Students catch Pokémon
ROUGHLY 30 POKESTOPS HIDE AROUND CAMPUS
STORY ANO PHOTO BY ELIZABETH KESSEL
No, those are not hordes of zombies coming your way down
the sidewalk. Just walk past them and everything will be
fíne. They may be shuffling around aimlessly, but they
shouldn’r notice you. With approximately 30 PokéStops
within walking distance on campus, they’re more likely
trying to catch a Pikachu.
Ever since its release in early July, Pokémon Go has taken
the world by storm. Downloaded more than 500 million
tim es, it has motivated people to get outside and start
walking around. People can walk to PokéStops that are near
monuments, artwork or buildings. Tw o easy PokéStops
on campus can be found in front of Roger Rook Hall and
Gregory Forum.
Here’s how the app works. At the PokéStops, players can
gain more PokéBalls, Great Balls, Razz Berries (which are
fed to Pokémon so they can be caught easier), potions and
Lucky Eggs. Setting lures is popular among players, too.
Lures set at PokéStops attract Pokémon to one spot instead
of walking around and possibly not finding one. Lures last
for 30 minutes, and anyone near them can benefit.
There are 151 different kinds of Pokémon to find. Some are
only available in certain regions and others are completely
out of reach unless you have your passport ready. Within
the app, once a Pokémon is found, tap on it and fling Poké
Balls towards it to catch it. Each Pokémon has different
levels of combat power, and the higher they are, the more
challenging it is to catch them.
So what do you do when you catch a Pokémon? There are
a few options. You can either catch more of the same kind
and eventually evolve it, continue to catch all different
kinds of Pokémon and show o ff your collection or even
take them to gyms to battle.
What adds more to the excitement is once you hit level
five, you can choose one of three teams. The choices are
Mystic in blue, Valor in red, and Instinct, which is an electric
yellow. I chose blue. Go team Mystic!
Like the teams in Pokémon Go, people can usually be split
up into three groups when it comes to feelings about the app.
Group one is the detesters, who ultimately hate it and
are sick o f hearing about it. There are some legitim ate
reasons they have for their hate. People have been found
trespassing on properties just to catch a Jigglypuff. Lures
are being placed on PokéStops on purpose in hopes to rob
the people who show up.
Student, Em ily M cCarthy said, "People have becom e
irresponsible to their surroundings. T hey’ re way too
invested when Pokémon Go goes from a fun game into
someone might get hurt.”
Group two, also known as the apathetic, are those who
don’ t understand or care much about the gam e. This is
the group who listen to people rave about finding a rare
Pokémon and respond with something like, “ Get a life .”
Student, Jamie Pierce said, " I ’m not that interested in
the game. I don’t get what’s so fun about chucking pretend
balls at pretend Pokémon.”
Group three is the fans. They shamelessly catch Pokémon
almost everywhere they go. Gabby Kupfer enthusiastically
commented about the new app.
She said, and incorporate m y enjoym ent o f Pocket
Monsters in a public space, but it also encourages me to
explore and see spaces I’ve known and grown up with in a
new light. It’s also a fantastic ice breaker!”
At the end of the day, Pokémon Go has taken over the lives
of people from all ages. And maybe getting outside because
of the app isn’t the worst thing. Pokémon Go has created
amazing memories for individuals, friends and families.
Now I don’ t know about you, but I think I just saw a
Dragonite. Gotta catch 'em all right?
“ It also encourages me to explore
and see spaces I ’ve known and
grownup with in a new lig h t”
-Gabby Kupfer
Jonathan Lopez and Megan Kunde play Pokémon Go near the Art Center.
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