Pokemon spotted in Maplewood’s Maplecrest Park. Photo by Suzie Mann
Over the past two weeks, teenagers throughout the Maplewood-South Orange community and the country as a whole have been taken over.
The culprit — Pokémon Go — is an augmented reality game where you can “catch” various Pokémon characters wherever you are.
Using Google maps, the app identifies your location and displays a map of where you are. When a Pokémon character is nearby, it appears on your map. The goal is to travel to the location of the Pokémon and therefore “catch” it.
If you’ve recently seen zombie-like teenagers wandering around outside aimlessly, this game is most definitely why.
A large reason for this new game’s popularity is how interactive it is. Because the app knows your location, the types of Pokémon vary depending on your surroundings. If near a pond or a body of water, water Pokémon will appear, while fire Pokémon will appear in desert-like areas.
By bringing back Pokémon, Nintendo has created a sense of nostalgia throughout many teenagers who played as young children.
“I think it’s so popular because it’s combining a game that a lot of kids have been playing throughout their whole life with an iPhone which is such a popular product,” said South Orange teen Josh Watson.
Another local teenager, Aly Storch, agreed, explaining, “People who grew up watching Pokémon, playing with Pokémon cards, or playing other Pokémon games are now catching Pokémon and training them themselves in a new and exciting way.”
“It’s honestly just so cool that the game puts Pokémon into the real world around you,” added Storch.
Getting teenagers outside and moving can sometimes be very difficult thing to do, but this game has succeeded in doing so. Instead of holing up in their homes and obsessing over the new, popular game, Pokémon Go has forced teens to spend time outdoors and interact with others.
Pokémon player and local teenager Jeremiah LaCon explained, “I think it’s good outlet for gamers, especially to get good exercise and explore the world, granted that they are usually stuck indoors.”
Teens also said that the app brings people together. Said Storch, “I think that it’s fun when there is something that unites communities like this. The other day my sister and I were out catching Pokémon and someone had set up a lure module at the duck pond in Maplewood. More and more people trickled in until there was a group of us catching Pokémon. We didn’t know these people but it was fun.”
Despite the game’s involvement with nature, however, many think teenagers are not truly enjoying the outdoors and can be very distracted by it. Local teenager Willy Unterkoefler explained, “If I’m walking my dog or going into town, I often see people walking around like zombies, eyes glued to their phones, unaware of their surroundings and not fully enjoying nature.”
Many have expressed safety concerns about this new game, especially because it revolves around being in specific locations.
For example, in Missouri last week, armed robbers lured Pokémon Go Players to an isolated place in attempt to rob them. A week ago, two men fell off a cliff bluff in California while playing Pokémon Go (both survived). Following these and other dangerous incidents, the app’s creators, The Pokémon Company International, and Niantic released the statement, “We encourage all people playing Pokémon GO to be aware of their surroundings and to play with friends when going to new or unfamiliar places. Please remember to be safe and alert at all times.”
LaCon agrees that there could be potential safety threats while playing the game: “The only fear factor to me is that young kids could be walking aimlessly into a dangerous neighborhood, but at the same token, I think the developers of Pokemon Go did a good job notifying their users to be aware of their surroundings.”
Isabel Turi is a rising Columbia High School senior and lifelong Maplewood resident. Read Isabel’s story on local teens’ use of Uber here.
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