More Than Just A Game

It was a Saturday not like any other. I looked out my windows, feeling disheartened because of the tiny droplets of rain sliding down my windows and the grey blanket of cloud covering the morning sky. Why was I so bummed about it, you may ask? Could the freezing cold weather possibly be the cause of my sadness? Imagine yourself expecting something so much that you save a special date on the calendar for it, prepare everything in advance, and make sure nothing would keep you from having all the fun. But then the weather decides to remind you yourself how naive you are to think it ain’t gonna ruin your plan.

Before going to bed the night before, I had got my phone and portable 20800 mAh power bank fully charged, my water bottle filled to the brim and my Pokémon cap placed neatly on top of my backpack. That’s right. I was preparing for the grandest monthly event in Pokémon GO - the Community Day. It is an in-game event that lasts for three hours during which players, or more precisely trainers, can enjoy great bonuses and an increased spawn rate of the Pokémon of the month. But perhaps the most rewarding experience on a C-Day is the chance to hang out with your friends and meet people who share the same passion for those adorable pocket monsters. Not wanting to miss that chance, I was filled with determination and so I geared up and walked out the door to the train station. About thirty minutes later, I got off the train and was totally thrilled to find the clouds virtually gone. Without further ado, I headed straight to Töölö - the best area for catching Pokémon in Helsinki center according to a little local Pokémon trainer I met near the Oodi library. No sooner had I recovered from the shock of how many Pokéstops there were in Töölö than I got starstruck by the beauty of the National Museum of Finland bathed in warm, golden rays of light.

As a new student here in the city of Helsinki, I have been warned about how the low temperature and lack of sunlight can drastically drag one’s mood down. To me, taking vitamin D tablets regularly is one common way to fight against this “weather syndrome”, and playing Pokémon GO is another. The game gives me a reason to get up, get dressed, and go out. I am not and never will be a spoofer (frankly, spoofers are lazy cheaters who can never truly experience the joy of being a Pokémon trainer). As a trainer, you gotta “catch ‘em all” and see the world! The key is not getting to immersed in the augmented reality. And the game actually helps its players do that. For instance, when you want to battle a strong Pokémon in a raid battle, you need to look around to find people with whom you can defeat the raid boss. That day in Töölö, catching Pokémon had never been so challenging for me. I felt as though my hands were frozen and I had to shrink into my jacket like a baby turtle every time a spine-shivering breeze brushed past me. But on that same day, my heart melted when I saw families (even those with small babies), groups of school children, students, and elderly people, as well as young couples playing Pokémon GO and having fun. It reminded me of my home country and then I felt some inexplicable sense of belonging. Even in this foreign country, I can still find people who have the same interest as mine. We do not speak the same language, yet we know all the names of the Pokémons. No matter how old we are, we still go bananas when we catch a shiny Pokémon. Thanks to this game, I have got to meet and make friends with people from all corners of the world, from around Asia to Europe and South America.

It may be true that the hype for Pokémon GO has cooled down noticeably since its initial release three years ago, but that also means the ones who remain are true Pokémon fans. The world of Pokémon is just as diverse as our real world, and it is still expanding. Niantic Inc. is adding more Pokémons, creating new in-game events, and making good adjustments to the game play. For me, I will keep playing the game for as long as I can, trying to become the very best while making sure not to miss the beautiful sights during my Pokémon adventures.