Pokémon Go(es) To Singapore - Sights And Sounds

Just this weekend, Pokémon Go was launched in Singapore and many of our surrounding ASEAN nations.

Facebook feeds have been flooded with Pokéfans' postings of their initial catches as well as amused (and disgruntled) bystanders' photos of Pokémon hunters gathering in seemingly odd locations in large groups.

Though I grew up during the Pokémon era, I never warmed towards it. I never watched the cartoons, played the games or bothered with it. All I was familiar with (due to inescapable intensive marketing) was perhaps the most famous of all Pokémon - Pikachu. Even then, I found its limited vocabulary rather more annoying than adorable.

I could have easily dismissed this new game as an attempt at reviving a dying franchise, or simply the game's developers trying to make money out of nothing from undiscerning fans. Its explosive popularity was also something that bothered me. I have found that I tend to stay away from over-popular products, perhaps in aid of my aversion towards noisy queues and rabid enthusiasts.

However, I decided to just give it a go (no pun intended). After all, someone once said that to understand a man, you have to walk a mile in his shoes.

I wanted to know what the craze was all about and why people can't seem to put their phones down. A little psychological analysis was in order and since I couldn't interview fans (nor would they bother giving me any time, as they'll be busy catching their digital creatures), I figured that I would simply play the game and analyse my responses to it.

At first glance, the game seemed straightforward enough:

1) Pick up Pokéballs from Pokéstops, which are often landmarks or places of interest.

2) Search for wild Pokémon.

3) Throw Pokéballs at Pokémon to try and capture it.

There are, of course, many more aspects to the game, but this is the most important one. Without capturing wild Pokémon, a trainer (that's the player) could not advance in level or ever gain enough powerful allies to do battle in gyms (also usually places of interest or important buildings). He/she would also be unable to get enough resources to upgrade or 'evolve' their Pokémon.

Having interacted with a number of Pokémon Go players, I noticed a few types:

1) Collect 'em all types

These hunters just want to complete their collection. They aren't particularly interested in taking over gyms of competing. It's more of a personal achievement for them. Many players fall under this category.

2) The PvP types

These are the ones who love to compare with other players, always desire to upgrade their Pokémon or capture better ones. They constantly aspire to take over gyms and enjoy the player vs. player (PvP) aspects of the game. 

3) Casual types

These players are just playing for kicks. They aren't particularly into the game or want to go hunting for hours. They whip out the game as and when they feel like it and just want to have a little fun. The social aspect of the game is more important to them than the actual game itself.

Within each type, there are some sub-categories, of course, and these are gamer types that exist in almost any game.

While I was out hunting, though I was often in public transport going from place to place over the weekend for non-Pokémon-Go-related activities, I found avid fans of the game almost everywhere. They were, as reported in news articles, staring down at their phones, occasionally stopping in their tracks and sometimes squealing names of Pokémon they found. It was rather amusing to witness.

At Pokéstops with lures, I saw crowds of people milling around, engaged in their phones. My only concern at these places was that many of them just stood in the middle of the walkway or blocked the route with their bicycles/scooters. This was rather inconsiderate. At least step aside so other people can pass.

Naturally, the media seized upon this opportunity to highlight these negative behaviours, along with those of people walking along the streets, sometimes late at night, oblivious to their surroundings, some not even bothering to watch for vehicles properly, others trespassing on private property.

I did witness behaviour like this, though not the trespassing. I might even have been guilty of a couple of counts of obstruction myself.

But I also saw the positive side of the game. It got people to go outdoors, friends (even strangers sometimes) to meet up and talk to each other in real life (instead of just over the phone and social media), families to go on walks and spend time together, hunters helping each other to spot the more elusive creatures.

It wasn't as bad as the media painted it to be. Sure, it looked terrible from a bystander's point of view. I even heard real-life comments from non-players along the lines of 'This is crazy! Look at all these <insert adjective here> people!' and 'I can't believe this is happening to our society.'

I would have been one of those bystanders and possibly made comments like that, but I decided to learn more about it as an insider instead of an outsider. In my next post, I'll break down the mental processes that I went through while I played the game and why I think the game is so immensely successful.

Until my next post, Happy Hunting!

Yes, I know you can get it at the start, but I didn't want to run around for the first 10 minutes of playing the game just to avoid the initial 3.

Meetups On The First Week Of August

The past week, I met up with two individuals whom I met from previous workshops / events.

My meetup on Wednesday first introduced himself as Sia (though that's actually his last name, I believe). He has just started his studies at NUS in Business Admin. He told me about his internet marketing experience (pretty extensive at that) and offered to connect me with a couple of his friends, who run a website for resellers.

He also shared that he has started reading up on investment strategies and other financial information. This makes me sound like a financial planner (I'm not), but I must say that I'm glad to meet someone who takes responsibility for his own financial future at such a young age. I certainly didn't care much about it when I was his age.

