Millennials get going with Pokémon Go

ABOVE: Pokémon Go players congregate in Brown Park, which is the most active gym and game spot in Bellefontaine. BELOW LEFT: Chase Derrer, 19, holds a smartphone with the Pokémon Go app on the screen. BELOW RIGHT: Youths play the game at a bench along Court Avenue this week. In addition to Brown Park, the Congressional Medal of Honor plaque on the front of Memorial Hall, shown at upper left, is one of the three gyms in Bellefontaine. The third GPS location is the former site of the historic marker for the Home of Blue Jacket along south Detroit Street on the U.S. 68 bypass. Although this historic marker has been moved from that location, it is still identified in the game as the gym site. (EXAMINER PHOTOS | REUBEN MEES, JOEL E. MAST)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But it’s not a trendy new restaurant or business drawing society’s youngest generation out of hiding. Instead, a video game has brought the youths out and into the real world again.

Pokémon Go, a mobile game based on a new breed of technology called augmented reality and the already established international Pokémon franchise, has become an overnight global monster.

Locally, children and young adults can be found milling around Brown Park or walking the streets with their smartphones in hand.

But one thing is certain — the game is getting folks active.

“We walked 22,000 steps playing the other day,” 13-year-old Dylan Brickler of Bellefontaine said as he and his friends Zane Warren and Griffen Frisby stopped on a park bench along Court Avenue earlier this week. “We walked all day until night time.”

For those without a pedometer, that’s more than 10 miles of walking.

“If it wasn’t for this game, we’d probably just be sitting at home playing a game inside,” Nick Burton, 21, of Bellefontaine, said as he and his 16-year-old cousin Nathaniel Mundy, visiting from West Carrollton, also rested near the same Court Avenue bench.

“It’s nice out and a perfect day to walk around and meet new people and create friendships,” Nathaniel added.

For Chase Derrer, the game has opened his eyes to city’s long-standing monuments and historical markers.

“I didn’t realize we had some many,” he said.

He recalled played the game as a boy using handheld players and gaming systems.

The interactive version gets him out and about, an important feature for the 19-year-old online college student.

He has a workout routine which includes trips to the Hilliker YMCA and running, and Pokémon Go adds to that by rewarding participants for the mileage they cover achieving various goals.

How it works

Game play is currently based on two main components: hunting Pokémon, which appear randomly in the augmented reality world but tend to be heaviest around Pokéstops; and battling in Pokégyms.

 

LEFT: Among the features that make Brown Park ideal for Pokémon Go players is access to power outlets, which players like Greg Cantrell of Bellefontaine use to charge their devices when they start running low on battery power. RIGHT: Local Pokémon Go players sit beneath a rising full moon Wednesday night at Brown Park and play the game. (EXAMINER PHOTOS | REUBEN MEES)

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There are currently three Pokégyms in Bellefontaine, players say — one at the monument at Brown Park, another on the Congressional Medal of Honor plaque on the front of Memorial Hall and a third at the former site of the Home of Blue Jacket historical marker near the intersection of Detroit Street and Auburn Avenue … before it was moved to the courthouse lawn. 

A gym is the place where players, also known as trainers, can attempt to win battles and earn prestige for one of three teams — the blue Mystic team, the yellow Insight team and the red Valor team.

Pokéstops, however, are more widespread with many located throughout the city and other locations throughout Logan County. They are typically associated with GPS coordinates for historic landmarks, murals, parks, museums or other public sites that are flagged within existing Google Maps software, which serves as the basis of the app’s real world interface.

Players on foot, on bicycles, on hoverboards or other forms of personal transportation move between the Pokéstops looking for the critters that appear within the electronic overlay of the real world they can see only through the screen of their device.

Pokémon began as a Nintendo Gameboy game in 1996 and later that year evolved into a trading card game that has continued to grow in popularity over the past 20 years. It has inspired a variety of spin-off games and Japanese manga literature, cartoons and music.

The Pokémon Go rollout is one of several new releases in the overall franchise planned for this year in connection with the 20th anniversary of the game.

Some Pokémon Go players are new to the game entirely, but many say they have been playing in one form or another for years.

“I’ve been playing since the game came out when I was a kid,” 25-year-old Greg Cantrell of Bellefontaine said. “I got (Pokémon Go) probably five days after it came out and I’ve been playing every day until at least 10 o’clock and some days until 2 or 3 in the morning.

