Does Pokemon Go make you angry? Sad? Frustrated?

Several months ago I made a thread about Undertale and how people were hating on a game that lots of people were enjoying. They'd react negatively when they'd be encouraged to play and lashed out at the positivity the game created.

We now have Pokemon Go and it's become a cultural phenomenon. There are countless feel good stories surrounding the game and everyone seems to be having a good time. However, there are people that are bothered by the game's success and go out of there way to let others know what a terrible experience they should be having.

Is this a personality thing? Is it Pokemon fans that feel scorned by "their" franchise turning into something that casual people can enjoy? Is it the hipster mentality of hating on popular things? What can it be?

interesting..... I do enjoy explaining it to friends and family what it is and seeing them excited and loving the gimmick. But I do think, I would rather play a REAL Pokemon game instead, because I don't enjoy staring at an empty screen while walking 3 miles to a lure pokestop halfway across town.

I don't get it, so i guess it makes me a little bit confused and feeling out of touch.

It's a great concept and I'm extremely excited to witness and be a part of this game's zeitgeist, but the rampant technical issues and a pretty laughable artificial difficulty spike post-level 10 has me thinking I probably only have a few days left with it.

There are always people who get annoyed by whatever the pop culture phenomenon is at the moment.

For some it's because they are naturally contrarian, some just want some variety and are sick of overexposure of a single thing, some just jealous people enjoy something they cant for some reason, etc

There's a lot of reasons, some valid, some not.

I guess the thing to be aware of is popularity always brings some backlash, it's human nature

I don't hold this opinion but I suspect a lot of the people grumpy about the success of it are annoyed because they want games to be better but when something shallow like Pokemon Go is a huge success it tells developers "your games can be vapid so long as they have a popular brand stuck to it".

A similar thing I have felt was regarding Battlefront. I don't hate that lots of people bought and like it I hate that DICE was vindicated in that all you need is a big IP and shiny baubles to make a success.

Here in NYC it's sprung up like crazy. Go to any major landmark, Times Square, Madison Square Garden, etc and you're bound to find other people playing. It's definitely weird seeing all these people of different ages, races and genders staring at their phones and flicking their fingers. I think the cool thing about it is you can strike a conversation with a random stranger and talk with them about Pokemon. To put this in perspective, this is NOT normal NYC behavior. We usually don't talk to strangers (not saying Good Morning and stuff like that) unless it's asking for directions/help.

I think your experience may vary depending on where you live.

On the game side of things, I totally agree. It's not a real fun game to play, it's mostly just collecting Pokemon and going to various PokeStops. It's the equivalent of a clicker game except you have to physically move. My level is too low and I get whooped at any Gyms I try to fight in, but I'm not playing this game like crazy so that can also factor in. I'm hoping Niantic will update the game to include battling/trading with other players.

If Pokemon Go makes you any of those things you should probably take a step back and evaluate your current state of mind.

Alternatively, considering that just today on the local news there was a story about a guy who totaled his car playing it while driving, Pokemon Go makes me worried.

It makes me worried in general, in the sense that I keep hearing that people are having rather ironically unhealthy habits with regards to the game. But at the end of the day, those are their choices. Looking at it from a critical standpoint I can see that there is not much of a game here beyond the collection and repetition aspects, which pushes me away from engaging with it in the first place, and It's not really affecting me directly since my friends aren't playing it either, or if they are, they are not playing it when I'm with them. Because they are reasonable people and don't feel the need to always be playing a collection game :D So at the end of the day, let the people have their fun, for as long as it lasts.

It doooooes make me wonder, what if WWE made a similar game, except you were collecting wrestlers, then you would feed wrestlers to other wrestlers to make them more powerful. You would install your high powered wrestlers into your local Ring and...I need to make a few phone calls.

Can I be both angry that this game is as popular as it is while also playing it any chance I can get because I'm hooked on the concept? Perhaps that's irrational, but this thing took off really fast and so many people that I know are playing it and I'm being irrational in my anger, I suppose?

Anyway, play Undertale. You should all play Undertale.

Can't play it because I don't use mobile data. The idea of playing a DS version keeps coming to mind, but I end up saying "Eh, screw it."

Seeing other people play it is kind of amusing though. It's like playing 'spot the nerd'.

Nope. If anything it makes me happy. Walking around with a group of friends it seems like nearly everyone we pass we can have a conversational exchange with about the game. I spent the first half of the day on campus meeting people I never would have met if we weren't all out playing the game. Spent a couple hours just chilling and getting to know eachother while we waited for stuff we need to show up. And as icing on the cake it scratches that collect and repetition urge that I used to satisfy through Diablo 3.

