Someone has caught 'em all. Nick Johnson, Head of Platform at the platform innovation startup Applico, took two weeks to capture all 142 Pokémon available in Pokémon Go in North America. He completed his quest July 21st in Central Park while surrounded by a group of friends that he had made playing the game over the last few weeks. And he’ll soon complete catch ‘em all around the world, as Marriott Rewards will be partnering with him to aid him on his journey.
Johnson didn’t shirk his work, combining a 50 hour week with six-to-10 hour nightly sessions that saw him roaming the city until 4 or 5 a.m. Then he’d get up, go to work, and hit the Pokémon grind once more. The obsession was a positive one; he made a ton of new friends and says he lost 8-10 pounds. He also tells us that his Pokémon obsession is not a new one.
“I caught em all as a kid when the original Pokémon games came out, so the love of Pokémon runs deep,” Johnson says via email. “As a kid, it was fun to explore this incredible imaginary world that Nintendo had created to catch em all. Today, it’s even more incredible to be able to explore the real world while doing the same thing!”
Johnson says that the game took him to some strange places, but perhaps strangest of all was an Uber ride for the express purpose of nabbing a Dratini in New Jersey.
“I didn’t clue [the Uber driver] in to what was going on,” Johnson says via email. “I just told him I’d offer a nice tip if he drove fast! Luckily I found it fairly quickly so I didn’t have to ask him to turn around too many times.”
Apparently if you want to be a Pokémon master, the best way to do so is talk to your fellow trainers.
“I never would have caught 'em all if not for the help and advice of some great friends I made along the way,” Johnson says via email. “Pokémon Go gives you an amazing opportunity to interact with lots of people you’d never have a chance to meet otherwise. So use it! Get out there and work together to catch em all. As the Pokémon theme song says, “You teach me and I’ll teach you.”
Johnson tells us his favorite Pokémon to catch was Snorlax.
“I hatched a Snorlax from a 10k egg,” Johnson says via email. “I nicknamed it after one of my dogs, who is nicknamed Marshmallow because he’s a big fluff ball.”
Pokémon Go, Johnson says, is a natural extension of his interest in platforms through which we express ourselves and connect . He’s co-written a book on the subject, Modern Monopolies. Naturally, he plans to continue playing Pokémon.
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