Difference between revisions of "1705: Pokémon Go"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|A few remarks - I don't actually know anything about how Pokemon Go works. Details are needed for the uninformed (like me). New editor: Was GO released in all of North America, or just the US? [Another new editor: ''Unofficially'' it's playable everywhere (confirmed in Europe) as long as the app (.apk) is obtained from other sources.] Also, is this possibly a snub by Randall to the distractedness of GO players that Cueball takes his phone out AFTER seeing the Squirtle, when if the Squirtle was actually in the app Cueball shouldn't be able to see him in real life, yet he proceeds to try and capture the Squirtle anyway, and possibly another jab is that Randall has made a Squirtle toy, which some would consider more valuable than a Squirtle made of electrons? This would also benefit if someone could add hyperlinks to a Pokemon GO explanation and a link to the Generation One and Two games, possibly a false citation needed footnote for Pokemon being popular. Link to the Black Hat comic?}}
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{{incomplete|A few remarks - I don't actually know anything about how Pokémon Go works. Details are needed for the uninformed (like me). New editor: Was GO released in all of North America, or just the US? [Another new editor: ''Unofficially'' it's playable everywhere (confirmed in Europe) as long as the app (.apk) is obtained from other sources.] Also, is this possibly a snub by Randall to the distractedness of GO players that Cueball takes his phone out AFTER seeing the Squirtle, when if the Squirtle was actually in the app Cueball shouldn't be able to see him in real life, yet he proceeds to try and capture the Squirtle anyway, and possibly another jab is that Randall has made a Squirtle toy, which some would consider more valuable than a Squirtle made of electrons? This would also benefit if someone could add hyperlinks to a Pokémon GO explanation and a link to the Generation One and Two games, possibly a false citation needed footnote for Pokémon being popular. Link to the Black Hat comic?}}
  
{{w|Pokemon Go}} is an{{w|augmented reality}} (AR) smartphone game, where players walk around the real world trying to find and capture digital first-generation {{w|Pokemon}} (i.e. Pokemon from the first series of games released), then leveling them up and/or evolving them, and using them in battle, similar to the classic Pokemon games for handheld consoles. These Pokemons are randomly placed around the world in the AR format so that they can only be seen through the phone. [[Randall]] is playing a prank on all players happening upon his real Pokemon figures as they are so consumed with this new game that they assume that they are from the game, not realizing that they should not be able to see them before they take out their phones, and then after doing this wondering why their phone is having trouble loading them.
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{{w|Pokémon Go}} is an {{w|augmented reality}} (AR) smartphone game, where players walk around the real world trying to find and capture digital first-generation {{w|Pokémon}} (i.e. Pokémon from the first series of games released), then leveling them up and/or evolving them, and using them in battle, similar to the classic Pokémon games for handheld consoles. These Pokémons are randomly placed around the world in the AR format so that they can only be seen through the phone. [[Randall]] is playing a prank on all players happening upon his real Pokémon figures as they are so consumed with this new game that they assume that they are from the game, not realizing that they should not be able to see them before they take out their phones, and then after doing this wondering why their phone is having trouble loading them.
  
Due to the popularity of the Pokemon franchise, after Pokemon GO's release in America on July 6, 2016, many fans of the series have been walking around with their smartphones out to capture and battle Pokemon, sometimes looking very ridiculous in the process{{Citation needed}}.  
+
Due to the popularity of the Pokémon franchise, after Pokémon GO's release in America on July 6, 2016, many fans of the series have been walking around with their smartphones out to capture and battle Pokémon, sometimes looking very ridiculous in the process{{Citation needed}}.  
  
Randall jokes that he has replicated the AR properties of the Pokemon in the app (that is, when you encounter a Pokemon, it is a small computer-generated sprite placed over your phone's front camera image that moves about your screen, giving the appearance of a "real" Pokemon in front of you). Randall's real life plastic models of various Pokemon has been constructed so they would seem to fit on a smartphone screen due to perspective, he has embedded a {{w|gyroscope}} in them so they wobble about their base giving them the appearance of basic computer-created movement, and as a final touch he has added a subtle underlighting to give them a slightly computer-generated look compared to the real world around them. [Is this not also how they look on the screen of the real game?] These effects combined fools avid Pokemon GO players into taking out their smartphone to capture the Pokemon for their game, when in fact it is just a toy sitting in front of them, and they should have known this as mentioned above.
+
Randall jokes that he has replicated the AR properties of the Pokémon in the app (that is, when you encounter a Pokémon, it is a small computer-generated sprite placed over your phone's front camera image that moves about your screen, giving the appearance of a "real" Pokémon in front of you). Randall's real life plastic models of various Pokémon has been constructed so they would seem to fit on a smartphone screen due to perspective, he has embedded a {{w|gyroscope}} in them so they wobble about their base giving them the appearance of basic computer-created movement, and as a final touch he has added a subtle underlighting to give them a slightly computer-generated look compared to the real world around them. [Is this not also how they look on the screen of the real game?] These effects combined fools avid Pokémon GO players into taking out their smartphone to capture the Pokémon for their game, when in fact it is just a toy sitting in front of them, and they should have known this as mentioned above.
  
