Imagen de uno de los pokemones
The free smartphone game Pokémon Go has gone viral. This platform is one of the first apps using augmented reality with massive results. Thousands of people around the world are on the streets with their smartphones capturing Pokémons and testing a tool that could determine the future of advertising. Brands and advertisers are already searching for ways to take advantage of this pop culture phenomenon. According to a New York Times’ article, this combination of ordinary technologies -location tracking and cameras- have encouraged people to visit parks and public landmarks, such as the White Hose and the Pentagon which have been designated official Pokémon gyms. A bar in Harrisonburg, Va., offers 10% discount to Pokémon Go players. A tea shop in Japantown in San Francisco is giving for free the second order of tea to those capturing Pokémons. Different professional branches have tried to implement this technology without much success. For instance, architects have attempted to visualize finished building projects in situ, but the Japanese cartoon franchise has been the only one in achieving this. Jan Dawson, a Technology Analyst at Jackdaw Research, said Pokémon Go’s success was crucial for augmented reality, mainly because it doesn’t require expensive extra equipment like a headset, which virtual reality games often need.