I offered my expertise to him and his coursemates - to coach them in public speaking and presentation skills (at no charge, of course). He has thus far found 5 interested parties. Very quick to take action, very enterprising. I look forward to working with him.

My second meetup was with Coen. When I first met him, I pegged him as a rather quiet, and certainly deeply thinking individual. It turns out that my first impression was pretty accurate. We shared thoughts and information about ourselves and what we do.

I learned that he now trains in corporate settings, coaches people and also works closely with his business mentors and partners, purposefully setting time aside to do so. 

What I found remarkable was how aligned our values are when it comes to leadership, teaching and influencing others. His background in personality-based training and his love of psychology and language skills are also similar to mine, though he has certainly had much more formal training in personality assessment than I have.

Some time through our conversation, he told me that he was looking for speakers for a Toastmasters event in November themed 'The Introvert Speaker'. Having heard of my book title, he asked me if I was interested to do a segment for the event. Naturally, I said yes. How could I not? It is so immensely related to what I've written about, it seems almost tailor-made for me. He even mentioned that if my book could be printed by then, I could sell copies of it at the event. Sounds like great motivation for pushing it out!

Finally, he offered his expertise and insight for what I'm working on - my desired entry into the corporate training industry, as well as other aspects of my training career. He mentioned that he would like to pay it forward, because someone once did the same for him. For that, I am truly thankful. Coen, if you're reading this, thank you. I look forward to working alongside you and learning more from you.

Networking 101 with Mervin Yeo

Last night, I was at the Association for Professional Trainers, Singapore (APTS) meeting and the speaker was Mervin Yeo. I didn't tell him that I would be present last night and so he was a little surprised to see me.

He talked about his pet subject - networking. Having attended events that he has organised and hosted, I must say that he is certainly an expert on the topic.

He cleared a few misconceptions about networking - about how people think it's only about talking to other people, that it's difficult and stressful, and that it's all about name cards and quick introductions.

Mervin reminded us that the mindset we hold when networking will determine the outcome of the relationships we form. If we are only there to 'push name cards' or collect them, we will form superficial 'contact' relationships. If, however, we take the time to find out how we can collaborate and help the other person, we form 'connection' relationships. 

We do this by introducing people to each other as well as to products and services that have benefited us. We also have the opportunity to share ideas, feedback and information, knowledge and expertise, as well as advice and encouragement.

With a right mindset about networking - how it's about helping others, and not just about yourself - it's going to be much easier to go up to another person and make a new connection.

Of course, networking benefits us as well. Mervin illustrates this by showing us that networking gives us:

1) Sources of inspiration

2) Job / Gig recommendations

3) Referrals

4) Connections to people we want to meet

5) Opportunities to learn and profit

6) Information about the industry, market and other things we may have never considered

7) A an avenue to stay on track of our goals

With such benefits, I ended up feeling that I've lost many chances to network (with the right mindset) in the past. I'm going to have to self-accelerate in this area and get out there to do it.

To top it all off, one of the founders, David Lee, encouraged all of us to write on two post-it notes. One note will contain an offer of value to someone else (for free, of course), that is, how we can help another person. The other note will contain a request for help in area that we need.

Well, I offered my help to guide and assist new fellow trainers in their presentation skills and their training processes, both of which I have been sharpening over the past 10 years.

I requested help getting into corporate training sessions, especially in the area of presentation and communication skills, as well as my pet topic - introversion, this time, in the workplace.

It was a great learning session, during which I also got to talk to some new people and practise my networking skills. And, as I'm now a full-fledged member of the association, I'm proud to be part of it.

Racial Harmony

On Thursday, I assisted a fellow trainer friend at his talk on racial harmony in a local JC. The session consisted of a film made by a local director/producer and a discussion afterwards.

One of the statistics that my friend stated got me thinking. Only 20% of Chinese in Singapore have a close friend who is from another racial background. Granted that we make up the largest proportion of the local population, that number is still pretty low.

Racial harmony is, doubtlessly, an important thing to have and we have done a fairly good job of it so far. Racial riots no longer occur, though the same cannot be said of racial tensions.

My pondering over this was also spurred on by the gem and jewellery fair that occurred over the weekend. A number of the vendors are familiar faces, though there are also quite a few new ones. 

As I spoke to the different vendors, the cultural differences between us quickly became apparent. Simply the way they related to the locals here was obviously different from the way they related to their own countrypeople. I even had a chance to observe some interactions between vendors from different countries. It was, in a word, interesting.

Perhaps, deep down, we are all still very much more comfortable with people who are similar to us and race is a point of commonality for many. After all, who could argue that race and culture are related and that it is easier to make cultural references with someone who has the same understanding as we do?

That said, I enjoy meeting people from different countries, and hope to have many more opportunities to do so in the coming years.