically based on luck.

I reelly can't explain the allure of it if you don't play it. Honestly, you just have to play it yourself and you'd understand. The people trampling each other to get a rare Pokemon are idiots, and are mostly a minority. (Mostly, though this isn't the first incident.)

So that's it, I guess?

Pokemongo does use coordinates. That's how google earth works, with coordinates. And it's also used as a form of cheating- spoofing the GPS to allow the device to "go to" coordinates. 

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17 hours ago, Ryu said:

No, we are not.

Well...let me take a stab at this "Pokemon Go" thing to see if I understand it to some degree.

You use your device, in conjunction with Google Earth, to locate certain pokemon in your area. Am I right so far?

Then you go to the coordinates that are stipulated and you try to locate this image then if you are so inclined you attempt to catch it, right? But apparently it is not that easy, you most likely have to use items to lure it to you so it can be caught, right so far...pretty much?

But not only can you catch these images but you can find and obtain items including special pokeballs, right? Plus you can battle and trade with other people and go hunting with them. From what I understand, unless I was misinformed, that you can even receive alerts if there is a pokemon in your area that you have your eye on.

So..what is the allure of this game then? What makes it such a rage that people are willing to trample one another just to catch a "rare" image? (meaning pokemon)

Missing any major points on this game or was it pretty much summed up? Maybe someone fill me in on what is so different about this game that it separates it from other pokemon games.

You're on the right track, but not entirely. You don't get given coordinates, the pokemon spawn when you come within a certain distance from them. Otherwise, you can't see them. There are items that affect how easy they are to catch, and there is a very loose battle system around Gyms, which are located on landmarks (usually monuments or something notable in the community, which is determined by topological data from Ingress, which was Niantic's first game). Players take control of gyms with their pokemon, others can fight them and take the gym. Taking the gym gives XP, as well as giving a few items here and there. There's no real alert system; there is a tracker, but it's really vague. If something shows up on the tracker, it is anywhere from right next to you to a kilometre away. It's mostly useless.

As I and others have said, those who trample each other are not indicative of the whole any more than Christmas shoppers who trample each other are indicative of anyone who goes to a store to buy something. Those people are idiots, and the vast majority of players don't do stupid stuff like that. Any new thing will cause crazy and stupid people to do crazy and stupid things. Alcohol regularly does it, Furbies did it, Tickle Me Elmos does it, Christmas does it, etc etc. Crazy people gonna crazy.

The allure is that it lets you go outside and actually catch pokemon. For many of us, we've been playing pokemon games since we were little children. I know I certainly have. And, for what it is worth, this is the first game I've ever put on my phone--previously my phone was merely a machine used for work communication (I'm a software developer) and reading the news. The ability to actually go outside and catch the pokemon that have been part of your whole life, alongside your friends, is simply fun. There's no higher meaning, there is no grand statement. It's just fun. It's fun for the same reason any videogame is fun, or tabletop game, or game in general. Games, all games, rely on a suspension of disbelief and a willingness to go after "images" or "fake things". Even sports suffers from this: you're hitting a puck through a net guarded by a human in body armour to prove that you're better at hitting pucks than the other team is? Any leisure activity can be boiled down to sound ridiculous, if one tries.

Furthermore, I love that I can play a videogame outside. I love videogames, and I love being outside (as mentioned in previous posts). That I can play this one with my friends, outside, and meet/chat with other people who are also playing it is fantastic. This is the first game that has ever effectively succeeded at getting nerds outside of their homes and talking to each other, which is fantastic. It also is getting people walking, and running, and moving, and exploring the outdoors. This is not a bad thing, it's a great thing.

Also, and this is the software developer in me coming out, Pokemon Go is interesting from a technical perspective. Different types of pokemon spawn in different locations based on biomes, which the game has split the world map into. I like the technical aspect behind it, as nobody as ever done anything like it before. It is also an interesting first step into the world of mainstream augmented-reality gaming. AR has existed for a while, but has not received a lot of attention. That Pokemon Go was so successful is great for the industry, as it means more AR games will get funded as a result.

