What hath Nintendo wrought? The beauty of most video games is that they can be played while sitting relatively still in the privacy of one’s own home. For decades, the couch (or, failing that, comfy chair) has been the gamer’s natural habitat. Sure, there are occasional titles like Dance Dance Revolution and that Wii Fit nonsense that require the player to actually, like, do stuff, but those have been anomalies, exceptions to the rule. Now, however, there is the nightmare of Pokémon Go, the latest entry in a universally known, decades-old franchise. It’s not like gamers can avoid this “augmented reality” mobile game. It’s freaking Pokémon, for Christ’s sake, the series they’ve known since grade school. The trading cards, the movies, the animated series. Gamers are in too deep to get out now. So they’re dutifully downloading the app for Android and iOS and heading out into the dreaded and dreadful real world to hunt for whatever Pokémon might be out there. “Gotta catch ’em all!” is not just a slogan anymore; it’s a lifestyle choice.
So are gamers happy for the opportunities Pokémon Go has given them? If the tweets collected by Gizmodo’s Matt Novak are to be believed, many are not. Sore legs are a common complaint.
But others, while still complaining of soreness in the leg area, are acknowledging that the game is a decent workout.
My legs are actually sore from all the walking I did yesterday playing pokemon go…who needs a gym membership
— Erik Puterio (@Erok_Sway) July 9, 2016
I’d say today was a productive day. Walked for 2hrs, caught 20 something pokemon & ended up w/ sore legs&feet #PokemonGO
— Yuri Chang (@MissyYuri) July 8, 2016
Still others are taking time to bask in the wonders of technological progress.
And at least one gamer has learned the greatest lesson of all.
[via Gizmodo]