Catching ‘em all was the talk of 2016. It wasn’t uncommon to see a huddle of players in public parks. Users of Pokémon Go were glued to their phones, to the point of public danger. This digital game proliferated in popularity as it blended the real and digital worlds. This encouraged users to walk outside, which many thoroughly enjoyed. The game blew up in popularity worldwide.

The hype around Pokémon Go was incomparable to other games. At the initial release, content creators and news reporters covered every angle of this game. Although the hype was incredible, it was impossible to sustain. Mobile game trends constantly evolve, so the large attention on this game was important.

Pokémon Go was an attractive game. Nostalgia brought in many players, as the franchise dates back to the 90’s. This mobile game offered eager adults to relive their childhood. The Augmented Reality technology used in the game was one of the first times players had seen this featured in a game. The game was accessible and promoted social experience as well.

The rapid incline of the game had been beaten by its downfall. The game developers made many mistakes, leading to the game’s death. From communication errors to glitches that drove away users, the game faced its inevitable fate of becoming a has-been. Players had been upset due to geographical factors such as weather and location affecting gameplay. The media coverage shifted from discussing the health benefits of walking to horror stories of children being hurt by the distraction of the game.

Depending on the location, it made playing appealing or challenging. The pandemic also had a large strain on Pokémon Go. The core feature of the game was players being in proximity to each other. Niantic, the game developer, adjusted the game to make remote play possible, yet still affected the overall experience. Some players had stuck around, which kept a niche, yet standing fan base, with there being 75,820,060 players active worldwide in September 2023, which is significantly less compared to its 232 million players in 2016.

However, oddly enough, there has been a resurrection for the high schoolers at Coral Springs Charter. The surge in players is not prominent but the participation is present. Charter students often follow viral trends. What makes this surge in playing interesting is that there is no new talk on social media about Pokémon Go. The pick-up of this game is random. “It’s mostly been the seniors rather than the juniors, yet a few juniors have picked it up from the seniors,” junior Braden Ranieri shares.

“A lot more people are playing it now. I was put on by my friend, and he got put on by his friend….” senior James Camacho credits himself with the spread of the game throughout the senior class. “…. but I put matters into my own hands, and I’ve been spreading it like crazy.”

When students were asked why they do not have the game on their phone there had been a common response of not having enough storage on their phones. “I think it’s a good game, I don’t have it because I don’t have storage on my phone,” senior Nick Campbell answered. The mobile game eats up data. On average about 25 megabytes are used in an eight-hour period, which is a drawback of the game, especially for students with phones filled with photos and texts.

There has been an overall positive response. “I think Pokémon Go is a great app, it encourages users to work out because you’re moving…” senior Ty Mainardi supports the spread of the game. “…I think it’s fun catching different types of Pokémon and battling with friends.” Inside the school, there are two pokestops, which are necessary to gain supplies. Students can place ‘lures’ on these pokestops which draw in more Pokémon. There is also a gym at the library connected to the school. In this gym, students can battle after school, making it convenient to play this game. Although it’s uncertain whether the seniors picked up this game for nostalgia or convenience, the senior class enjoys playing the mobile game in their free time.

Bibliography
Fitzpatrick, Alex. “Why Pokemon Go Is Suddenly so Popular.” Time, Time, 29 Apr. 2021, time.com/4400791/pokemon-go-iphone-android-nintendo/.
“What Went Wrong with Pokemon Go?” What Went Wrong with Pokemon Go? Three Lessons from Its Plummeting Player Numbers – ABC News, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2016, www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-19/what-went-wrong-with-pokemon-go/7942726.
“Pokemon GO Live Player Count and Statistics.” The Game Statistics Authority : ActivePlayer.Io, 24 Aug. 2023, activeplayer.io/pokemon-go/.