When summer school was in session, RHS math teacher Mrs. Arnold noticed that her students were up to something odd. She even noticed that some teachers were off. The reason was Pokemon Go, an app that took the nation by storm, and was the talk of the summer. But, notice anyone talking about it lately? The app seems to have lost its touch. 

Senior Jake Komer acknowledges the hype that was Pokemon Go, but says that it is no longer as popular as it once was.

“People seem to not be into Pokemon Go as they used to be,” Komer said. “I used to play it but I stopped the week after it came out. The app used to be the most popular app of the summer but has fallen off of that height, [but] Pokemon Go had a huge impact on people, including adults. It got a lot of people to try an innovative game despite age barriers.”

Junior Stephanie Wong feels that the app was influential on the nation, and like Komer, that its time has passed.

“I feel like it was really popular in the beginning, because Pokemon is a classic [and] people were bandwagoned,” Wong said. “But it lost its popularity because new things are constantly coming out. It definitely got everyone hyped and excited, but it also made things more dangerous because people were constantly on their phones and not paying attention to their surroundings. It also got people to get on the go and actually go outside, [however].”

Freshman Aidan Phillips agrees with Wong and Komer the the app was popular and had a major impact on the country, and that it’s outdated.

“Pokemon Go was a fad. It’s still a moderately fun game, it’s just that people don’t play it much because it’s time has passed,” said Phillips. “[But] It had a pretty gigantic impact, I mean, people were falling off cliffs for this game! So yeah, it had a pretty big impact.”

Junior Theodore Kurokawa feels that, for a time, Pokemon Go was a game that took the world by storm, but it was also obsessive.

“Pokemon Go took the country by a storm. Everyone was out and playing it, from kids to adults. It brought everyone together,” said Kurokawa. “Unfortunately, people became far too obsessed with it, at times even dangerously so. It’s good to have everybody going outside, but when hordes of people on their phones start flooding streets and parks, it becomes overboard.”

Kurokawa adds, “Compared to the vast amount of people who played the game when it came out, only a small fraction remains. The majority, including myself, have simply lost interest in it.”

RHS math teacher Mrs. Theresa Arnold even commented on the initial impact of the app.

“This summer, when I taught summer school, everyone was playing, even teachers,” Arnold said. “People were pulling of to the side roads to catch Pokemon, it [can be] dangerous.”

Arnold does see at least one benefit that the app offers for people.

“The only thing I liked about the app is that it got kids up and moving,” Arnold said. “I don’t like where it always lead them, but for the most part [that] was good.”