It’s just been a few short weeks since Pokémon GO has been released. Perhaps you’ve seen some of the players of this new augmented-reality game. I’ve seen them in a park nearby in small clusters, staring at their phones.
Today, I’ll share a few articles I’ve come across that you might find interesting. First, though, watch this video taken in Central Park, NYC, of people stampeding to catch a rare Pokémon. Apparently, Justin Bieber also popped out of a car to catch it, too, but almost everyone was oblivious to him.
This game is wildly successful, generating income for the developers, but also for local museums, businesses, restaurants, and others, as players come into their area. If you use the Yelp app, they added a filter under the search bar that only shows businesses which have a PokéStop nearby.
Pokémon GO and Its Impact
I won’t make many of my own comments because I’d love to read your comments on this game and what it says about our culture.
While some locations are welcoming, others have objected to having PokéStops on their property, such as the Holocaust museum and Arlington Cemetery in D.C. Just in the past 24 hours, I saw a welcome sign for players on a church property and then read an email restricting its use (for security reasons) on another property.
Others, such as, police officials, have been concerned about players being oblivious to their surroundings. Players have fallen off cliffs, stepped into traffic, and, in remote areas, been robbed. Three have discovered bodies!
The last two articles are about Pokémon Go’s development and its financial impact. Actually, as I mentioned, the financial impact is even greater when you consider the businesses, parks, and others seeing a surge in visitors.
So what do you think of Pokémon GO and its impact on our culture?
NOTES:
- The links for this story are easy to follow on my Storify account.
- The screenshot is from the video.
eQuipping for eMinistry 
From my/our very limited experience (walking with Steve in the neighborhood and watching him play on his phone), it has been fun. We have chatted with numerous neighbor kids who we never would have talked with otherwise. The kids were polite and helpful – we needed game tips! They also mentioned that they are outdoors and walking distances (necessary to hatch Pokemon eggs) that they would not have done before. We’ve seen parents out walking with younger kids. We were learning lake and place names that we had passed many times with no notice. Lots of positives, but it can be addicting and you do need to remember to lift up your head and look around at intersections, etc. – purely theoretically advice, of course! 🙂
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I was thinking the same a few days ago as I watched two players, who apparently didn’t know each other, sit down and share tips. Good way to get out and make some friends.
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