WHY POKÉMON GO IS THE BEST GAME TO PLAY DURING LOCKDOWN
Posted by melaniejayneashford
If you’re a Pokémon fan, you’ve certainly already heard of the AR mobile game, Pokémon GO. It’s no surprise that millions of people have loaded it up during the pandemic, either. Pokémon GO encourages you to get outdoors and exercise, making it the perfect game for your smartphone during lockdown. Let’s take a closer look at why.
IT’S AN OUTDOOR GAME THAT IS PLAYABLE INDOORS
The great thing about Pokémon GO is that it revolves around walking and visiting Pokéstops, which are outside. This is brilliant right now, as it gets you out for a walk if you otherwise wouldn’t have gone. It spares you another day spent staring at your walls. Again. It works well with the ‘exercise only’ rules that some countries are under.
However, there are lots of countries where you can’t even set foot outside your home, and what if you’re quarantined or shielding? Well, as long as you were pretty stocked up on Pokéballs to start with, you can still catch Pokémon in your home. (I caught a Skitty in my bathroom, and I’m fairly sure my cat hates me now). The problem lies in not being able to hatch eggs because you can’t go for a walk and not being to access Pokéstops for items you need. Although if you have friends who’ll send you gifts, you can acquire Pokéballs that way.
Image Credit: GameWith
THE POKÉMON GO DEVS ARE AWESOME AT ADAPTING TO THE PANDEMIC
At first, nothing was accessible unless you could go for a walk, and even then, you were restricted to whatever route you happened to have access to. In my case, my ‘one form of exercise a day’ had to be taking the dog out, and there’s only so far I can take her at the moment. I was finding myself stuck with one or two Pokéstops a day, and no Gyms or raids. But I still considered myself lucky, because at least I could get to some Pokéstops and hatch my eggs. There are plenty of people who can no longer play the game they love because of the pandemic.
Since then, the devs have rolled out remote raid passes, and they are currently working on remote Gym access too. There isn’t another game out there with this kind of response from its devs. It’s fantastic!
Image Credit: Pokémon GO Hub
POKÉMON GO IS ALMOST FULLY PLAYABLE WITHOUT SPENDING A DIME
I’ve been playing Pokémon GO for five or six weeks now, and despite never being able to access a Gym, I haven’t had to spend any real money. I’ve come close — finding my way around the Pokéstops was needlessly complicated, and without any Pokéballs at the start, I was miserable. Look, there’s a Chansey! Oh, yeah. But when I did figure them out, I got a steady supply of everything I needed, except coins. You can buy Pokéballs for coins, or real money, both of which are an option if you can’t get out. You can get free coins at Gyms, but your Pokémon would have to already be in one if you can’t get to one now. Hopefully, this will change soon, though!
NO COINS? NO PROBLEM!
To this day, I have never had a single coin in my account, but I can do pretty much everything. I’m never short on Pokéballs, treats, eggs, or anything else. I miss out on those remote raids because the passes cost coins and don’t seem to appear anywhere else. But it’s just a matter of waiting for them to release remote Gym passes. The game is very playable and enjoyable, and a great companion for walks during lockdown. If you’re struggling for items, sign up to the PoGo Trainer Club to get some friends who can send you gifts.
To sum up, Pokémon GO is the best (and cheapest) game to play during lockdown because of the outdoor (and indoor) capability, the fantastic response from its developers, and the excellent ability to play without spending money.