The allure of Augmented Reality: Pokemon GO, Pikmin Bloom and the future of AR gaming

To say Pokemon GO was a huge success feels like an understatement. The game capitalized on the media and cultural juggernaut which is the Pokemon franchise. And soon upon release, Pokemon GO became a global sensation.

Yet, it was not like it came out to global acclaim. Rather, Pokemon GO found itself getting mixed and average reviews. There were many technical issues to contend with. Frequent crashes, gameplay glitches and the infamous “three-step glitch” marred the experience of many players.

But the game’s silver lining was in its simple approach to a beloved phenomenon and incorporation of the concept of augmented reality into it. Repeated updates have only polished the game further along with newer content.

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What is Pokemon GO?

Pokemon GO is Niantic’s 2016 AR mobile game. Niantic developed it in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokemon Company. The game was made available on iOS and Android. From the beginning, Pokemon GO was free-to-play with microtransactions possible for buying in-game currency.

Map (Image via Pokemon GO)

After the player has logged into Pokemon GO, they can create a unique avatar and join one of the three teams available in the game. Once complete, their avatar is dropped onto a virtual map based on the real-life location of the player.

Around the map, there are features such as PokeStops and Pokemon Gyms. Players can interact with them for rewards, battles, and completing objectives.

The primary objective of the game is to ‘catch em’all’ as the English slogan for the Pokemon franchise goes. With each update, more and more pokemon have been made available.

Seasonal events and daily objectives entice players to move around their locality to encounter newer Pokemon. With the availability of making connections with people around the world, the player is gifted with the option of sending gifts and trading Pokemon with their friends.

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How does Augmented Reality play into this?

Augmented Reality is an experience where objects or materials in the real world are superimposed or enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information, that affects multiple senses. AR mixes digital with a person's real world. It makes a person's surroundings interactive and imbued with virtual elements.

In 2020, Augmented reality technology has grown exponentially. Companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Facebook have invested in various applications using AR. It has also become a trend in shopping and retail like that of Lacoste and IKEA.

The smartphones in everybody’s hands can be turned into “magic windows”. They open up a gateway to a reality that is augmented - a mixed reality. Niantic captured this at the beginning with their game Ingress in 2013.

The game uses the GPS of mobile devices to pinpoint the location of the user in the real world. The virtual map is littered with “portals” and other points of interest that the players can interact with.

These points of interest are usually real-life features like statues, parks, monuments, outdoor murals, and community hubs. Any notable or semi-notable attraction around the locality can become an interactable feature.

Niantic used data from Ingress to populate locations with PokeStops and Gyms within Pokemon GO when it was released in 2016. Pokemon GO gave Niantic the opportunity to add its technology to an already beloved cultural artifact.

Recent articles from Springer and ScienceDirect explore the massive popularity of Pokemon GO and its use of Augmented Reality. The findings show that the very nature of AR exponentially increases the depth of immersion in the game.

The player gets to walk around the real world while collecting virtual rewards and achievements. Games like Pokemon GO or Harry Potter: Wizards Unite brings the mythical beings and places that people love into the real world. AR in these games achieves the dream of being in those fictional worlds.

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Pikmin Bloom and the future of AR

Pokemon GO’s massive revenue, recently surpassing $5 billion in lifetime revenue, and Guinness World Records has resulted in Niantic trying the same formula with other stories. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was published by them in collaboration with AT&T’s Warner Bros.

According to Niantic, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite’s goal was:

“to bring the magic of the wizarding world to life for millions of players as they stepped outside and explored their neighbourhoods.”

The latest official announcement has stated that the game will officially shut down in January next year.

Starting off (Image via Pikmin Bloom)

Niantic’s latest foray into the AR genre is Pikmin Bloom, made available on iOS and Android. The game has been released all over the world in the past week, with India getting its release on 4 November 2021.

As a game, it feels like a successor to Pokemon GO. There are little flower-headed blooming creatures that grow from seeds when the player walks a designated amount of steps, much like hatching eggs in Pokemon GO.

Seedlings (Image via Pikmin Bloom)

Planting (Image via Pikmin Bloom)

Red Pikmin (Image via Pikmin Bloom)

Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Pikmin, said of the game:

"All over our world, there are unusual creatures called Pikmin, and they are invisible to the naked eye. And now, using Pikmin Bloom and your smartphone, you'll be able to find them all over."

Similar to its predecessor, the game is designed to urge people to go outside and make it more enjoyable. Like Pokemon GO, it is sort of a gamified fitness experience. New places in the game either give nectar to feed the Pikmins for producing flowers or Pikmin-sprouting seeds. The flowers can then be planted in places on the map.

Flower Petals (Image via Pikmin Bloom)

With more and more acceptance of AR in other applications, in places like retail shopping or remote assistance, it is only a matter of time till more such games explore and push the boundary of the medium.

Niantic’s augmented reality games are a heavy dose of nostalgia. But it also pushes people to imagine their lived reality in different ways. It is where the familiar is imbued with the limitless possibilities of imagination.