Pokemon Go on the Isle of Wight
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Pokemon Go: Isle of Wight! If you haven’t heard of it yet, you will

Simon Perry·

If you’re on Social media, you can’t help but have heard about Pokemon Go. If not, you will be.

It’s a game that isn’t even officially available in the UK yet, but it’s taken off like a rocket and frankly, people who have played it, won’t stop going on about it (us included!).

OK, lots of games become popular, but why are OnTheWight writing about Pokemon Go? Well, OnTheWight is and always has been driven by technology – it’s what enabled our site to start bringing news to the Isle of Wight (nearly) eleven years ago, without a printing press.

Pokemon Go marks a shift in technology – It’s a different type of game and is a signal for what the future will be like.

Played in the real world
Looking down towards Ventnor Haven - Pokemon GoWhat is different about Pokemon Go is that it’s played in the real world. Yes, you read that correctly – video game fans are being forced to venture away from the glow of the monitor and onto the streets. Shock, horror.

The surprising truth is that they’re loving it. Pokemon Go forces anyone who plays it have to walk between virtual markers placed in real world locations. It’s only by visiting many different locations do you end up gathering enough bonuses to get the best from the game.

So Pokemon Go is really defeating that old view that video games were only for couch-potatoes – you get a ton of exercise chasing your bonus points around the Island.

Augmented Reality
The second new thing about Pokemon Go is that it’s the first time a huge number of people have AR on the desk - Pokemon Gobecome actively involved with something called Augmented Reality.

AR as it’s often shortened to, means that the graphic elements of the game are overlaid into the real world by the screen on your mobile phone showing what you can see, with the graphics on top. (See the AR graphic I grabbed inside).

Augmented Reality is something you’re going to see a lot more of in the future – not just for games.

Isle of Wight
Well, the Isle of Wight has really taken to Pokemon Go too. As mentioned, it’s not available in the UK yet, but despite that, a (currently) Brading Roman Villa - Pokemon Gohardcore of Isle of Wighters have jumped through various hoops to make sure they could get it onto their phones, so they can start playing this little beauty early.

Once they have it, they’ve grabbed it with both hands and have been walking/running all over the Island to gather virtual bonuses.

They’ve formed themselves a fan site where playing tips are swapped, as are Isle of Wight locations where treasures have been found. There are even pages for the teams – Team Instinct, Team Valour and Team Mystic.

Tom Smith, who founded the Isle of Wight Pokémon Go Players fan page, told OnTheWight

I didn’t know it was going to take off so fast – only made it really for a few friends then it spread massively, just by word of mouth really.

It is amazing that it’s such a big group barely a week since it was available and even then you had to jump through hoops.

Everyone I have bumped into playing the game have been very friendly and excited! I can’t wait for the official release.

Tom raises a good point – There’s a social aspect to the game – a strong level of friendliness between players of the games when they come across each other.

The Island plays Pokemon Go
Below are a collection of the people that we found talking on Social Media around the Island of their experiences with playing Pokemon Go.

What’s next?
Well, if the rumours are correct, Nintendo is hurrying to officially bring the game out here in the UK. This isn’t hard to believe, as this single game is being credited with adding a whopping $9Bn dollars to Nintendo stock price in just two days.

Once it’s available to everyone, if the current trend is anything to go by, it’s going to be massive, so expect to see game players of all ages walking around the Isle of Wight earnestly looking at their mobile phones, trying to #CatchEmAll!

Isle of Wight + Pokemon Go + Social Media

This #PokemonGO malarkey is taking me to some truly awful places. #isleofwight

A photo posted by mattissotrendy (@mattissotrendy) on

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHt_7_1DGPx/

https://twitter.com/Philip471/status/751874484764893184

Article edit 7:15am 13 Jul 16: Added comments from Tom Smith and link to Team Valour (Thx Sam Callaway)
7:36am added link to Team Mystic too (Thx Sam again!)

Roadworks traffic light (Cowleaze)
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