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Kid-friendly Pokémon Smile delights adult fans in China
Augmented reality game wants to make brushing teeth fun for children
Reading Time:2 minutes
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If getting your kids to brush their teeth is a constant struggle, there’s a new smartphone game for you.
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In Pokémon Smile, your aim is to rescue captured Pokémon by defeating cavity-causing bacteria. The only way to do that? Brushing your teeth properly.
The augmented reality game puts your face on the screen (wearing a Pokémon cap) while it judges how well you’re brushing your teeth. Just like other Pokémon games, there’s a Pokédex that tracks all of the different creatures you’ve saved through expert brushing.
The game is now available for free on both iOS and Android. And in a welcome surprise for many, it launched in multiple languages -- including Chinese. More Pokémon games have started releasing with Chinese language options, but that’s not necessarily a guarantee that they’ll actually be available for users in China: Pokémon Go was banned and deemed “a big social risk” by Chinese authorities.
It seems Pokémon Smile is unlikely to pose the same sort of threat, given the reaction on Chinese social media.
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“It’s really child-friendly, full points for cuteness!” one Weibo user wrote. “I’m surprised it’s in Chinese!”
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