Bring yourself back to 2016. Harambe memes are all over Instagram. We didn’t know what TikTok was yet. Pokémon Go was so popular that Hillary Clinton told us to “Pokémon Go to the polls.” Many people view Pokémon Go as a sign of the times, but it is more fun in 2022 than ever before. Here are the top 5 reasons you should redownload the game on your phone.
- Good Exercise
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Pokémon Go has maps that move in real-time with your avatar while you roam around campus. USF’s Tampa campus has plenty of virtual Pokémon gyms to battle other players for coins and pokéstops to spin for bonus items and XP. The app has a built-in step tracker called the Adventure Sync that even tracks the steps that you take while the app is closed. This feature allows you to not only track your exercise level but also collect candy to evolve your buddy Pokémon!
- See Your Favorite Pokémon IRL
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One of the main differences between Pokémon Go and the classic Pokémon games is the augmented reality aspect. The Pokémon have never felt so real. Your favorite Pokémon can appear anywhere you go– in your classroom, bedroom, and even your favorite restaurant!
- More Raid Options
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You can also use gyms to compete in raids with a group of friends to defeat a supercharged Pokémon. Pokémon Go raids help grow your friendship status with friends and potentially catch the Pokémon you battled against to add to your Pokédex. Since the start of the pandemic, Pokémon Go has added an extended distance to the gyms (you can join from farther away!) and rotates which Pokémon will be available to battle.
- More generations of Pokémon added to the app
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In the original 2016 game launch, only the original first generation of Pokémon had been added. There are now seven generations in Pokémon Go and many different shiny versions to catch! My favorite shiny is Zigzagoon. His original color palette is various shades of brown, but the shiny version has a white and pink body with bright blue eyes and tongue!
- More events
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Pokémon Go now has huge and exciting events regularly! The main event types are:
- Raid hours: all the local gyms feature the same raid and allow you to catch the Pokémon much easier than random chance.
- Community days: one Pokémon spawns everywhere and the likelihood of catching the shiny version is much higher than it normally would be.
- An Annual Pokémon Go Fest: involves multiple bonuses and challenges to level up, as well as opportunities to catch more Pokémon, and earn more stardust.
This November, a Community Day centered around Dratini, an adorable dragon Pokémon, will happen on November 5 from 2 PM to 5 PM local time. Be sure to join in on the fun and try to catch ‘em all!
