If you haven’t yet heard of the Pokémon Go Phenomenon that is sweeping the world, then you were clearly celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary in McGregor with us this past week.

tbV alerted me to the fact that Pokémon was a big trend when we emerged from an amazing time away and after a short bit of research i quickly saw what all the fuss was about.

My response? To boldly go where only Dick Rowe has gone before.

Dick Rowe? Who is he? Exactly! He was the Decca music executive who famously turned down the Beatles [heard of them?] suggesting that  ‘guitar groups are on the way out.’

Dick Rowe Beatles

i decided to make a prediction on the Social Medias and get it in early, so that when i’m proved right [cough] it can be proven that i said this before there was any hint of it being true.

My prediction: that the sensation that is Pokémon Go right now will not last beyond three months. To be honest, three months is the extended version as i think three weeks for the majority of people will be the limit. Remember Angry Birds? Pouring bucketloads of ice water on your head in the name of charity? Cecil the lion? Exactly.

WHAT EXACTLY IS POKÉMON GO [sighed the old person]

Pokémon Go is basically a resurgence of the old Pokémon game that used to be a worldwide phenomenon, but with a twist. Described as a ‘free-to-play location-based augmented reality mobile game’ for IOS and Android devices, this game takes you outside the house with your phones, across the city [and hill and dale if you have those within easy access] to search for virtual creatures that you then attempt to catch [by throwing a Poké Ball at it, obviously!] . You can battle other players for control of Pokémon gyms and use in-game currency to level up your creatures and character. 

Pokémon Go, within just a few days, has apparently surpassed the number of daily users that the Twitterer has [no mean feat] and daily usage of the app on Android devices already exceeds that of Facebook, Snapchat, Tinder and Instagram. Let’s be honest, the numbers are mindboggling.

Am i suggesting Pokémon Go is a bad thing? Absolutely not. Well no worse than any of my time-using activities and Buzzfeed has compiled this list of ’26 Reasons Pokémon Go is Actually a Really, Really Good thing.’

Pokemon Go players

It’s getting people outside [especially good for those suffering from depression and social anxiety apparently] and bringing people together and introducing people to their neighbours and lots of fun stuff like that.

There has been some controversy linked to the game as well: Some road accidents have apparently been caused and some people have been very unhappy that sites such as cemeteries and memorials [like holocaust memorials in particular] have been used as sites for the game. There has also been a question of Pokéstops and gyms being more sparse in minority neighbourhoods in Americaland, because all Americaland needs right now is brand new ways to flaunt white privilege, right?

To be fair, i think too much of anything [any form of addiction] is a bad thing and so while the game itself may not be inherently good or bad, exactly how you choose to play it and what time you choose to invest will determine if for you it is a good or a bad thing…

But why risk being a Dick [Rowe] about it? 

Well, the difference with Pokémon Go is that it requires an intensive amount of resources in terms of time, energy and movement [and let’s be honest, if you’re wanting to seriously compete then using real money to buy in-game currency] and i don’t believe [for the majority of people] that that will be sustainable… Once the game starts interrupting ‘regular life’ as they know it [and once the initial world buzz flavour of the up-to-three months wears off] i think the majority of people are going to get bored and move on.

Will there be enough people continuing to play to sustain it? Absolutely. i don’t doubt that for a second. But i really believe the Twitterer and Facebook and Instagram will regain their lead in daily usage within the next 90 days.

So how about you? Are you playing? Are you tempted? Do you have any fun stories to share of your first few days into the game? You calling me a Nostradamus or a Dick Rowe on this one? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Am i right on this one? Maybe i am, maybe i’m not… i guess we’ll see in three months. Do i think i’m right? Absolutely and i will bet all my Pick ‘n Pay Stikeez [exactly!] to back this call. i think free-to-play location-based augmented reality mobile games are on the way out. Or something…

So what about you? Here to stay or short-lived trend? You have to go with one or the other.

After all, you can’t Pik-a-Chewse! [oh yes!]