**Pokémon Go** is a mobile augmented reality (AR) game developed by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Released in 2016, it became a global sensation due to its unique blend of AR technology, geolocation, and the Pokémon franchise's widespread popularity. ### Key Features of Pokémon Go: 1. **Augmented Reality (AR)**: Pokémon Go uses AR technology to project virtual Pokémon into the real world through the camera of a smartphone. Players can see Pokémon as if they exist in their physical environment, making the game highly immersive. 2. **Geolocation**: The game utilizes GPS to track players' physical movements. Players must physically walk around their neighborhoods or cities to find, catch, and interact with Pokémon, visit PokéStops (for items), and participate in gym battles. 3. **Pokémon Collection and Combat**: The core gameplay involves catching Pokémon that appear in the player's real-world surroundings. Players can train, evolve, and use their Pokémon in gym battles, raids, and PvP (player vs. player) combat. 4. **Social Features**: Pokémon Go promotes interaction through raids, trading, and gym battles. Events like "Community Days" and "Go Fest" allow players to gather in specific locations and collaborate on challenges. The game encourages both local and global socialization. 5. **Real-World Integration**: Pokémon Go merges the physical and digital worlds, where environmental factors like weather, time of day, and location influence which Pokémon appear in specific areas. For instance, water-type Pokémon are more likely to appear near bodies of water. 6. **In-Game Events**: The game is regularly updated with special in-game events, including limited-time Pokémon, seasonal changes, and real-world collaborations, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging. --- ### Is Pokémon Go a Meta Game? A **Meta Game** typically refers to a game where players interact with or alter the game’s rules, content, or structure—allowing for emergent gameplay, user-driven experiences, or the creation of new game objectives. In this context, Pokémon Go isn’t typically classified as a Meta Game in the same sense as games like **Second Life** or **Minecraft**, where the gameplay centers around user-created content and the modification of the game world. However, Pokémon Go contains **meta-game-like elements** that give players room to engage with the game on a higher level: #### 1. **Player-Driven Goals**: - While Pokémon Go provides explicit goals like catching Pokémon and leveling up, many players set their own personal objectives. Some players aim to collect specific Pokémon, max out stats, or achieve particular milestones, and these objectives often go beyond the game’s built-in goals. This player-driven goal-setting can resemble elements of a Meta Game where players define their experience. #### 2. **Social Interaction and Cooperation**: - The game encourages real-world collaboration during events like raids, where players gather at specific locations to defeat powerful Pokémon. Although players do not directly alter the game’s rules, they do create communities, local strategies, and communication networks outside of the game to optimize their performance. This community-driven aspect adds a layer of social dynamics that could be considered "meta" gameplay, as the interaction among players enhances and shapes the overall experience. #### 3. **Real-World Exploration as a Game**: - In a way, the physical act of walking, exploring, and discovering new areas becomes part of the game itself. Players often devise strategies about the best locations to visit, optimal walking routes, or even the best times of day to play based on weather and location-specific Pokémon spawns. This turns real-world exploration into a meta-layer that extends beyond the virtual Pokémon world, as players must adapt their real-life behavior to the game’s rules. #### 4. **In-Game Economy and Resource Management**: - Pokémon Go has an economy based on in-game currency (PokéCoins) and item management. Players develop strategies for efficient resource use, raid participation, and gym battles, sometimes going beyond the game’s built-in systems. While not as expansive as a traditional Meta Game, this form of strategic depth gives the game a "meta" quality where decisions about resource management affect the long-term gameplay experience. #### 5. **Influence of Real-World Events on Gameplay**: - Niantic frequently runs real-world events (such as Pokémon Go Fest), and these events often have a physical location component. Players must travel to certain areas to participate fully. The interaction between real-world events and in-game actions can create a meta-layer where players plan trips and coordinate with others to optimize their experiences. --- ### Why Pokémon Go Is Not a Full Meta Game: Despite having some meta-game-like aspects, **Pokémon Go** is not a full-fledged Meta Game because: 1. **No Rule or World Modification by Players**: In a true Meta Game, players can create or modify game rules, content, and experiences (as in Minecraft or Second Life). In Pokémon Go, players cannot alter the fundamental mechanics, Pokémon spawn locations, or in-game rules. The gameplay is primarily designed and controlled by the developers, not the players. 2. **Structured Gameplay and Objectives**: Pokémon Go has well-defined rules, objectives, and gameplay loops that guide the player experience. Although there is freedom in how players approach these objectives, the game does not offer open-ended creativity or rule modification that defines many Meta Games. 3. **Limited Player-Created Content**: Unlike Meta Games that encourage player-generated content (such as creating new levels, designs, or games within the game), Pokémon Go’s world is static and controlled by Niantic. Players interact with an established environment rather than actively shaping it. --- ### Conclusion: **Pokémon Go** is not a traditional Meta Game because it lacks the core components of player-created content and rule modification that define Meta Games like **Second Life** or **Minecraft**. However, it includes some **meta-game-like elements**, such as player-driven objectives, real-world integration, and community collaboration, which create a more dynamic experience than typical mobile games. These elements give players some influence over how they engage with the game, but they do not transform Pokémon Go into a fully realized Meta Game. # References ```dataview Table title as Title, authors as Authors where contains(subject, "Pokémon Go") or contains(subject, "Meta Game") sort title, authors, modified ```