Episode: 4665
Title: Pokémon GO
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr4665/hpr4665.mp3
Transcribed: 2026-07-31 16:16:13 (official HPR transcript)

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This is Hacker Public Radio Episode 4665, for 2026-06-19
Today's show is entitled, "Pokémon GO"
The host is Lee and the duration is 00:13:16
The flag is Clean, and the license is CC-BY-SA
The summary is "Benno talks to Lee about an augmented reality mobile game"
Hi, this is Lee, and today finally I'm with Ben A, who I Ben A?
Hi, Lee, how are you doing? Are you good?
We're out in the nature reserve called How Hill, and I think today we'll get a talk
a bit about Pokemon Go, let me stop asking you this Ben A, how long have you been playing Pokemon
Go?
Well, that was a good question, I don't know, a few years ago, yeah, I start playing in 2016, I guess,
when I was a bit hit, because my in-fuse and my niece, gold and 2016, I already met him.
Well, they were much younger now, my niece is now a celebrity, so he was 20, so he was all-est,
and then I played it, yeah, also because I, yeah, what I liked about it, because you
really have to go out and go places, and I had been living in 2016, yeah, for quite a while actually,
but yeah, it really gives you good opportunity to go places, right, so, and then I played it for
2016, 2017, yeah, and I think even 2018 maybe, so that's been all we met before we met,
so that I'm actually quite surprised, because I don't remember mentioning it before about a year or so, okay,
is it before we met? Yeah, we met actually then, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, actually,
because yeah, it also saved, and then every time you catch a Pokemon, it's, yeah, there's
you even the location and the date, yeah, so has it evolved since you started playing it? Yeah,
no, massively, massively, so it'll be nice, because I probably stopped, yeah, I don't have
anything to do with it, so I think I stopped playing in 2019, and yeah, but I think you would
be in on the walking craze, you like to count on your steps, and then at some point, that
seemed to transition into playing bike. Yeah, well, actually, actually, well, so I've actually,
because I played Pokemon before that, yeah, so, and yeah, that is actually nice, yeah, the steps,
oh, that was the 10,000 steps, yeah, that was because of my work, specifically, yeah, because
you're a support worker, you're taking clients, so, yeah, and then I got a bit or not really
obsessed with that another step, yeah, and then I should have actually played Pokemon more,
imagine, yeah, but I never, I never did, and then I never even thought about it, so it was only
last October, I think, yeah, then I went back to Holland, that nice nephew, yeah, he started playing
it again, and then I also opened it up, and then right now it has massively changed, really, so
and it has been much more engaging, and there's so many more features, and yeah, this is also
so many more, because yeah, what is the goal of the game, what is the end game, and nobody can tell,
and the catchphrase, of course, you have to catch them all, but yeah, so now you can focus either
or yeah, or you can do all, but yeah, some people are really trying to find something,
but there's many different kinds, as they can, some people trying to get points, yeah, yeah,
you know, because now what really may open up and what I really like, you can now pee, pee,
play your first player, so now you can really use your Pokemon, and battle, and the
something about this is, I think, if you remember the Tamagotchi, yeah, a lot, it feels a little bit
like that, right, once you start playing, then he really get to know the Pokemon, that abilities,
and then it gets more fun actually, yeah, so could we step back a bit, what the hell actually
is a Pokemon in the story? I'll go to question, I mean, it started on Japan, I think now
exactly, I've heard of Pikachu, exactly 30 years ago, did I guess, for now, not a bit longer,
and then what was the card game, yeah, card game, and then, because, yeah, actually,
also we didn't bought a few cards, and it's a big rage, and now the thing is, also it was on YouTube,
because it was very popular for a little while, and then, in the 2000s, you could buy
set, and it was worth nothing, and those same sets now ridiculous amounts seriously, and it will
collapse most certainly again, and I'll go up it, yeah, just like the stamp collection or whatever,
but, so I'm not that, yeah, I'm not in it for the money, but I still haven't played the Pokemon card game,
but I did buy a set, I really would like to play the card game as well, yeah, eventually,
but okay, I'm just now focusing on that Pokemon goal itself, yeah, and so, what I gather,
the actual gameplay is you'll walk around and you'll discover things in the physical world,
that geo-located in the physical world, that also in the virtual world, and then you all have a
little tournament or competition, just to try and beat the other monster, and then, if you beat it,
then it gets added to your collection, is that the general, the main mechanic of it?
Yeah, they're just spawn, and in the world, and they're the game itself, that is separate,
and actually, but I also saw now, because for augmented reality, you now have classes,
that you can also play with, they are now still, they're like 200k, yeah, and of course,
you can also do it on your phone, but yeah, then, it would be even more engaging here,
we're sitting in this open nature reserve, in your in South London, in Surrey, and there's no
one around, and presumably, if you switch on your app, and you look to around, you see monsters,
like wandering around or just floating around, that you'd be able to
answer, and answer, and answer, well, they're literally animals,
cute little creatures, I think monsters, generic terms, from role playing.