I don't think it's accurate to say the people angry with the game are pokemon fans hating on casuals. I'm a pokemon fan, people i know enjoying the game are pokemon fans, and nearly every new person I'm meeting have been at one point or are pokemon fans. And we're certainly not mad that casuals are enjoying it. The sense of community around it is great. You can walk to a farming spot and sit down with people of varying backgrounds and just have an good time because you're all there to catch some pokemon. There will always be people who feel the need to let the world know that they don't like the thing everyone else likes even if it doesn't matter. That's pretty much humanity in a nutshell.

I can understand not enjoying it as a game. That's perfectly reasonable. As I told a friend of mine who was talking about how it didn't click with her like it is for everyone else, it takes a certain type of personality. If you're looking for a well developed game on the level of something you'd purchase from steam or the console stores and not just a collecting game, a fitness app, and an augmented reality turf war all in one then it probably won't resonate with you. Which is understandable and perfectly fine. However, the most important message, in my opinion, is if the game and people enjoying it are upsetting an individual then it may be time for that individual to take a look at his or her self and not the game. This applies to pretty much all anger directed at popular games.

I just wish I could go fifteen minutes without hearing about it.

I got Koffing, so I'm pretty happy. That's all the love and happiness I need in a beautiful purple ball.

And if you don't like hearing about it, unplug yourself from the internet and watch Netflix or something. It'll pass just like everything before it.

Angry... because I live in a city, and dealing with an influx of adults staring at their phones, walking slow, and blocking sidewalks to the point where I have to walk on the road is annoying.

If they left it to rural/suburban areas and parks, I wouldn't mind. But in a city, it is a nuisance and danger to everyone.

+ what @darkaileron said

Conflicted is a good word. The actual game part kind of sucks, but the novelty of it is super cool. People are enjoying it, people are getting out there, so I can't dislike it.

I've kept it installed just because it's occasionally fun to see what's out there. It's definitely a unique, awesome thing that seems like it's in its infancy. I heard Ingress got a ton of support, and with this taking off the way it has I'd expect the game to have some legs.

My girlfriend is getting excited about catching rare Pokemon and is thinking about buying a 3DS for sun/moon in November, so I think it's cool that this simple version can introduce people to the fun of catching Pokemon. I like the basic game and am having fun collecting Pokemon right now, but I find it difficult to care about the battle system at the moment. I'm anticipating improvements to battling, as well as the trading system and hopefully a better tracking system. The current way is too frustrating.

Edit: to better answer the question, people getting angry over someone else's enjoyment are curmudgeonly and lame.

I'm not upset by it, I tried it, and I just didn't get it. It's pretty boring.

The one thing I'm worried about is people doing stupid stuff like crashing cars while playing it, walking into streets without paying attention, etc. People are already Zombies with their phones.

It makes my feet sore.

I'm sick of hearing about Pokemon Go. Why exactly is this getting coverage on nearly every website that exists of the web. I haven't experienced it for myself due to it not being out here in the UK but it seems people are losing their minds over this app.

It's popular, so of course it's polarizing. Liking it and not liking it are both valid positions. I've been having a great time with it personally. There really is something to just collecting pokemon without all the other stuff in the mix. (I say that as someone who has played every main game in the series.)

Because it's become an almost ubiquitous (at least in the territories released so far) phenomenon in a very short time after its release. Pokemon Go is something built upon an existing IP which caries a lot of cache and nostalgia. There are a lot of existing fans that either play the games and/or watch the show to this day, and lapsed fans who remember how much fun they had with the games in the past. And unlike the games, which have slowly gotten more extensive over the years, Pokemon Go is very simple in presentation and design. Walk around town and catch pokemon. Although slightly more involved than that, it sticks with a rather simple idea. The fact that it only includes the Og 151 makes it even more nostalgia inducing for a lot of people.

Edit: Oh yeah, it makes me feel happy, but also frustrated because I keep running out of pokeballs and the opportunities I get to go to a pokestop are few and far between...

I think it's goddamn adorable. As long as everyone stays safe and manages to avoid getting robbed, have at it.

It's also kinda great to see another bonafide Pokemon phenomenon. I was fully a part of the first one (games, cards, show), so seeing people get excited over it again (and with the original Pokemon no less) tickles my nostalgia a bit.

So yeah, it makes me happy. Not all that interested in playing it though.

There's always going to be people who are annoyed at other people's happiness, for some reason.

