Pokemon GO became a huge hit overnight, topping both the Google Play Store and Apple App store within days and breaking many records. The game uses augmented reality (AR) to draw monsters over the camera of a smartphone and allows players to find and track them using the device’s GPS. It has gained immense popularity very quickly, but the game is far from perfect. From the start, it has been plagued with connectivity issues. And many of the updates to the game have made changes that have not resonated well with players. Lately, the game has started to see a decrease in active daily users by as much as 15 million in a single month, making some wonder if it was simply a trend that has nearly run its course. However, despite users playing the game less, it is still wildly popular, as evident in a video from Taiwan posted to YouTube.
The video shows a busy street in Taiwan filled with pedestrians all moving towards the same thing: a rare Pokemon called a Snorlax. The group of Pokemon GO players seems to be in quite a frenzy as they chase the Snorlax around the streets of Taiwan, and if you didn’t know better you may assume this was some sort of public event or festival. While it may not be common to see this much excitement over the game in less populated regions, this video shows just how popular the game really is. It is quite impressive that even as daily usage is on the decline, players still are swarming public areas by the masses in order to catch Pokemon.
The decrease in usage certainly doesn’t mean that this is the end for Pokemon GO. The game continues to implement new features that add to its entertainment and replay value, which may not only regain the attention of players who have lost interest, but attract new players as well. For example, the latest game update added an appraisal system, which will show players the individual values (IVs) of their Pokemon. Those who have abandoned Pokemon GO out of boredom are likely to give the game another look as the developers continue to add features that players find valuable, so it is possible that this decrease is only temporary. To get an idea just how popular the game is, or if you just want to see a mob of frantic Pokemon hunters scramble through the city in search of a Snorlax, feel free to check out the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoYjVTbLWyo