Pokémon GO
To say Pokémon GO caused a global phenomenon would be an understatement.
Taking a concept first presented as an April Fools joke and making it a reality, the mobile game used AR technology to bring the monster catching of Pokémon into the real world.
Whether they were in sprawling cities or far-flung rural communities, players could open the game and see a slew of Pokémon up for grabs, capturing them with a Poké Ball so long as they had one on hand.
Needless to say, fans of the series flocked to it. But they weren’t the only ones: People around the world, newcomers and old fans who had drifted away from the mainline games alike, came together to go out and play the game together.
The result was, and still is, players being out and about playing together, sharing an experience in a way even multiplayer shooters and RPGs could never emulate.
Other titles have been released since which offer a similar experience, but Pokémon GO will always remain the unparalleled achievement that kicked off a phenomenon no one could have seen coming, and whose influences will be felt for decades to come.