It's a weird thing. If Pokemon Go makes you angry, sad, or frustrated, then I'm jealous because you obviously have been so privileged in your life to the point where you haven't had any worthwhile problems.

Not really. I'm disappointed that the Pokémon game they created on phones happens to be very little like the series I enjoy, but I have nothing against its success or the people that like it.

That said, it is irritating having all my feeds inundated with anything. I've had this over saturate my interest before it's even been released here in the UK.

I don't like it, but I don't like the majority of people and interacting with them. So, a game that pushes them out in public that glues their eyes to their phones, stealing a lot of their awareness, isn't something I'm fond of. With that being said, I went on a Pokemon Go rant tonight at an open mic and got a some decent laughs...so it has that going for it.

http://kotaku.com/cops-called-eggs-thrown-at-hundreds-of-pokemon-go-play-1783621904
No, i don't like Pokemon Go and what it's doing to people, also considering the wonderful creations happening constantly in this industry which get looked over in favor of marketed garbage like this.

I doubt a Korean release would change much around here. Smart phone ownership is at something like 88% of the population. Everyone's already constantly glued to their phones all the time anyway.

Or not...

It must be the hipster in them and maybe a natural reaction as well. I have never played a Pokémon game ever because of what I learned from it the game isn't something that appeals to me, but to the best of my knowledge I have never ripped the fan base for enjoying the game. Now to my reasoning on the hipster part; well, I noticed that many of my Facebook friends have been ripping the game and I know they never played it because some of them aren't even gamers, and the rest are casuals drooling over everything Call of Duty. I'm guessing it's just that natural reaction as well, since some people probably feel the game they're playing is "better" and should be more recognized. I noticed this in the people I know who despise Call of Duty as well. It would be nice for people to just sit back, enjoy what THEY like, and leave others to the things they enjoy.

I can see why it can be annoying for some, but I'm also fascinated by it on an experimental level. It's quite a novel idea; essentially a Pokemon MMO with a big-ass map, but if you get hit by someone on a bicycle in the game because you weren't looking, you lose real HP. But like most fads, it will fade away. I suspect that in 3-4 months you will rarely see a Pokemon Go player on the streets. So don't grouch and let yourself enjoy something while it's still around to be enjoyed.

No, this game makes me happy, and I'm happy so many people are enjoying it too.

This game also makes me get up and exercise, which I really need to, so I'm thankfully for that extra motivation.

Anyone who gets vocally upset when people are enjoying things they don't care about has something wrong with them on a psychological level. Maybe they had a rough childhood, maybe they have a rough adult life, I don't know, but it makes me not angry at people like that, it makes me truly sad for them, and I hope they have something in their life that makes them at least a little bit happy.

That is it. I don't hate the game and don't begrudge anyone for enjoying it. Hey have fun guys, no hard feelings on my part. It's just depressing that games like Bayonetta have a hard time finding a publisher while Pokemon Go becomes a "cultural phenomenon" thats all. Thats not Pokemon Go's fault, it's just the harsh reality of this industry that can sort of sting when it's put into the limelight like this.

None of the above, I just ignore it because the game itself doesn't seem that interesting. I'd rather play through Pokemon Red again then wander around aimlessly collecting Pokemon for collection sake.

The majority of people I see out playing are kids and 20 somethings, so I could see a very steep drop off come September when folks don't have unlimited free time during the day and schools will crack down hard on this which will further limit some folks potential playing time.

Pokemon Go doesn't work on my phone, so I'm feeling a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out). I'll be ok.

But Pokemon Go isn't a "traditional video game" so it doesn't make sense to compare it to something like Bayonetta. The point of the game is to literally go outside in the real world and explore. There's been so much pushback from people in traditional video games media. It's a bit sad to see Pokemon Go dismissed as "a stupid game with shallow gameplay" instead of the outdoor social thing that it is. You would think that "journalists" would put a bit more effort into understanding something they can't wrap their heads around.

I just can not, for the life of me, think of a scenario where I would be angry, sad or frustrated at Pokemon Go.

Seeing a guy in his 50s playing this on a bus journey weirded me out a bit. I know mobile gaming exists and, at some point I even participated in it but, man, it still seems like a novelty when someone's doing that in public. Its simple gambling concepts being brought to a mass device for free. I can't even be mad at it because gaming's arcade heyday was built upon the very concepts.

I've seen people on facebook pretty much calling people losers for playing it and constant quotes of "you don't have anything better to do with your time?" Best part is the people who are saying this are the people who spend hours every day sitting on facebook. People just like to choose something they don't understand or don't like and try to make themselves feel like they are above it.

