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ALTON – A new mobile application is taking the world by storm, inspiring users to “be the very best like no one ever was.”
Pokémon Go, a location-based augmented reality mobile game, has allowed members of just about every generation to get out into the world and catch virtual Pokémon, a fictional creature owned by gaming giant Nintendo. The game is distributed by Niantic. The application uses real-time GPS data for an up-to-date and exhilarating experience.
Users of the application can travel around town to Pokéstops, or specifically designated locations based on landmarks, to collect items such as Pokéballs, lures, razz berries, eggs to hatch rare Pokémon and more. Players can visit gyms to battle one another for bonus items and bragging rights for one of three teams: Team Instinct, Team Valor and Team Mystic.
According to a recent TechCrunch report, the game has been downloaded an estimated 7.5 million times in the United States and has brought in nearly $1.6 million in daily revenue since its release just six days ago.
Bethalto native TJ Reno has seen the game bring people together and teach one another the ins and outs of being a Pokémon master.
“I think the game has really opened up the nerd community,” Reno said. “Yesterday while walking around, I bumped into several groups of people and we shared stories about Pokémon we caught, where we caught it and our favorite Pokémon theories.”
The Edwardsville community is lively with dozens of Pokéstops and gyms around town and on the campus of SIUE. Dozens of potential Pokémon masters headed out to the SIUE Gardens and Edwardsville Township Park to battle, catch Pokémon and receive items. The mural on the side of Laurie's, along with the Edwardsville National Bank sign and the Edwardsville Frozen Foods store are also popular stops in town.
Just about everyone you saw on the trails of SIUE Gardens was playing the game. Glen Carbon resident Toni Owens, along with her husband and daughter, were taking in the gorgeous trails while attempting to “catch ‘em all.”
“We haven’t found so many Pokémon around, but there are plenty of stops. I actually started yesterday and my husband started a couple of days ago. I felt kind of left out and now I’m completely addicted. We’ve just kind of been walking. Last night, we walked around about three miles. Besides some glitches, it’s been pretty fun.”
Nicholas Appleby, a student from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, has gone on several adventures with friends. The game has also allowed him to meet new people and cooperate in real time to achieve a common goal.
“The game is great because of the nostalgia, physical component for our too-stationary generation and the general community it is creating by allowing people to work together and cooperate in actual real life,” Appleby said.
A lot of folks from the previous generations give millennials a lot of slack for being “glued to their phones,” but from an alternative stand point, this game is allowing groups of all ages to get out in the real world and “catch ‘em all.”
“It’s different from online games where you sit at home and can chat or talk online, because, in my opinion, while we may be on our phones, we are still physically walking around with other people and talking to them and in-person communication is much more real and valuable,” Appleby said.
Although the game should be used for fun, some crooks have used some of the game’s features for impure means. In O’Fallon, MO., four suspects were arrested for using the application to lure players to a specific Pokéstop before stealing their valuables.
Controversy aside, the game has done wonders to bring members of our community together in times of struggle.
“I think it’s going to help quite a bit. With the stuff going on in the media right now, you need something to look at. I think it’s bringing a lot of smiles to faces and people seem to be having a good time,” Owens said.
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