Gotta Catch ‘Em All! Pokémon GO Craze Hits San Marcos
BY ASHLEY LEBLANC
If you have been anywhere in town in the last week, you have undoubtedly noticed an increase in people walking around on their phones.
Released on July 6th, the augmented reality game, Pokémon GO, has been downloaded more than a whopping 10 Million times in the Google Play store and has over 90,000 reviews in the iTunes App store. The latest worldwide fad has people walking around outside to find Pokémon in the city. It has caused an increase in business on The Square and has filled up local parks that usually sit nearly empty.
“If it wasn’t for the game, we probably wouldn’t be here right now, neither would those people over there, or over there,” says Robert Squyres, a customer at Shade Rooftop Patio Bar on the square, as he points around at the increasing amount of customers on their phone at the bar.
The game causes a nostalgic feeling for millennials who played the popular Pokémon game on their handheld Gameboy systems in the 90s. It was just as popular then as it is now, but the revolutionary concept of the app forces people to be more active than just sitting on their couch moving their thumbs. Players have to physically walk around to find a variety of Pokémon for their collection.
When you open the app for the first time, it can be quite confusing with no directions as to how to play. The home screen shows your customized player standing in your location on a map. As you move around in the real world, your player moves around on the map in the game. Wild Pokémon are scattered around town and will pop up on your screen when you get close. There are also several Poké Stops and Gyms at randomly chosen locations and historical markers in town. The point of the game is to collect all the Pokémon and train them to become the strongest, so you can become Gym Leader at the Gym locations in town.
This is a screenshot taken of the map in Pokémon GO. The blue square and round markers are Poké Stops and the tower in the back is a Gym. You can also see a few Pokémon have appeared, Eevee and Bulbasaur, you can tap on those Pokémon to throw Pokéballs at them in an attempt to capture them.
Niantic, Inc. are the developers of the highly successful game owned by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. The popularity of Pokémon GO has caused their stock prices to skyrocket in the past month. The app has been climbing the charts to the most downloaded app in the United States and has surpassed downloads of the popular game Candy Crush Saga.
Courtesy of Survey Monkey
“I love the game! I think it’s fantastic,” said local photographer Sam Hickey, “my mom is even playing the game!” he chuckled as he added that it is actually getting the college community in the town outside more than the norm.
He is not the only one that has noticed the increase of players walking around town. Many local companies have benefited from having Poké Stops at their location. There are also several Gyms located in town at iconic spots such as churches and historical land markers. There is even a Gym at the local bar, Zelick’s.
“I didn’t even know what it was,” said bartender, Devin Lopez, “this past Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, I noticed a guy had his tablet and phone open playing the Pokémon game. This gentleman is actually one of our regulars, and he was sitting around a lot longer than usual playing the game,” he said when asked if it has increased business.
“We only have two TV’s and that’s intentional, we want it to be a social atmosphere. The people that are playing the game are playing it mostly in groups.” Lopez said with high hopes that the game isn’t taking over their drink and socialize concept. If you would like to suggest your location to become a Gym or a Poké Stop or have it removed, you can fill out a form to do so here.
The game is not only getting local attention, but it is making headlines worldwide daily. Tuesday night in Auburn, AL a driver swerved off the road and crashed into a tree and admitted that he was playing the game and not paying attention. A 15-year-old girl was hit by a car while crossing the highway in Tarentum, PA and blames the games set-up for her incident. A man in Massachusetts stopped his car in the middle of the highway to catch a Pikachu causing a major accident. The Texas Department of Transportation released this statement on Facebook regarding the game and drivers safety.
Currently, there is not a list of all of the Gyms and Poké Stops in town, but that is the point, you have to go out to explore and find them for yourself. Texas State University plans to open up Bobcat Stadium today at 3:00PM for players who want to walk around inside to catch wild Pokémon.
