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coggerin
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

Pokémon Go is HOT!

Saturday, while shopping for football cleats for my son, we ran into some other kids we knew. They were, as with most kids, walking around looking at their phones. But, this time, it was different. They were actually playing a game called, “Pokémon Go”. We talked for a moment and then my son and I went to lunch. Over lunch, he told me about the game.

Interestingly enough, I heard Nintendo stock went up 33% related to the release of this game. I’m not surprised. It’s innovative and exciting – disruptive even. CNET and other tech news sources are writing about it, “a certified hit. What's Nintendo's next play?” Let’s take a look at this game and I’ll take a shot at where Nintendo could go next.

A technical look

Given that I am currently working in and around Cisco’s Digital Network Architecture, DNA, the idea of a game application that used location services was right up my alley. Especially, when the kids told me that this was the hottest thing going on the market! So, I downloaded it, played it, and started dreaming.

One great thing about this new game is that our kids are going to get some exercise. Yes, they will be walking around, outdoors to find get the points. What a great idea. Pokemon Go is putting exercise into smart phone video gaming. I love it. If you ever did geo-caching with a GPS, imagine this as a virtual geo-caching game or perhaps a virtual scavenger hunt – with a points system and some other fun features.

I wondered how it would work indoors. And, as I suspected, it left a fair bit to be desired when trying to play the game indoors. GPS just can’t do indoor location services as accurate as a game like this really needs. I stood close enough to touch things and was still “too far away” to get the points. Below is a picture of doing that once…where I could literally reach out and touch the exhibit, but Pokemon Go thought I was too far away.

p1.png

Possibilities

Having played the game for a little bit, and being the kind of person that likes to dream in this world of disruptive applications, I have some thoughts about where this game could go next. Nintendo should add Indoor Location Services to the app and build an ecosystem of participating partners. Enter Cisco Connected Mobile Experience (CMX).  For more information about CMX, check it out on Cisco DevNet.

Imagine a store (or any venue) as, “Pokémon Go Ready”. Nintendo works with the story to make sure that people playing the game in the store connect to the store’s Wi-Fi. Then, they the game is empowered with accurate, indoor location services. This goes hand in hand with digital innovation at most venues where people go anyway. Say good-bye to the one detractor I found for the game. And say hello to additional monetization for Nintendo and the venue!

Imagine Pokémon characters and prizes strategically placed around the venue. Imagine the Pokémon sword fighter in front of a sword display. Imagine a Pokémon candy character in front of the candy display. I think this is a very real possibility and I think it would make the game even better.

Moving Forward

In this blog, I’m just dreaming a little bit. I’m seeing a connection between business software and gaming software. I’m seeing that we could use the latest technology from Cisco, combined with the innovative ideas from Nintendo to make things even more fun!

Dream on technical people – change the world!

Thanks for reading,

@coggerin

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