Yeah, but unfortunately, I did mean my chartch, that was on, but yeah,
but when you don't have to play with augmented reality, you don't do use your own
camera, you can just play it on fire, yeah, yeah, that's in general, you can't play that, yeah,
I mean, because that, to me, the augmented reality is a little bit of a gimmick,
It's not really same but also they have also integrated that much more in the game now
Right because if you do augmented reality then you can feed them berries and then you can get the gift on them or
a try to encourage you to do that right the main sequence of the game is you have this red and white ball
And you fruit you twirl it and you throw it you know using a motion on your finger on them
My well-fine and it goes and hits the monster and
There's not just a wet and white ball, but okay, yeah, so you have the wet and white balls those are the basic balls
Yeah, then you have to blue and white that's a little bit better and then you have to yellow ones and then a special tournaments
You have even better balls as well and then also you can feed them a raspberry and or a pineapple
So raspberry makes easy to catch and our pineapple kiss you extra points
So that what you call modifiers they influence the success of your
Yeah, so I have to make an extra choice. Yeah, if you if you've got a use dose or not
Yeah, well, they might make it more rewarding if you win or that kind of thing
Yeah, yeah, yeah, so in advance you have them then you also have the gyms the gyms are also very important
So the gyms are certain places there are a bit sparse but that they're here and there
And when you go to them you can either leave a monster behind or you can well you have to conquer the gyms
Yeah, so you have three different teams. Yeah, they are ready yellow and blue
So yeah, you can put six in and in the past so that's also because now if you put the Pokemon in the
Real high that goes down quicker and people don't have a 3000 then doesn't go as quick
And it will passively earn points for you for example if some other monsters have a fight in your gym and you're once just win that gets you points doesn't it
Yeah, though it's like in the gym you can't you can't really win your or yeah
Yeah, or that they lose
So yeah, you have to conquer gym. You also
Yeah, someone needs to attack the gym because that's what you get the points. Yeah, because then
Depending how long you have stayed in the gym. Yeah, you can get a 15-boke
Max for free if you put it in a gym each day. Yeah, and then poker coins you can buy
Things like incubators for the X because you have X you can walk can buy so many things and also in the menu itself
Yeah, you have different things if for evaluation you need yeah, it's really quite integrated and yeah
And also now you also have power sports and you can also put them on this play and that
Yeah, you didn't use to be there and I think that one thing that you found good was from your apartment
You seem to have access to how loud of different
Even a gym there's a gym within rates of your apartment
Yeah, I have to go out to yeah, but it's really really near again. It's not that I can
Control upon my apartment, but yeah, no, it's easy to get some
Boke stops because you have to turn the boat stops to
And to get the balls
Yeah, so and what I now also really like so you can also walk roots right for the gyms also
You get batches a lot of batches a little and just to clarify we're talking about walking
We're talking about physical walking. We're not like walking like in the on the game. You're physically wondering around the streets
Your hometown and
Doing these things. Yeah, yeah, and also yeah, so and if you do new roots that is also specific batch or something so they really encourage you
Oh look what a cute dog
Hey, how are you?
Yeah
Yeah, and now and now you can also make your own roots. So that's my next challenge actually
I'm gonna make roots specifically for cycling actually
Hello, hi there. So I discovered the sort on cemetery actually it is on a hill
That actually gave me the idea so I was cycling and I know all at the surrounding area and I know
That I'm really quite well because yeah, I can cycling a lot and also walking a lot
That yeah, I still discover a new path sometimes and specifically for cycling now all the episodes that you can make roots or yeah
This is part of the game and yeah, so
Once a month I would like to set a new improved and then just the roots. We're not showing game mechanic
So you can yeah, you can make moves. Oh, yeah, you can follow it them yourself
Yeah, you can also create yeah, yeah, now they have many pre-made other people follow the roots that you've made
Well, the road I made yeah, it's followed. I made it like a month ago. Yeah, only by two people so far
I think that they did but did give a five star race
So this is kind of a social game as well. I think if tell me before you did actually meet up with people
Yeah, no, yeah, yeah, you can definitely although I'm not that knit that because you can also trade and now also on a new future
Yeah, you can even re-emote trade that
Yeah, if people thought that would never come yeah, so you have to because yeah, you can exchange gifts and all the part of the game
And then you can compare the fence and text by the effort
After so many weeks actually then it become best fence and then you can trade also remotely
I do know some people I don't have any specific close fence that that I know that play it so now
I'm very much more ready to start trading because by trading
Yeah, and you can get a little lucky Pokemon and because you have to power it up and it is lucky Pokemon
You only need half the startups to something or I think it's half so that's also one of the features
So now actually I'm hoping that I will find someone I can trade based more on a more regular base
Yeah, no, like I said so I really like the play versus player
And then you have three different get or you even have more with mainly sometimes. Yeah, you can
Play with Pokemon and then the limit is 1500 or or 2500 or over and then you even have a little cup as well
But that is for on-brush special occasions or something. Yeah, okay
All right, well, thanks very much for telling us all about Pokemon guy
I mean, would you recommend it to other people or who would you recommend it to?
Yeah, no, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, especially yeah, does it cost anything to can ask that?
Yeah, no, no, no, no, that cost anything. Yeah, it was cost time and effort and energy
Yeah, but yeah, yeah, I can really recommend it especially if you want to explore a new place or you just move to a new place
And it's a it's a very good way to
Have a reason to go out. I like you just came along and had a dog to walk
But if you don't have a dog to walk and you have a mobile phone walk your mobile phone
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and it seems like a silly game and it is but every game is silly, I guess
But yeah
It is not as silly as people think it is maybe and yeah, and also it's not as silly as it used to be not that it was
I mean, yeah, there's so many more options now and yeah, and different status. Yeah, like I said
It is you can focus on if you really like
To harm them. Yeah, so yeah, or play the play versus play or yeah, yeah, everyone has his own
Game. Yeah, it is quite fun, I guess. Okay. All right, that's all for today. Good bye from Lee and then oh, yes
Goodbye
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