Charles Caleb Colton was an English cleric, writer and collector who did a lot of living during his 52 years on the planet, beginning in 1832.
These days, he is perhaps best known for this observation: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
And so it is in the world of free-to-play location-based augmented reality mobile games.
Yes, I’m talking about Pokemon GO. (Who ISN’T talking about Pokemon GO?)
Whether you love it or hate it or don’t know anything about it, there’s no way you haven’t heard about this phenomenon, which surpassed Candy Crush Saga as the most successful mobile device app launch ever in the United States.
How exactly does Pokemon GO work? Here’s a brief description, courtesy of AndroidPIT: “The game sees users move an avatar across a real-world map using their phone’s GPS. Dotted around the world are PokéStops, which can be used to gather Pokéballs and other in-game items, and gyms, where players can train their Pokémon. When a Pokémon appears on the map, you can press on it. When you do this, the Pokémon appears in augmented reality, superimposed onto the image seen through the phone’s camera, allowing you to throw Pokéballs at it until you capture it.”
While this sounds like fun… and it obviously is for many people… it also has resulted in people being late for doctor’s appointments, two men falling down a cliff and automobile accidents due to distracted driving.
Meanwhile, it didn’t take long for Charles Caleb Colton’s most famous observation to come into play. As this video shows, Pokemon GO has spawned a new free-to-play location-based augmented reality mobile game for wine lovers: Chardonnay GO.
Okay, okay… perhaps there isn’t a Chardonnay GO app… yet.
But I do have one question: Why is it that when it comes to depicting Chardonnay on TV, in the movies and now in faux free-to-play location-based augmented reality mobile games, it’s almost always being consumed by a woman? For Exhibit A, I give you Claire Dunphy of “Modern Family,” played by Julie Bowen. She drinks A LOT of Chardonnay, especially when her mother comes to visit. Rarely do we see a man drinking a glass of Chardonnay. (Things would change if I were in charge of Hollywood…)
A final word about Charles Caleb Colton: He left England in 1828, four years prior to his death, reportedly fleeing from creditors. According to contemporaries, a “legal docket” had been taken out against him, identifying him as a wine merchant.
