Pokémon Go is a free mobile app game that uses Google Maps and augmented reality (AR) to create the in-game environment. In it you catch Pokémon (pocket monsters), power the best ones up and use them to control ‘gyms’ and play against other players’ Pokémon, with the final goal of the highest XP and reaching level 50. (It was previously level 40 in 2019. The levels may increase again after writing.)
There are over 700 main Pokémon forms to collect, not including ‘shinies’, and additional forms of the same Pokémon. Every year a new group of 100+ Pokémon are added. The game is a digital insect-catcher app, as many of the Pokémon are based on insects. If you love collecting things, and don’t want to collect real insects, Pokémon Go is for you.
You enter the game, choose your avatar, clothes and team, get some basic information from a mostly static ‘Professor Willow’ then begin catching Pokémon and spinning disks. Both these generate XP. After a short time, you make it to level 5 and can access Gyms to fight for more digital prizes and the ability to add to your collection. XP is the main key. The more you earn, the quickly you level up. Each level up brings the player new challenges. Every 10 levels there may be new types of digital gifts. Levels 1 to 5 are essentially training levels and passing through these is pretty easy.
The introductory text is simple and has been written for children. It appears as a box at the bottom of the screen with Willow behind it making minor movements with his mouth closed. “Congratulations! You’ve caught your first Pokémon! You are such a talented Pokémon Trainer!”
The ‘story’ in the game is consistent. The creatures reflect other games and the original anime TV series, so fans are not upset at any minor cosmetic changes for mobile use. Having optional AR a player can include an element of realism, and as the game is using a map of the player’s ‘in real life’ (IRL) area, emotional immersion may be possible.
However, gameplay can be overwhelming for new players. Firstly, when a player signs up they are barraged by various notifications including permission requests, guides on how to use the game, requests for access to contact lists to add friends, information on digital items, and a research project introduced and guided by Professor Willow which teaches some of the main mechanics. The underlying structure of the app is to excite a player or pique their curiosity enough to find out more, encouraging them to tap on everything that moves for more information. These actions reveal more of the story.
A random tap might cause Professor Willow to appear to explain another aspect, as the player progresses through levels or research projects. Willow also appears during dated events to explain what is happening. The text dialogue is artificial, unengaging, and completely one-sided, so not much of an interactive narrative per se. Here’s an example: “Will you help me with my research?” (Tap to move to the next line) “That’s great!” While the text narrative can get quite creative, clicking through the pages without reading them has no effect on gameplay.
Tapping on a Gym for the first time brings Willow out again to tell you that story. “Looks like you’ve gained experience as a Pokémon trainer. You’re ready to participate in Pokémon battles! I have three excellent assistants…” The game will stop you doing whatever you’re doing and force you to choose a team, or other thing, even if you don’t want to. Once you choose a team, that team leader may also join the game to occasionally give you tips while fighting, revealing more of the stats and skills behind each Pokémon.
There is limited agency in the storyline of the game, and only recently did a dynamic nodal structure appear that had a choice of two types of clothing for an event Pikachu. Basically, the only real choices are ‘choose to catch or fight’ or ‘choose not to catch or fight’, though the game does encourage you to integrate it within your real life, so in that sense you create your own story with it.
So, the nature of the game is to lead you in a certain direction towards earning XP and spending money on digital items, and the narration or story is mainly there for new players who would like to enjoy some more mythos about particular Pokémon, but doesn’t have much of an impact on actual gameplay.