Some of my readers might be too young to remember Pokemania, when Pokemon was dominating pop culture and was literally everywhere. Pokemon toys in Burger King, Pokemon trading cards, Pokemon events in Toys-R-Us, the Pokemon movie opening to PACKED theaters, list goes on. Pokemania came in 1999, died out sometime around 2001. But now, thanks to Pokemon Go, the franchise is back again in the Mainstream Media. Question: is Pokemania back?
There is no question regarding the success of Pokemon Go; overnight, it quickly displaced Overwatch as one of the most talked about games in gaming culture. Pokemon Go has become a WORLDWIDE sensation, to the point that its servers are constantly crashing due to the high number of players it has. The game's not even a month old and already it's developing its own culture, born from the Pokemon culture that was already in place, and fed by newcomers of all walks of life.
But does that mean Pokemania is back? Will we see Pokemon dominate pop culture as it did back in 1999? We're already seeing Burger King bring back Pokemon specials (this time, making an order large free if you have a Pokemon Go account), and several businesses are seeing a boon thanks to Pokemon Go. And of course, Nintendo's stock practically doubled in value since the game launched! What we're seeing is Pokemon bringing in an insane amount of money in levels not seen since the original Pokemania.
Economically speaking, Pokemania is back. But culturally, is it back? I'd say it's still too early to tell. Cellphone games seldom get the fame or notoriety of their console or PC counterparts; you certainly won't ever see a Midnight Launch party for a phone based game like you'd see for, say, the latest Grand Theft Auto. To think that Pokemon Go will change that is wishful thinking.
And yet the game is one of the best selling apps ever. It's played worldwide, with several countries clamoring for their own servers. The game is a worldwide phenomenon, with several people downloading the game REGARDLESS if their country will have a server or not.
I don't think it an exaggeration to say that Pokemon Go is slowly bringing Pokemania back into the world. Who knows? This might be the birth of a bigger Pokemania than the one in 1999! I, for one, am looking forward to see what comes out of this!
This was my 200th post, written and published on my 30th birthday. What an accomplishment!
There is no question regarding the success of Pokemon Go; overnight, it quickly displaced Overwatch as one of the most talked about games in gaming culture. Pokemon Go has become a WORLDWIDE sensation, to the point that its servers are constantly crashing due to the high number of players it has. The game's not even a month old and already it's developing its own culture, born from the Pokemon culture that was already in place, and fed by newcomers of all walks of life.
But does that mean Pokemania is back? Will we see Pokemon dominate pop culture as it did back in 1999? We're already seeing Burger King bring back Pokemon specials (this time, making an order large free if you have a Pokemon Go account), and several businesses are seeing a boon thanks to Pokemon Go. And of course, Nintendo's stock practically doubled in value since the game launched! What we're seeing is Pokemon bringing in an insane amount of money in levels not seen since the original Pokemania.
Economically speaking, Pokemania is back. But culturally, is it back? I'd say it's still too early to tell. Cellphone games seldom get the fame or notoriety of their console or PC counterparts; you certainly won't ever see a Midnight Launch party for a phone based game like you'd see for, say, the latest Grand Theft Auto. To think that Pokemon Go will change that is wishful thinking.
And yet the game is one of the best selling apps ever. It's played worldwide, with several countries clamoring for their own servers. The game is a worldwide phenomenon, with several people downloading the game REGARDLESS if their country will have a server or not.
I don't think it an exaggeration to say that Pokemon Go is slowly bringing Pokemania back into the world. Who knows? This might be the birth of a bigger Pokemania than the one in 1999! I, for one, am looking forward to see what comes out of this!
This was my 200th post, written and published on my 30th birthday. What an accomplishment!
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