@golguin: Whether it's a traditional video game or an un-traditional video game, at the end of the day it's still a game. It's not a social messaging app, it's not a photo app, it's an app that is meant to be played as a game with interesting GPS location hooks thrown into it just like Ingress was, which was also first and foremost a game.

Of course there is a huge difference between traditional triple A gaming and mobile gaming. I don't think "journalists" (although in this cause the game is so popular that some honest to God journalists are actually covering it) are touching on this fact because it's self evident. That doesn't change the fact that as much as a "non-game" game Pokemon Go is, it has made Nintendo oodles of money while other "games" struggle to break even. So it's like wow it's crazy that this thing is really hitting it out of the park when often times talented voice actors and animators and coders and a plethora of other really hard working industry folk slave away for 3 years on a project only to see it fail commercially even if the reviews are good and then their studio gets shut down.

Once again this isn't a slight towards Pokemon Go, it's just a really bleak look at the industry.

While being happy for all the people who are enjoying it, for me it's a matter of, hearing about something(as much as we're hearing about this game) that you can't get into because of all the stories of people starting conversations with strangers makes you a little bitter. The absolute last thing I want to do is have conversations with strangers(or anyone outside of about 5-10 people) so the fact that this game has people doing that has pretty much excluded me from even trying it. But like I said I'm happy that everyone else is able to enjoy this thing and keep my bitterness to myself and jokingly rant about it to my friends before saying that I'm glad it's around for the people who are enjoying it, I've certainly heard of a good amount of people who have trouble socializing but want to and this has helped them so that is genuinely awesome.

I will say that the game doesn't really make sense unless you properly go on a walk with it. You can often play some stuff indoors, but it doesn't really make sense unless you go out with it. It's gamifying life.

Not sure if Undertale and Pokemon Go are the best comparisons to make.

People playing Pokemon Go are just enjoying it. Sure, publishing some of their finds on social media but that's it. Most of the talk come from media outlets and other business trying to get views.

With Undertale it felt like every fan was going way out of their way to say how much they loved the game and how everyone should play it because it was underrated and kept flooding everything with fan-art and references.

But the comparison could work the other way as in, from what I've seen, with Pokemon Go there's people who enjoy it and carry on with their lives and people who have to tell that it's childish and it's not a real game and all the problems they can find; just like with Undertale you had people who didn't care about it and carried on and people who had to tell you how great it was and all the good things they could find.

Does Pokemon Go have some issues? Sure it has, but I really can't understand people who get so frustrated that a big group of other people are enjoying something and have to pick all the bad things they can find to prove their point. People who are so vocal against something like this and the arguments they're using, remind me of the 80s/90s when you had people on the news saying how bad videogames in general are.

I'm angry, sad, and frustrated that I keep getting Eevees out of 10km eggs. Mostly I'm just mildly amused at the crybabies who can't stand something they're not into being popular.

I loved pokemon red, blue was alright too. Everything after that just leaves me with a feeling of indifference. I'm never surprised that something simple and stupid (fun?) takes off.

crashes all the time on my iphone5, so i pretty much stopped playing.

Pokémon Go takes me to the absolute edge and never lets me go.

I will never play it, but I think it's cool that it has become such a phenomenon.

As an OG Pokemon fan, I fucking love not only that Pokemon Go is even a thing, but also it's popularity. It's fascinating in so many ways. Sure, like anything else, it inadvertently invites people to try and do stupid shit like rob others or whatever, but for the most part, I think it's a good thing. Before where I rarely saw people walking around my neighborhood, I see kids and adults out and about. Walking, talking, and catching some goddamn Pokemon. I think it's neat.

Personally, i don't play it much at all. I'll whip it out for a sec while walking to the store or something, but I'm pretty indifferent about it as something I myself could enjoy. That said, again, I still think the whole thing is super fascinating. When I was kid, if you had asked me if my favorite cartoon/video game would be the most popular thing in the world amongst all ages, I would have thought you were crazy...but, here we are. I want them to keep adding to it and give people reasons to socialize because if we're gonna stay glued to technology, I'd much rather that technology keep us physically active and interacting with people would probably never would have met sitting at home.

The one thing this has done for me is get me interested in traditional Pokemon games. I just preordered the fuck outta that special Sun/Moon combo Pimps Only edition thing.

Because sitting at home pressing buttons on a piece of plastic is much more high brow.

Ray of sunshine post right here.