Amazulu

Well it looks like the nation is losing its shit over this app

I'm usually ambivalent towards games like this but PG seems to be somewhat different - you get to exercise and actually meet real people instead of sitting in front of a screen all day

On Sunday, my son and his mate went off around Kalamunda playing it. They got to sleepy old Stirk park and found about 20 people - of all ages - on PG. They walked about 8 to 10kms all in. Apparently there were 1000 playing it in central Perth on Sunday. I went to Cockburn Gateway at lunchtime and there were tons of people playing it

If this is your kind of thing, enjoy

Kim67

My three kids are all playing it. My driveway seems to be a bit of a hot zone over the last couple of days. Heaps of stuff got there. My son went off with his mates after school yesterday playing and now they're meeting before school in the urban village near their school (nice and populated and safe). It seems to be getting them all off their backsides and moving at least. Wonder how long it will last.

GarryP

Probably more a question of how long the batteries will last.

The interesting thing is just how fast this has blown up. It was only launched last Thursday, and already there are 10s of millions of downloads - and that's with only a few countries turned on (UK isn't for instance). You could almost see it take off in real time over the weekend.

Isn't really an AR game though, more a game of the locality. The AR aspects are disposable. Good use of the Google Maps, derived from Ingress.

Kim67

Yeah my son was hunting around last night for one of the mobile charging unit thingo's that are hanging around the house. I thought my 17 year old had been abducted by aliens - she has never played this kind of stuff and I was at Alfresco's have a wine Sunday night and she was messaging me asking all this stuff about where this place was because she had to top up her Poke Balls - conversation went like this.

Daugther - Do you know where this place is

Me - Alfresco is googling now

Daughter - Okay cool. I need to go there to top up on more poke balls

Me - Just near the bus stop you go to catch into city

Daughter - OH AWESOME THANKS

Me - What Are poke balls

Daughter - Poké balls. I need to catch ivysaur

Me - Are you speaking English?

Daughter- And I want to see if I can catch squirtle and charmander

Me - Have you had a stroke?

Daughter - Ask Alfresco if he likes Pokemon

Me - I think you've been hacked.

Daughter - No I haven't

Me - Alfresco knows what you're on about apparently. I think you're on drugs.

Daugther - YES THANKS ALFRESCO

10 MINUTES LATER

Me - Did you get it?

Daughter - YEPPPP

Me - Prove it's you, this is too weird. Who was your first male cat in Dubai?

Daughter - percy

Me - What does your sister wish for every birthday?

Daughter - boobs

Me - OK it's you

Daughter - well yeah

Amazulu

Someone at work was at Kings Park yesterday evening and he reckons that there were thousands of people playing PG

GarryP

It's no good, she's hacked, they aren't sexy Pokemon at all

Kim67

Lol. Quirky and slightly on the dark side is my eldest - she doesn't do sexy (well not often anyway).

GarryP

From news.com.au, there are lots of people at this Sydney park, and the locals were lobbing waterbombs at them



After only a few days, its well on the way to surpassing Google Maps as the biggest number of daily users. It's already past Twitter.

Kim67

I went to work this afternoon (music school) and all the younger teachers were playing at work. Someone caught one at my desk.

knockoff nige

I hear they are about to release sponsored Pokemon which will drive foot traffic back to the big chains. It was only a matter of time before they ruined a great idea. Surprised it was so soon.

Big Mac Pokemon - 1 per paying customer.

Amazulu

PG pub crawl being planned for Perth - 2000 expected to participate

Great gig for the pub owners!

Dorothy

My daughter is going.

jad n rich

Sons 19 and 21 were saying they are lucky, some of their childhood was pre mobile phones being as essential as your pulse.

Interesting they can appreciate that.

Pokemon was cards, balls with characters in them and some little toy called a poke pocket with cute tiny poke characters and some themed world.

We still have all that stuff in a roof somewhere

Innocent days.

Must say I do find the sight of toddlers in prams with a screen shoved in their face highly disturbing.

Still Game

I don't understand any of this new fad (as that is probably what it is) and resist the urge to even look up 'what is poke.....' on good ol' google. Folks are saying it's making the people who would normally play games in their room get out into the fresh air. I wonder how many folk have taken days off work desperately trying to search for them!

Bit of light hearted fun I guess in a world that has gone a wee bit off kilter of late.

One question I do have, do you win money or something for collecting all the little men? There's surely got to be something in it ??

Still Game

I think about that with my 20 month old wee one. She will always know computers and iphones and everything electronic. It will be difficult for her to believe & imagine a world without them. I do enjoy technology (somewhat) myself. Can't understand a friend who buys every gadget going for her 2, 4 and 6 year old. They do play out side a lot however, they're addicted to technology already. A two year old with an ipod!! Lost it after three days....

Anyway, I'm not going to slate technology too much - after all, I wouldn't be chatting to you lovely folk without it!