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We Should See More of ‘Pokemon GO’ at GDC in March

When Niantic announced Pokemon GO in September, most gamers’ ears perked up because hunting for Pokemon in an AR game sounded like a lot of fun. However, other than the trailer below, we didn’t really get too much info about how the game will play and how it will actually look outside what the trailer showed (which will, of course, be nowhere near the actual game). The good news is the schedule for GDC 2016, which will take place March 14-18, includes a session called Catch ‘Em All: Pokemon GO and Real World Gaming. According to the schedule, John Hanke, Niantic’s CEO, plans to show how Niantic has developed a unique vision for delivering a mobile Pokemon experience that gets would-be trainers into the outdoors.

Hanke wants to show how Pokemon GO ups the challenge of real world gaming design by loosing hundreds of Pokemon across the globe. Now, isn’t that how all apocalyptic movies begin?Attendees will see how the game and its Nintendo-made wearable device work and how players will interact with one another and explore the AR world of the game. So, if we don’t get to see any more of the game until March, we should get a pretty good look at it at GDC and see if the hype matches the reality. I mean, it’s a fun idea, but AR doesn’t always work as intended, and I’m still curious to see how the game will keep its players (including the large number of young gamers playing the game) from stumbling into areas they shouldn’t in search of that elusive Pokemon. Stay tuned for more info.