On 6th July, 2016 the new thunder of gaming industry was about to come and the name was Pokémon Go. Today’s millennials knows the happiness of Pokémon cartoon which gave them so much joy during childhood.

Idea of Pokémon Go Game

john hanke pokemon go

“It takes 20 years to make an overnight success” – John Hanke (Creator, Pokémon Go)

Each year on April fool’s day Google launches creative pranks to fool it’s users. If you go back in April, 2014 than you will remember that Google’s prank was in Pokémon challenge where they asked their users to go across the city on Google maps to capture Charizards & Pikachu. That prank looks so real that users were really hunting for Pokémons.

Google also released one video of Pokémon Challenge prank which looks so real that made plenty of users fool and it became successful prank. Check out video here.

Here, we can say that the Pokémon game idea was completely based on that April Fool Prank.

About Pokémon Go Game

Suddenly, teenagers have found a reason to come out of their homes and into the streets! Yes, we are talking about Pokémon Go! Most of the readers would already know the context of the above statement. However, it might also be interesting to know that the game has now become the biggest mobile game in the history of the United States! The popularity of Pokémon now rivals even Netflix. It has been just a week that the game has been released globally but it already has 21 million daily active users in the US – more than Twitter. At the current rate of growth, the game is expected to soon pass the popularity of Snapchat.

Currently the game is launched in few countries including USA, Canada and other 24 countries on Android Play store & iPhone App Store. The game is expected to launch in some more countries in upcoming month. The craze of this game is so high that people downloading the APK from 3rd party website like APKMirror and playing the game where it is still not launched.

pokemon usage time

In a recent Similarweb report which shows that users spend more time on Pokémon Go game than other social media apps like WhatsApp, Instagram and even Snapchat.

The game didn’t completed even full month since it’s launch ans is still worth over $3.5 billion. As per QZ report the game is earning around $1.6 millions per day from iOS in-app purchases in USA only. Now just think about the income of Android devices too once they launch it.

How to Play Game?
pokemon go image

Pokémon Go game actually came with new opportunity for other gaming industry who wants to enter in Augmented Reality sector. On the third day of its launch DigiFloor team members also installed this game on their android devices and experienced the childhood once again.

The idea of Pokémon Go is to allow players go around in the real world, chasing, hunting and capturing Pokémon characters. These pocket monsters (characters) will then be available to be trained and engaged in a battle to take control of a specific geographic location. A rough form of ‘augmented reality’, the game interestingly connects the real world with the virtual. A smart phone’s camera is used as a medium to layer digital content (Pokémon characters) in the real world.

If you just started the game on your device than below terms will surely helps you to understand more about the game.

Pokéstops – You will find many Pokéstops across your city which provides you the items that will help you to play the game.

Pokéballs – It will help you to catch the Pokémons

Incense & Lure Modules – Users can use lure modules to attract more Pokémons to your location to build strong team at the start of the game. Users can also buy Incense, Lure modules, Pokeballs and other stuffs from shop.

in app purchase items

Gyms – The gyms will be available after level 5 where battles between Pokémons played between players. You will find Gyms on main landmarks and some important places of the city.

There are plenty of other things in the game which you will understand better once you start playing it. Check Game trailer below.

How it helps businesses?

Well, it isn’t just gamers who are excited about Pokémon Go. Several industries, especially the hospitality industry is seeing the financial potential in the game. The game has several inherent features that make it a great value addition to a business. While Pokémon itself has a much loved cartoon character for decades, the game offers a compelling way to reconnect.

The craze of the game has risen to such an extent that players have now begun to roam the streets in search of their minions. They are toiling around parks, entering private properties – with their eyes glued to their smart screen! To chase down Pokémon, players are guided to in-game landmarks, popularly being referred to as the gyms or Pokéstops. The landmarks could be anywhere but this is where the developers aim to make money!

If your hotel or hospitality space is near a landmark, it vastly increases the chances of players coming around, chasing their minions. If there’s none, Niantic has already announced its work on ‘sponsored locations’ and other ‘in-game advertising’ that will give a reason to players to visit a location. It could be a cafeteria, a resort, a hotel or a travel destination. We already know that when people will come this far, they will also contribute to the economy!

To understand the nuances of economics involved in Pokémon Go, it is however necessary that you understand the game yourself or have someone play and understand it for you. You might also think about:

  • Encouraging players on reasonable playtimes and bring out necessary safety protocols. After all, you wouldn’t want someone tumble into your pool!
  • Create a map in your premises and educate the staff about the likely whereabouts of Pokéstops. They will in turn be able to advertise the information to guests.
  • Invest in a ‘Pokémon Lure’ to restrict the hunt to a certain area. This will also help increase the footfall of gamer – customer.
  • Encourage sharing your brand with a hash tag and spread the work about a friendly Pokémon space in your property!

Safety First

The addictive nature of the game has already raised concern about the safety and security of players. There have been reports of accidents and thefts, reasoned by the inattentiveness of players to their wider real-world surrounding. To create a positive experience in your premise, you need to:

  • Strike a balance between the privileges and privacy of players and non-players.
  • Restrict gamers to a public area and discourage any type of forced/unknowing intrusion.
  • Offer special promotions to encourage players to be at the bar, experience the spa and enjoy their room!

Pokémon works on GPS coordinates and doesn’t bring in elevation as a search facto. This ensures that the players will be restricted to the ground floor and not try to access higher floors.

For anyone who enters your property, guest or not, you always have the chance of creating a positive experience. This will lead to a better branding and promotion for your business, if not increase your profits substantially.

 

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Nitin is an iOS application developer with over 4.5 years of experience in developing native application for iPhone, iPad and iMac devices. He loves writing about Apple products and shares his views on different aspect of it.