Why You Should Try Pokemon GO

I love Pokemon GO. It’s most likely my most-played game these days, and I play it all the time with ease. Despite not being a massive Pokemon fan when it comes to the main series games, Pokemon GO satisfies the Pokemon desire to play, while doing so in a rather casual manner. Here are some reasons why I think you should try Pokemon GO.

It’s Pokemon

Frankly, the Pokemon IP is a massive part of why Niantic has been so successful. There’s so many Pokemon to collect, and with more constantly being released, it can be tough to try and catch up. But Pokemon GO allows you to collect a lot of Pokemon, AND most of them can be easily transferred to Pokemon Home, so you can use them in the main games. We even have features from other Pokemon games. You can gather energy to Mega Evolve Pokemon; there are research tasks that reward you with Legendary and Mythical Pokemon; you can rescue Shadow Pokemon and purify them; and you can also get unique Lucky Pokemon too, which are cheaper and easier to power up.

What is more interesting though is that getting shiny Pokemon is actually quite easy. Although new shiny releases are drip-fed, we have events like Community Days and research events that have much higher chances of getting a shiny. Compared to the main games, getting shinies in Pokemon GO is pretty simple. It’s all still luck, but at least in Pokemon GO, the lowest chance is 1/500, compared to the 1/8000 in some other Pokemon games.

You can play as casually as you like

There’s a little something for everyone. You can spend all your time catching wild Pokemon, or you can walk around and hatch eggs. Or you can fight in gyms for your team. How about raiding for Legendary Pokemon? All of these things are doable with time and patience.

We also have a PvP system that is… unique. It’s not turn-based like the main games, however, for a mobile game, it is pretty easy to get the hang of. But once you get the hang of it, it can be really rewarding (especially when it comes to stardust, what you use to power up Pokemon). The GO Battle League can be completely free to play, and it’s definitely improved over time.

It’s good exercise!

The best bit about Pokemon GO is that it does actually get up and make you go outside. I’m a fat person, but going out to play has helped me stay mobile and lose a little bit of weight. Sometimes the weather can get in the way of playing, but that mostly depends on location. Where I live, we get a lot of hot weather, so we have to be careful in the summer months. But I still continue to find ways to play. It normally involves putting on a lot of sunblock, wearing a hat and covering my shoulders. And drinking plenty of water.

Seriously though, Pokemon GO is good, gentle exercise, and you can decide how much you want to go out. Sure, it’s not the same as playing football or going to a (real life) gym, but some exercise is better than no exercise.

Don’t spend any money though

Despite everything I’ve just said, I don’t think it’s worth spending money on currently. At the very least, you don’t even need to spend money when you’re below level 20, you can just casually earn coins. Pokemon GO can actually be completely free to play, since you can earn the premium shop currency via gyms. At 50 coins maximum a day, it can be a bit of a grind. Just don’t put your Pokemon in too many gyms, in case they all get knocked out in one go.

But the best bit is that you can earn coins in the first place. Many games don’t allow you to earn premium currencies, but Pokemon GO does. The only problem is that some purchases, such as GO Fest tickets, do require real life money. But even then, most events still have free to play sections for everything else.

Overall, I’d recommend giving Pokemon GO a try. It is a pretty neat game. Might not be the right fit for everyone, but you never know until you try it.