SBox Stories: One Year with Pokemon GO

On July 6, 2016, players from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States first got their hands on the popular AR game, Pokemon GO. A venture between Google, Niantic, and Nintendo which used scraps from a similar Niantic title called Ingress, Pokemon GO would quickly go from a nifty little idea to an overnight global phenomenon. It’s hard to even fathom that the rise of Pokemon GO was a whole 12 months ago, but time sure does fly when your trespassing on someone’s backyard trying to catch a Squirtle.

I’ve been playing the game since the day it came out in America and am still a semi-active player of the game to this day. I’ve had some fun, witnessed the game’s many ups and downs, and engaged in general tomfoolery with the game from the very beginning. In honor of the occasion, I thought I’d walk you through my personal experience of playing the game the passed 365 days. At the same time, I’ll share my thoughts on the state of the game right now and what I think about the game’s future.

My Top 5 Ideas for New Pokemon GO Features

The time has finally come for me to discuss everybody’s newest obsession, Pokemon GO. Can you guys believe a whole month and change has passed since the game was first released for iPhone and Android devices? New territories are still being introduced to the game for the first time, while those who’ve had the game for a while continue to discover what it means to be the very best like no one ever was. Players have been traveling across the land, searching far and wide for their next big catch. And I know it’s our destiny to become real Pokemon masters.

Aren’t my puns super effective?… No? Okay, I’ll stop.

I’ve been playing Pokemon GO since the game first came to the United States, and since then I’ve played the game at least once a day. I’m currently a Level 18 member of Team Valor, who has registered 73 Pokemon to the Pokedex so far. (I’ll be Level 20 after evolving everything with the Lucky Egg). As a casual player of Pokemon games and former viewer of the anime, I took to the game’s nostalgic vibe and collectible aspect. It’s an excellently fun game. Though I think everyone agrees it can be better.

I came up with five new features that I think can make this game even better.