The suggested prank is harmless, but in Missouri armed criminals have taken advantage of the game's location sharing to lure unwitting players into secluded areas and rob them.  [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/10/pokemon-go-armed-robbers-dead-body]
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The suggested prank is harmless, but in Missouri armed criminals have taken advantage of the game's location sharing to lure unwitting players into secluded areas and rob them.  [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/10/Pokémon-go-armed-robbers-dead-body]
  
This comic is part of the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby series]]. In this case, the hobby is pranking players of Pokemon Go by replicating the appearance of the augmented reality mechanic.
+
This comic is part of the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby series]]. In this case, the hobby is pranking players of Pokémon Go by replicating the appearance of the augmented reality mechanic.
  
In the title text, Randall is still waiting for an update that allows capture of strangers' pets- besides the obvious, playing by the rules of Pokemon only wild Pokemon can be caught (not any with an owner). However, in the Pokemon Colosseum games, through the use of a specialized device the player steals from the villains, the player can capture other trainers' Pokemon. This is also a callback to an earlier strip wherein Black Hat wishes for a Pokeball that works on strangers' pets.
+
In the title text, Randall is still waiting for an update that allows capture of strangers' pets- besides the obvious, playing by the rules of Pokémon only wild Pokémon can be caught (not any with an owner). However, in the Pokémon Colosseum games, through the use of a specialized device the player steals from the villains, the player can capture other trainers' Pokémon. This is also a callback to an earlier strip wherein Black Hat wishes for a Pokéball that works on strangers' pets.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==

Revision as of 07:27, 11 July 2016

Pokémon Go
Still waiting for the Pokémon Go update that lets you capture strangers' pets.
Title text: Still waiting for the Pokémon Go update that lets you capture strangers' pets.

Explanation

Ambox notice.png This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: A few remarks - I don't actually know anything about how Pokémon Go works. Details are needed for the uninformed (like me). New editor: Was GO released in all of North America, or just the US? [Another new editor: Unofficially it's playable everywhere (confirmed in Europe) as long as the app (.apk) is obtained from other sources.] Also, is this possibly a snub by Randall to the distractedness of GO players that Cueball takes his phone out AFTER seeing the Squirtle, when if the Squirtle was actually in the app Cueball shouldn't be able to see him in real life, yet he proceeds to try and capture the Squirtle anyway, and possibly another jab is that Randall has made a Squirtle toy, which some would consider more valuable than a Squirtle made of electrons? This would also benefit if someone could add hyperlinks to a Pokémon GO explanation and a link to the Generation One and Two games, possibly a false citation needed footnote for Pokémon being popular. Link to the Black Hat comic?
If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.
Pokémon Go is an augmented reality (AR) smartphone game, where players walk around the real world trying to find and capture digital first-generation Pokémon (i.e. Pokémon from the first series of games released), then leveling them up and/or evolving them, and using them in battle, similar to the classic Pokémon games for handheld consoles. These Pokémons are randomly placed around the world in the AR format so that they can only be seen through the phone. Randall is playing a prank on all players happening upon his real Pokémon figures as they are so consumed with this new game that they assume that they are from the game, not realizing that they should not be able to see them before they take out their phones, and then after doing this wondering why their phone is having trouble loading them.

Due to the popularity of the Pokémon franchise, after Pokémon GO's release in America on July 6, 2016, many fans of the series have been walking around with their smartphones out to capture and battle Pokémon, sometimes looking very ridiculous in the process[citation needed].