“I think it’s a fun way to get out and be active and interact with other people and with everyone out on the streets, and it’s really good for businesses.”

Business benefits

With the game drawing more people onto the streets, business owners are starting to see the possibilities of using it as a marketing tool. Few, however, yet understand the mechanics well enough to determine how to utilize it effectively.

The downtown coffee shop Sweet Aromas is located at one of the gyms and manager Becca McGillis said while they have noticed the trainers milling about Court Avenue, they have not yet had a chance to measure the impact on business.

“I haven’t noticed an effect on sales yet, but I have noticed foot traffic outside,” Ms. McGillis said. “Our sales vary and with the Logan County Fair last week, it’s difficult to say how it has affected us.”

She said they are still considering ways to potentially attract players inside.

One method has proven successful for some businesses located close to existing Pokéstops, according to various news stories. Anyone with an active game on their device can invest a relatively small amount of money to place a “lure” on the Pokéstop. Players will then see the location in the game as a hotspot and gravitate toward that place in the real world.

Game-savvy business owners — especially those in the food service industry — are starting to see that, along with well-timed specials geared toward the young players, as a way to bring the gamers through their doors. The players can comfortably relax and enjoy a beverage or appetizer while reaping the rewards of being near a Pokémon hotspot.

“We’ll have to look into that,” Ms. McGillis said of the marketing concept.

The game does not yet allow businesses to pay to place a temporary or permanent Pokéstop near their location, although such options could be added in future updates to the game.

While Nintendo owns the Pokémon franchise, the game is managed by the software company Niantic. The developers have announced new software updates for later in the year that will create more social activity in the game by allowing trading or player-vs.-player battle.

Local leaders weigh in

Logan County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Paul Benedetti said the game certainly has increased foot traffic in the city’s downtown.

“I see it every day as they pass by my window,” he said about his 100 S. Main St., location. “I’ve got the best window in the county to watch the players.”

He is curious to see what Nintendo does with updates to the phone app and how it could help businesses, especially retailers and restaurants.

“It’s tough right now on the retail industry and we’re always looking at ways to help drive people into our brick and mortar stores,” he said. “People are doing it, so we need to see if there is a way to use to our advantage.”

The International Association of IT Asset Managers is warning corporations to ban the installation and use of Pokémon Go on both corporate-owned, business-only phones/tablets and “bring your own device” phones or tablets with direct access to sensitive corporate information and accounts.

IAITAM CEO Dr. Barbara Rembiesa said, “Frankly, the truth is that Pokémon Go is a nightmare for companies that want to keep their email and cloud-based information secure.

“Even with the enormous popularity of this gaming app, there are just too many questions and too many risks involved for responsible corporations to allow the game to be used on corporate-owned or BYOD devices.

“We already have real security concerns and expect them to become much more severe in the coming weeks.

“The only safe course of action here is to bar Pokémon Go from corporate-owned phones and tablets, as well as employee-owned devices that are used to connect to sensitive corporate information.”

Safety a concern

But the traffic is not always well received.

In fact, residents of one apartment building just outside the gym along south Detroit Street said they are concerned for players’ safety. The location is along the U.S. 68 bypass around downtown Bellefontaine and semis often make wide turns at the intersection. It is also relatively dark there at nights.

“I think it’s going to cause problems here,” Benny Haynes said. “Come 5 or 6 o’clock, people will be lined up along the street trying to play. I’m afraid someone’s going to get hurt or killed.

“And with all the pedophiles, to have kids running around at dark is just kind of scary.”

The app urges trainers to exercise caution and travel in groups to be safe, the players say.

“They advertise at the beginning that you should always be aware of your surroundings and typically everyone is in a group — especially after dark,” player Greg Cantrell said.

Third shift Bellefontaine police officers on patrol in downtown late Wednesday said they have noticed the increased pedestrian traffic since the game came out, but they had not taken any reports or dealt with any significant incidents in regard to the game.

There was one minor incident, however, that drew the attention of a pharmacy manager, Nick Burton said.

“There were a bunch of us at Brown Park and someone said they caught a rare scyther in the parking lot of CVS,” he said. “Everyone from the park ran over there and a mob formed in the parking lot. A manager came out to see what was going on.”

After learning all this commotion was over a video game, the manager scratched his head and walked back into the store, Nick said.