Some of you may have perked up at the mere mention of the Pokémon Go app, but some of you probably just rolled your eyes and sighed because you’re tired about hearing about it. But not so fast! Those in the latter group might not realize the benefits to the popular phone app, and how it’s positively affecting the community.
Brian Plank, 31-year-old retired military veteran, recently walked and talked with me as he played the game in the evening. He was joined by his wife, child and two dogs on the streets of downtown Centralia.
“It allows me to bond with my wife and we go on walks frequently because of it,” he says. Both casual players, they were only out for half an hour, but Plank has been a fan of the Pokémon franchise since the beginning. “I’ve seen more people out with their families,” Plank said about the positive aspects of the app.
The game is designed to get people out and active. Players are required to walk around town searching for creatures called Pokémon. On their screens, players will see what’s in front of them with animated overlays that show them what they’ve found at different locations. If they come across a Pokémon egg, they must walk even more if they want to hatch it. Each egg has a set number of required kilometers needed in order to hatch an egg and receive candy, which is used to evolve Pokémon they already own.
The game allows trainers to pick one of three teams: Valor, Mystic and Instinct. This tends to bring out the competitive sides of most people who play. But recently there have been developments in creating a website or app for team members to meet one another in real life and go hunting for Pokémon. One such website is PokeGoWorld, but it’s almost a guarantee there will be several more guides to accompany the app with its rising popularity.
James Creighton, 26-year-old manager of Chehalis’s Sahara Pizza and married father, is a dedicated Pokémon Go player. “I’ve been playing for 12 hours so far today and I normally play it until I go to bed at like 2:00 a.m.,” Creighton states. “I like that I actually have to get up to find Pokémon instead of using just my thumbs. And it’s nice seeing people getting out and making friends.”
Avid fans of Pokémon since its birth in 1995 and newcomers to the franchise are now coming together and taking to the streets in great numbers. The game has become fuel for the community’s children, teens and adults to get more exercise in their daily lives where otherwise there would be none. Pokémon Go forces the average sedentary gamer to walk and with two, five and ten kilometer eggs, meaning a player could walk for miles without even realizing it.
Jared Wilson, 21-year-old EMT, did just that recently with his two friends in downtown Centralia, after the sun went down. A follower of all things Pokémon since he was five, Wilson admitted he had played the game for four hours that day alone.
“It gets you active. More walking, more historic spots to see and I’ve seen more places that I didn’t know had existed.”
When asked what kind of updates they’d like to see come out of the app, Plank, Wilson and Creighton agree trading would be great to see. This would allow citizens to interact and share Pokémon with one another, spreading the neighborly atmosphere of Lewis County. Both Plank and Creighton say they would also like to see an option to battle against people, which would create another opportunity to meet new people. Wilson would like to see new tracking features in order to find specific Pokémon. One update that’s already been wisely incorporated is a message advising players not to trespass, as that has become a problem with eager players.
The app currently has an interesting feature allowing business owners to declare their location a Poké Stop or Gym, which attracts customers with the app in need of Poké balls. So not only is the app a helpful tool for exercise and meeting new people, but it’s also a great promotional opportunity for businesses to boost their sales.
An inspirational story has come out of the game app as well. Lu-Marie Taylor, 42, is a local of Chehalis who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. “I would be stuck at home all the time, wouldn’t leave the house,” Taylor says of her condition.
But since she’s downloaded the app, she’s spent roughly four hours a day walking, sometimes with friends and sometimes with her dog, Teddy, and has lost 20 pounds. “There’s something about knowing there’s a bunch of people out here playing that’s special. There’s safety in numbers.” Taylor was able to rise above her problems and feel emotionally and physically better due to a simple, but entertaining game.
So if Lewis County community members have noticed the flurry of people walking through town with their faces planted on their phones, they’re more than likely focused on finding their next catch. As hard as it may be for some folks to understand the rising trend, with 50 million downloads and counting it looks like it’s here to stay. If players can be more careful and critics can be more patient and understanding, the franchise can confidently check off this addition as a resounding success.
