While the initial hype surrounding Pokemon GO has most certainly died down, the game is still one of the most popular games on Android, and it makes a hell of a lot of money compared to more mature games out there. Part of the reason that Pokemon GO has become so popular no doubt has a lot to do with the fact that the game has become super-popular is that the game blends nostalgia with new experiences. Playing a Pokemon game, even if you weren’t around during the franchise’s heyday, is a familiar concept to a lot of people, but the idea of moving around, exploring your surroundings to unlock content in a digital game isn’t. It’s all new and yet familiar all in the same breath, and there’s no denying that Pokemon GO has been an exercise in how to take the world by storm. Which is probably the reason that one UK University is using the game as part of their courses.
The University of Salford will require students that are taking a Business Information Technology course to play Pokemon GO. Lecturer Dr David Kreps says that as the game “uses various information systems that are accessed over the internet, a digital camera and a GPS location sensor” it makes sense to feature it in such a course. Kreps goes on to say that it will become more difficult than capturing lower-level monsters and having a good time, but the main aim is to make the course more accessible, and playing Pokemon GO certainly seems like a good way of making a course a little more enjoyable for students. Given that Pokemon GO appeared out of nowhere, and took the world by storm over the Summer, it’s no surprise that universities and other institutions are studying the game. After all, anything that can bring that amount of people together is something that has tapped into something much bigger than just flinging poke balls over and over.
While Pokemon GO might not be the smash hit that it once was, it has proved to a lot of people that there is still room in the mobile world for something new and something fresh. If nothing else, Pokemon GO is a great way of showing students that even a game that was once forgotten about can return as a big deal.