Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Pokémon GO: The Data Behind America’s Latest Obsession

similarweb.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

261–270 of 342 posts

Re: Pokémon GO: The Data Behind America’s Latest Obsession

#261

Post by theseoafs »

ythl wrote: post #235
burkaman wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't think including a brand that has been globally popular for 20 years changes anything?

I think the layman that is just jumping on the fad wagon will get bored of Pokemon Go within a month or two. The diehard Pokemon fans will continue playing, but I don't see how they can keep the hook in for long. It's like Pokemon Cards - they went from cards to practically currency back to cards within 6 months.

The older members of my family didn't collect Pokemon cards 15 years ago, but all of them are playing Pokemon Go right now.

Re: Pokémon GO: The Data Behind America’s Latest Obsession

#262

Post by krapp »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #136
krapp wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I'm so tired of people releasing utter crap and claiming it's OK to fix it later. You know what happens when you do that? Apparently what happens is your app becomes one of the most downloaded in history. The truth is, those "lazy developers" are right. They can release utter crap and fix it later. People will put up with it simply because of their emotional investment in the brand, and it will make money regardless…

Surely they can release and fix later because Nintendo (or whoever?) built up the Pokémon brand over time. They've built consumer trust but they can easily destroy that do the point that such moves will fail in the future.

I think the game would have to be unplayable for Niantic to really destroy their credibility, and it doesn't seem to be. Consumers have been trained by now to expect a poor initial offering from AAA publishers that might improve over time.

Re: Pokémon GO: The Data Behind America’s Latest Obsession

#263

Post by treehau5 »

wmccullough wrote: post #191
jolux wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes except almost nobody plays Ingress and this game hasn't been out a month and it's about to pass Twitter in popularity...

Pokemon popularity != Twitter popularity. You wouldn't go around comparing the popularity of Doom to Facebook right? This comparison needs to disappear.

We are comparing popularity of things people waste time on. In my eyes, they are all the same. It's the past-time market.

Re: Pokémon GO: The Data Behind America’s Latest Obsession

#264

Post by darklajid »

bognition wrote: post #219
Dylan16807 wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It verifies certs, it just doesn't pin them. So if you can hack your phone, you can hack it, shocker. Not a security flaw.

Curious why you don't think this is a security flaw. Surely a browser failing to pin certificates would be a bad thing, no?

There are legitimate reasons to extend the trusted root certificates (notably: corporate deployments). Admitted, I cannot come up with a reason that has anything to do with Pokemon, but - in general I think this should be possible.

Plus: Who do you want to protect and from whom? The only person able to make Pokemon Go (locally, on their phone) accept another certificate is by having full access to the phone in the first place. It's the user, 'hacking' his own device.

If this leads to exploits on the Pokemon Go server for some reason, than _those_ are the problems. The communication between app and Pokemon Go server uses TLS, even if I spoof a certificate for my very own device.

For me this is one of the examples of Raymond Chen's "If you're already on the other side of the hatch it isn't a security exploit", but I might absolutely fail to understand the risks of course.

Re: Pokémon GO: The Data Behind America’s Latest Obsession

#265

Post by donkeyd »

osi wrote: post #194
donkeyd wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to live by the same principles, viewing in-app-purchases as something that's always bad. I have now, though, decided that I will decide what value a game has to me and will probably spend that amount on in-app-purchases. If the game has purchases that I think are worth it though. In Pokemon Go i haven't found them worth it yet, but that may come later. Also, I think a game shouldn't impose too many boundaries…

free to play, with no gameplay restrictions is an excellent model. when you can then do IAP to get "extras", it's a great "pay what you feel it is worth" type model. another mobile game, Vainglory, does this with currency to unlock heros and skins. you can play the game to earn currency to get them, or just purchase outright.

Also works well in CS:GO. The skins add nothing to the actual game play, yet people like the value they add. Just a shame that it brings kids into a gambling state of mind. Would've been nicer if you could just buy them outright.

Re: Pokémon GO: The Data Behind America’s Latest Obsession

#266

Post by mikeash »

Erwin wrote: post #249
jmadsen wrote: post #107

Currently discussing with friends best way to crack it and make it seem like there's a rare pokemon just up ahead - for all those people who slowly clog up the sidewalks and stations staring at their phones. Ideas welcome! (For the official record, since you have to say this these days - I'm only joking)

The first pokecrime has already been committed -- criminals placed a "lure" in the middle of a night in a secluded space, and robbed teens that showed up there at 2am: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/07/10/four-suspects-...

Yesterday I was browsing pictures of huge groups of players staring at their phones in public areas and thought, wow, what a perfect opportunity for criminals to steal some phones.

I am totally not shocked at this news.

Re: Pokémon GO: The Data Behind America’s Latest Obsession

#267

Post by OneOneOneOne »

spaceisballer wrote: post #243
Sephiroth87 wrote: post #134

Just image if the game was actually good... It's kind of a shame :(

Kind of cool idea but I feel like they didn't do enough with it. Really it's walk around and collect Pokemon. But what kills me is to do anything in the game you have to go places. Which means if you live in an unpopulated area (or area where nobody played Ingress) there are no Gyms or other points of interest. So you literally can do nothing except have the game up and hope Pokemon pop up. You have to physically be…

Kind of bad for those in low population areas... but from Niantic's perspective they are going after a larger market.

Re: Pokémon GO: The Data Behind America’s Latest Obsession

#268

Post by pawn »

skilled wrote: post #112
NamTaf wrote: post #88

If Google had any sense, they would be throwing a tonne more at this. It may be Ingress with less features and a Pokemon skin but that latter part is exactly the mainstream appeal they need to make AR big. This is their big chance to create a new market. If they sort out the bugginess and roll out decent features in the next couple of months to keep retention, they're onto something big. At near-on midnight on Saturd…

I think that's a very short-sighted judgement to say that the game is nearing anywhere close to the level of games like Wow and CoD, and sadly -- it will never get there. There isn't very much flexibility that the game offers, and even it if will offer it in the future, the initial moon phase will be over by then. It's a nice example of launching a product and getting people to use it, but within a few weeks Pokemon…

I think that highly depends on what they do. In its current form, you're probably right. If they add the right features, I think it could be big. What are those features? I'd speculate that the big one is letting people battle each other with the pokemon they've collected. Also, let them trade pokemon with one another and get them building teams. Give people a reason to interact with one another using the app, and they'll start talking to each other in these strange places they keep congregating.

Re: Pokémon GO: The Data Behind America’s Latest Obsession

#269

Post by LyndsySimon »

dilap wrote: post #242
merb wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I will never buy any in App Coin, but I have a lot of consoles + games from nintendo. Even the 'New 3DS'.

why? do you also refuse to put quarters in arcade machines?

... not when I own the hardware :)

Re: Pokémon GO: The Data Behind America’s Latest Obsession

#270

Post by spike021 »

skc wrote: post #228

This game has all the makings of a fad. The AR angle is new but this is simply Flappy Birds all over again.

I don't think this will be a fad.

I've seen many people who are 'older' now get into playing Pokemon mostly because it strikes up the nostalgia factor. For many of us (people who experienced Pokemon in the '90s), being able to "become part of the world of Pokemon" was something that would have been quite awesome, and this game really allows that to become a thing.

Saying it's a fad like Flappy Birds is a gross oversimplification. Also, the key difference between FB and Pokemon Go is that FB is meant more as an arcade game you play in very short bursts. Pokemon Go, on the other hand, is meant to be walked around with where it becomes part of your regular activities.

Post reply on HN