Randall jokes that he has replicated the AR properties of the Pokémon in the app (that is, when you encounter a Pokémon, it is a small computer-generated sprite placed over your phone's front camera image that moves about your screen, giving the appearance of a "real" Pokémon in front of you). Randall's real life plastic models of various Pokémon has been constructed so they would seem to fit on a smartphone screen due to perspective, he has embedded a gyroscope in them so they wobble about their base giving them the appearance of basic computer-created movement, and as a final touch he has added a subtle underlighting to give them a slightly computer-generated look compared to the real world around them. [Is this not also how they look on the screen of the real game?] These effects combined fools avid Pokémon GO players into taking out their smartphone to capture the Pokémon for their game, when in fact it is just a toy sitting in front of them, and they should have known this as mentioned above.

The suggested prank is harmless, but in Missouri armed criminals have taken advantage of the game's location sharing to lure unwitting players into secluded areas and rob them. [1]

This comic is part of the My Hobby series. In this case, the hobby is pranking players of Pokémon Go by replicating the appearance of the augmented reality mechanic.

In the title text, Randall is still waiting for an update that allows capture of strangers' pets- besides the obvious, playing by the rules of Pokémon only wild Pokémon can be caught (not any with an owner). However, in the Pokémon Colosseum games, through the use of a specialized device the player steals from the villains, the player can capture other trainers' Pokémon. This is also a callback to an earlier strip wherein Black Hat wishes for a Pokéball that works on strangers' pets.

Transcript

[Cueball walks in to the frame from the left. On the sidewalk in front of him is a small Pokémon figure looking like a standing tortoise with a long tail. Lines around it indicate that it is moving forth and back (wobbling), and circle lines below indicate that there is light below it. The exact position of the Pokémon and these lines around it change through all four images, but stays almost in the same position.]
[Cueball takes out his smart phone and points it's camera at the Pokémon while looking at the screen.]
[Cueball shakes his smart phone violently up and down indicated with four to five gray drawings of his arm and phone below and above one solid black copy of the hand and phone. There are also two gray lines above and below the outer gray phones to indicate this shaking.]
[Cueball has lowered his smart phone and just stands there looking at the wobbling Pokémon.]
Cueball: ???
[Caption below the panel:]
My hobby: Building plastic Pokémon with subtle underlighting and a gyroscope to make them drift back and forth, then leaving them sitting around to mess with Pokémon Go players.


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Discussion

I think the pets in title text are meant as real life pets such as dogs - otherwise "pokémon" would probably be used, not "pets". 141.101.95.129 07:52, 11 July 2016 (UTC)

I downloaded it and pointed at my girlfriend's ass. There was a Poliwrath sitting on it glaring at me. 162.158.214.150

Limited edition Randall Pokemon?!?!? I gotta catch them all! 162.158.214.149 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Davidy22 is a nofunallowed and deletes the barrier that separates nonsensical shitposting from relevant discussion. Therefore: SHOULD DAVIDY22 BE SENTENCED TO LIFE IN DEATH? The rules are EZ. Either vote "Yes!" to make Davidy22 have to catch all the pokemon therefore sacrificing his life, or vote "I'm Stupid" if you're an asshole and nobody likes you and you don't want to see him punished. PROTIP! Deleting this means you're buttmad and you're literally worse than hitler. #legit #truefacts #NickRidgway #EndicaVII #TheDreamKing #DreamWithin 173.245.50.64

"I'm Stupid". Davidy²² performs a valuable volunteer service around here and we should be glad to have him. Jkshapiro (talk) 01:52, 12 July 2016 (UTC)
Boy, I didn't even leave for very long. Title was literally pointless, so I removed it. Avoid using headers like that, and I'm already playing pokemon go Davidy²²[talk] 03:18, 12 July 2016 (UTC)
I bet this person is mad that Pokemon GO is stealing potential sales from the game they totally discovered on accident, and definitely have no part in its development at all. 108.162.215.156 11:50, 12 July 2016 (UTC)

Now I don't play the game myself but I have doubts that the images are placed over the front camera image. Shouldn't it say rear camera image? Or are the Pokémon displayed next to your face? Tharkon (talk) 16:04, 12 July 2016 (UTC)

Just changed the word. Thanks for pointing it out. 108.162.215.156 04:54, 13 July 2016 (UTC)

Why isn't this explanation in the site's RSS feed? --173.245.50.60 22:29, 12 July 2016 (UTC)

Attempting to access this page with its full URL (https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1705:_Pokémon_Go) returns "No input file specified.", I'm guessing because of the special character in the title. In order to prevent that, one has to remove the title from the URL (https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1705). 162.158.103.52 06:52, 26 September 2020 (UTC)

Hold the fuck up. Pokemon go was released almost 5 years ago?! I remember when it was released Beanie (talk) 10:34, 5 May 2021 (UTC)