Pokémon GO

First off, happy Father’s Day to the dads out there, and a happy summer solstice to all of you! Today I’ll be reviewing Pokémon GO, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a while.

When Pokémon GO first came out in 2016, it was a little bit like a Pokémon renaissance. It was everywhere—and everyone was doing it, not just long-time Pokémon fans. The game was a lot simpler then, but it was shiny and new, not to mention just plain fun.

Today in 2021, the game has grown a lot in terms of both the game’s features and the number of Pokémon added to the game.

Another big difference? If you ask them, almost everyone has something to complain about—and many do, loudly, on the Internet.

My take on Pokémon GO in 2021 is this: when you’ve had a game that’s grown as much and in as many directions as GO has, the level of critique the game has received is understandable, though still disappointing (people do have a tendency to be nastier on the Internet than they would be in real life).

I’m not saying that Pokémon GO is trying to do more than it’s capable of doing well, and I’m also not saying it doesn’t have flaws. What I am saying is that when assessing the game critically, it’s important to consider the current iteration of the game as a result of the way it’s grown over time.

The takeaway

No, Pokémon GO isn’t perfect. But, there’s still a lot of fun to be had with it, and a lot of different aspects of the game to explore. If you’re not satisfied with one aspect of the game, consider trying another to see if you might enjoy taking your gameplay in a different direction, or alternate between focusing on different aspects of the game (e.g. collecting Pokémon, raids, battling, AR photography, to name a few).

And if you really just can’t get no satisfaction from the game, no one (I hope) is forcing you to play it. Go find something you’ll enjoy more, rather than airing your negative opinions and demands for more or better features on Twitter. Positivity is a choice y’all.