People who call 'Pokemon GO' a bad game are missing the point
By the standards of the regular Pokémon games that you can find on Nintendo's various GameBoy and DS systems, "Pokémon GO" ain't great. I'll admit that right now.
But gosh, that misses the point in a pretty profound way.
Even as someone with several significant issues with the game, I can't deny the effects it's had on my daily routine and everyone around me. "Pokémon GO" might not be a great Pokémon game, but it's a pretty remarkable use of the core tenants of Pokémon to get people moving and interacting with each other.
The main criticisms I've seen leveled towards "Pokémon GO" are all totally valid: The game doesn't explain itself very well, the servers aren't trustworthy, the combat is terrible, the game crashes too much - and did I mention the combat is terrible? The combat is nightmarishly bad, especially by the standards of other Pokémon games.
It also feels fairly hollow, as I feel like I'm collecting and powering up pocket monsters to no end. If I don't want to engage with the combat, why should I bother beefing up my Pidgeot? These are the questions I ask myself, as I obsessively leave the game running no matter where I am.
But here's the thing: None of that matters! It doesn't matter because "Pokémon GO" is getting people to leave their homes and go to places and see things they never would have otherwise. People are gathering around Pokéstops and exchanging friendly glances or even having conversations about their Pokémon hunting escapades, all because of a glorified GPS app.
It's been a very long time since a video game has dominated the broad cultural conversation for a week like "Pokémon GO" has. Local news networks are doing extended segments about it and FM radio DJs are cracking jokes about it between songs. It's fun to see people who normally have no interest in video games react to this, positively or negatively.
It's a fascinating social phenomenon, even if it's a flash in the pan and nobody cares by the end of July. It imparts an important lesson about video games: A game isn't good or bad based solely on the quality of its combat or upgrade mechanics or graphics. All of those things can be subpar, and a game can still be worthwhile if it has the right effect on those who play it.
In my mind, that's what defines "Pokémon GO." I wish it was a deeper experience, with more reasons to level up your Pokémon beyond battling for gym supremacy. I'm sure it eventually will be, even if I don't care about it by the time that happens. But right now, even as a barebones experience, I'm having more fun with it than I have with any of the core Pokémon games in the past decade.