‘It is addictive as much as it is boring’

I think that the greatest value of Pokémon Go has been to allow us to interact in a consistent way with the idea of augmented reality. One might think that I am referring to the in-game possibility of actually seeing the ‘mons on my screen.
That is not true. I am referring to the fact that now we cannot gaze at Castello Sforzesco’s facade without gazing at the Pokémon gym which stands in front of it (damned Valor team!).

We cannot walk along the street without thinking that at a crossroad there might be a spawn point that we may want to check. Or when a Snorlax appears in front of your house you might just lift your eyes from your phone and check yourself to see if the dream is actually true.

I think that the game might continue its evolution and increase its success. I personally think that it is addictive as much as it is boring. Nonetheless the game has made us consider and relate to reality as an accumulation of different layers, a mixture of consumerist visual enhancements that are inevitably deviating our attention towards the most important part of this pile, the base level: the reality itself.

Alessandro Sambini, 34-year-old proud team Instinct trainer (Sasasamb) level 22, living in Milan

‘Being part of a stampede that shut down traffic while chasing Snorlax was a great moment’

I still play daily, as I am very close to completing my Pokédex, mostly on the train or when I drive by a park that I know to be a nest. I miss the fever of the first month. I made a lot of acquaintances and I really enjoyed helping people find the ‘mons they were looking for.

I participated in a stampede that shut down some traffic while chasing Snorlax. That was a really great moment for me. It was like being at a concert or rave. People were mind-meltingly happy, literally crying about catching that damn Snorlax. I’m really looking forward to Gen II Pokémon and trading to be added. I think you will see another spike in popularity then, but not like that first month.

Justin Warner, 32-year-old, freelancer in food and full-time nerd, USA

‘The game enables me to forget the pain enough to walk for miles’

I play every day. I had hip replacement surgery about five years ago that left me unable to walk without a cane. So I had pretty much given up on walking for pleasure. But now I’m walking again (albeit still with a cane) while playing this silly game.

I tried walking while listening to music. No joy. I also tried while listening to audiobooks — also without success. But somehow the game enables me to forget the pain enough to keep walking for literally miles. I’d say I’m averaging about 4.5 miles a day. I’d recommend this game as a fitness app for old codgers — especially those in a bit of pain who have a hard time getting motivated to walk.

If you had told the sedentary me back in July that I would be walking up to 7.5 miles daily in September, I would have thought you were crazy. But Pokémon Go has enabled me to do just that.

Joseph Nelson, 69-year-old retired mainframe systems programmer living in Boston, Massachusetts

‘This game could keep me entertained for years’

I still feel as excited by Pokémon Go after three months as I did when it was first released. I am working towards completing my Pokédex, which is getting more difficult as the remaining Pokémon I need do not spawn near my home or work, resulting in nice Poké-trips with family and friends.

Once I have completed the Pokédex I will keep playing to get to a higher level and higher IVs for my Pokémon, and by then the next generation of Pokémon will be unleashed for me to catch! With so many Pokémon available this game could keep me entertained for years. If only they would fix the nearby feature!

Stephen Cameron, 26-year-old finance assistant from North Yorkshire

‘After the initial surge its popularity faded drastically and is now Pokémon No’

I don’t play it anymore - I’ve deleted the app. Initially, so many people I knew played it and it was easy to get excited about it. You would talk to strangers on the street while playing it. But after a while people got bored because it was basically just walking a lot to collect Pokémon, and after the update it would take a ridiculous amount of pokéballs to attempt to catch one Pokémon.

Also, after a while, it was just the same boring types of Pokémon everywhere. I found this annoying and it made the game cumbersome. After the initial surge its popularity faded drastically and is now Pokémon No. I didn’t even catch a single Pikachu 😪

Niamhalicious, 25-year-old living in the north east of England

‘I didn’t realise there was a blue plaque near my workplace before I played the game’

I still use it pretty much every day outside of work. A very nice bonus is that I have explored more of my local area. For example, there is a hidden blue plaque on a wall near my workplace, that is dedicated to an important English civil war battle. I would never have spotted if it wasn’t a stop site in the game. Even my local students had no idea that there was a historically significant site nearby.

One other benefit I have noticed was that at my wedding, it became an easy conversation starter for one of my autistic relatives, as seemingly everyone had the app and he finds it easier to talk to people if they have at least one thing in common with him.

Also, I have never paid for any extra features in the game, and the fact that I can just get on with it without having to fork out any costs is a huge bonus!

Anonymous, 25-year-old teacher from Burnley

‘I’m unsure if I will still give the same 300% effort I did during the summer days when autumn and winter come’

I started the game walking a lot to hatch the eggs, got addicted to walking and now walk more than 12 kms a day. I played only in my area which is the beach called Scheveningen but I was playing every night after work and for the whole day on weekends. The game has gotten slow for me now that I have completed my Pokédex, except of course for the legendaries and region-exclusive Pokémon.

Two weeks ago I visited Kijkduin and discovered that it is the Pokémon Mecca of the Netherlands. Even the rare ones that I only hatched in 10 km eggs show up in the lures. Over there, Pokémon are delivered on a silver platter. But I am proud for completing my Pokédex with hard work, searching for them and hatching them, rather than just sitting for long hours in Kijkduin.

We were blessed with an extended summer so people are still playing it. I’ve walked during very windy and stormy weather and even bought a rain cover for my phone. But I am unsure if I will still give the same 300% effort I did during the summer days when autumn and winter come. But who knows, maybe if Niantic releases the legendaries and 2nd generation Pokémon I might risk it.

LouiLauron, in her 50s and a level 32 trainer and Pokemon Queen living in the Netherlands

‘There isn’t really anything to do’

The novelty has worn off. Having to keep the app open and the screen on while on the move puts a dampener on things. Besides that, I had to walk a long way before I find any rare Pokémon.

Mostly, though, there isn’t really anything to do. It’s just a long grind with diminishing returns in terms of feeling accomplished. I forget I have the app installed most of the time.

Niall Telford, 22-year-old living in Yamagata, Japan

‘I wasn’t impressed at first but now I play for a couple of hours a day’

I heard about the manic game that took over the world and thought I would give it a try. I just wanted to see what was so different about this game and why people had gone crazy over it.

I was not impressed when I first tried it but over time I’ve grown addicted to the game. Now, a day doesn’t pass by without me playing for at least a couple of hours. I also enjoy playing it with my four-year-old son. We go out and play it together which is an amazing experience.

Mohamed Tammaa, 36-year-old banker from Cairo

‘It just gets too annoying as nothing progresses. I am over it’

Tiring. I used to enjoy that it encouraged me to walk more, but now I can no longer muster the enthusiasm to carry my phone permanently in my hand with Pokémon running to clock up the mileage.

It just gets too annoying as nothing progresses. They added a new feature; the Pokémon buddy. I had high hopes but the reality is it it rewards you with a single Pokémon candy for every 3 km walked with your buddy. To put this in context you often need 100 candies to evolve your Pokémon. That’s 300 km of walking to get any reward. I am over it.

Jack, 34-year-old technical architect from London