Seven years after Pokemon sent thousands out into roads and parks, many are still GOing strong

Since he downloaded Pokemon Go, an augmented reality (AR) gaming app that became a world-wide sensation in 2016, Masataka has walked over 20,000 kilometers in search for his favourite pokemons. Wearing a Pikachu hat and a super cool look that is common to a lot of Pokemon Go players, Masataka casually wanders about different locations across Japan, trying to collect them all.

Last week, on August 5, Masataka was in Osaka. Just like thousands of other Pokemon Go fans and players, he had come to attend the Pokemon Go Fest 2023. The fest is an annual event where people gather in large numbers to hunt for their favourite pocket monsters, meet other players, trade with others, and a lot more. It is held in multiple locations across the world, and this year Osaka is one of the host cities.

On Saturday, I met Masataka in the Commemorative Expo Park in Osaka. While the fans and other players milled around, he sat wearing his Pikachu hat, probably wondering where he could catch his next pokemon. Masatak is not very conversant in English, but when the topic is his favourite pokemon, he was more than happy to make an effort.

"I like Pikachu the most and I have walked more than 20,000 kilometres while catching Pokemon through the game," he says, adding proudly that he is at level 47 and that this is his first Pokemon Go Fest experience.

Players from across the world

While the craze around Pokemon Go is no longer as buzzy as it was in 2016 when the game launched and suddenly turned everyone into pokemon hunters, the app still has a loyal fanbase that swears by the Pokemon Go experience. It is to keep this fanbase together, and to ensure that they are having a good time, Niantic organises the annual Pokemon Go fest.

The fest is something of a "must-attend" for the hardcore Go players. In fact, many cross nations and take hours long flights to meet their fellow Pokemon Go fans and play together.

One such player is Ian, who came from Barbados to Japan. The fest in Osaka was the fourth Pokemon Go fest that he was attending. "I was at the Pokemon Go Fest last year in Berlin, and the two festivals before that," says Ian. "I’ve been playing the game since 2016 and I am at level 46. Hopefully, I’ll level up before the end of the day."

Catching pokemons is good, but for Ian meeting new — and like-minded — people is another reason to visit the Osaka Pokemon Go Fest. "What I like the most about the game is that you get to meet people, travel, and it is lots of fun. I’m a people person so I love meeting new people through the game and exploring new places," he says.

Arthur, who has travelled all the way from New Zealand and who is searching for someone to trade four specific pokemons, can get behind the idea of exploring new places. He says that he will stay at home all day without this game. "It’s a very good excuse to exercise,” he says.

Arthur has been playing the game since 2016 and is currently on level 50. Unlike other video games or gaming apps, the AR and social nature of Pokemon Go means it encourages people to make more friends as they can form a team during raid battles and defeat a strong enemy together.

And Arthur says that he has met all his friends through the game. He adds, “It’s my first Go Fest and it is so cool. I meet an insane number of people through this game. I started playing the game as an 18-year-old and all of my friends (whom I met through the game) were 30 or 40 year olds. It brings people of different ages together."

People like Arthur are considered super experienced in the world of Pokemon Go. Niantic calls them trainers because they are adept at catching and training the cure and furry pokemons, the virtual and fantastical animals that hide in our real world. It is this nature of the game that made it such a big craze in 2016 and has since then attracted a loyal fanbase, particularly in countries like Japan where virtual animals like Pikachu and Bulbasaur are as common and real as your household cats and dogs.

Loyal fans and shiny monsters

Materus, a Swede who is living in Japan, is one such loyal player. He downloaded the game within a week of its release in the country and has been playing it ever since. He, at level 50, enjoys catching shinies (rare shiny pokemon) and collects them too.

“The game gives me motivation to walk. I also met a lot of friends through this game but I usually prefer catching shiny Pokemon alone,” he says.

Avram, from UAE but living in Japan, is attending the Pokemon Go Fest because the game helps him learn more about a city and places. He, too, has been playing the game since 2016 and absolutely loves its Pokestops feature. The feature tells a user basic history and information about the place where Pokestops have been created. A number of Pokemon Go players essentially use the feature not just to walk around a city but also learn about the places where they are walking.

"This is my first Go Fest. It is really fun and I am getting to know a lot of people from around the world. I also found people in my area so now I have people to talk about the game and hangout," says Avram. "When I am outside, it motivates me to go to different places. And with Pokestops, you learn a lot about places and what it means."

It’s around 4pm in the evening and the Commemorative Expo Park is teeming with trainers. A look around and while you see something is going on, you do not immediately notice that there are hundreds of people playing some phone on their mobile game. And this is where the true appeal of Pokemon Go lies.

Seven years after the game was launched, it continues to be the only video game that melds the real and virtual in a way that makes it bigger, more fun and more immersive than any stand-alone video game. I look around and I don’t see people staring into their screens, mashing buttons on their smartphone, killing or clubbing monsters. Instead, I see people who are talking to each other, trying to trade the virtual animals they have caught, I see them laughing and enjoying the air and sun that is filtering through clouds. I see people who are not just trying to catch their next pokemon but also trying to find a new friend. And they are all playing.