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On 2016-08-22 at 3:08 PM, Ryu said:

I still do not understand this craze to go rushing around outside just to catch images of imaginary things.

Pokemon is all fake, as in "not real". Once you have this image, then what? Battle? Big whop! Why can't this be done at home by yourself or with some friends using a Nintendo Gamecube/DS or whatever is popular now?

 

Humans are a greedy sort of animal. To possess that which our peers haven't managed to acquire (even imaginary artifacts) makes us feel better in some ways. There is also the fact that Pokemon Go allows one to escape reality for a while, wandering around town pretending that the Earth itself is full of strange creatures that only await to be captured, mastered and collected. There is also the possiblity to 'make a name for oneself' in a completely made-up world and thus getting some joy out of the whole thing.

Edited by TruthSeeker_
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23 minutes ago, TruthSeeker_ said:

There is also the fact that Pokemon Go allows one to escape reality for a while, wandering around town pretending that the Earth itself is full of strange creatures that only await to be captured, mastered and collected.

The Earth is already filled with very real, strange and largely undiscovered creatures for scientists to discover and learn about. They probably can't spit fire like Charizard or throw massive bolts of lightning like Raichu but probably can do weird stuff nonetheless.

The thing is that we are already inundated with a plethora of reality-escaping devices and games galore; so much so that I often wonder how many people can even distinguish reality from fantasy much less how to even deal with reality as it is.

Anyways I understand the premise of gaming as I am somewhat a gamer myself. I just have a hard time getting obsessed over it like many people I see.

28 minutes ago, TruthSeeker_ said:

There is also the possiblity to 'make a name for oneself' in a completely made-up world and thus getting some joy out of the whole thing.

Sad testimony if the only "accomplishments" one has came from a game.

I understand, it is fun, I have fun playing games too, a nice reprieve from daily life. I unlocked "secrets" after fulfilling certain game requirements but once I did I was like "ok. So what now?".

Games are fun. I know that, I just can't get myself to be so enamored with fake worlds and fake creatures.

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1 hour ago, Ryu said:

 

I bet it really vexes some people to know there might be an imaginary creature lurking in a place players are not allowed to set foot on lest they be charged with trespassing. :ph34r:

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18 hours ago, Ryu said:

Sad testimony if the only "accomplishments" one has came from a game.

You assume that someone having a high score is their only accomplishment. One of my best friends is a nationally-acclaimed jiu-jitsu practitioner, and he loves Pokemon Go. I'm a successful software developer and a published columnist, and I like it. My girlfriend ran into her doctor playing it downtown a few weeks ago. Someone being good at something they enjoy doing does not necessitate the deterioration of other aspects of their lives.

17 hours ago, Ryu said:

I bet it really vexes some people to know there might be an imaginary creature lurking in a place players are not allowed to set foot on lest they be charged with trespassing

This is actually a misnomer. You can access Pokemon from around 50 metres away, so there is no reason to trespass, ever. Those who use it as an excuse are either criminals or idiots. It's a sad state of affairs :(

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  • 3 weeks later...

For all those who don't get it.  Remember sticker albums?  You would buy a book with empty boxes in it and then buy the stickers, some were rare and you would rely on friends to swap with, but the goal is to complete the collection.  Those of us of a certain age must surely remember garbage pale kids?

we have been playing Pokemon go as a species for hundreds of years, some people do it with stamps, some Chinaware, others do it with deer heads and such.

its not a hard concept, collect as many Pokemon as you can.  We all love collecting things, everyone has a collection of something.

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On 8/25/2016 at 2:11 AM, OverSword said:

 

Although I don't play this game and enjoy the zen I sometimes achieve while walking (which I do often and far) I'm not too critical of those that play it.  They're just having fun.  I jave to agree with Podo's assessment, you're being a cantankerous old fart.. 

I went with a walk with someone who was playing Pokemon Go.  We were still able to talk.  I noticed some public art installations to which I was I was previously oblivious.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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