With every phenomenon there is hype and inevitably, the media will exorcise the most vile, painful occurrences and report them. Car accidents, muggings, and other inhumane actions occur all the time. It’s just that in the past couple of weeks, they have been the result of a few inattentive or too attentive Pokémon Go players. Some of us are led to believe that this is a crazy, unsafe fad.
I’m not going there.
Where I am going however is throughout my neighborhood and my city on foot. I can rack up 10,000 steps in a snap while safely chasing wild spearows, flareons, and poliwags. My sons and I have put out lures and taken night time walks in order to fill our pokédex.
Despite its ability to get people moving and a pretty brilliant technology that has plenty of other applications just waiting to be discovered, what I have most enjoyed about this game is that it is in large part based upon public art. The pokéstops where we go to collect potions, eggs, and poké balls are typically at a place of public art that frankly, I have passed many times before but had not taken time to notice. There is the dedication plaque on the building where I work and the bronze frogs in the fountain. There are fake cactus cell towers and a cat carved into the roofline of the mercado building. There are wall murals oozing with color and details that have been presented to the public in the form of this game.
Local First Arizona jumped onto the platform early by identifying local independent businesses that are also pokéstops. Smart civic leaders are using this game as a way to drive civic engagement. What could be better than getting people out and moving and appreciating the intricate details of a city? In the local city of Maricopa, one avid pokémon trainer won the battle at the Maricopa City Hall gym on behalf of the Mayor who is running for re-election.
Our local hospital is using the game in the children’s area to get kids up and moving post surgical procedure. Yes, it’s a game and yes, there have been some misuses as there are with many things. But I am appreciative of this clever idea to bring attention to the finer details of our civic spaces and I am becoming aware of just how rich my community is in public art.
Have you played?
Agrigirl's Blog 
judilyn
/ July 26, 2016I really had no idea what this was all about. What you have said makes total sense. I’ll need to investigate!
Virtual hugs,
Judie
Tammy
/ July 27, 2016Enjoy Judie! You’ll discover something new!
nrhatch
/ July 27, 2016Glad you’re enjoying getting out and about, Tammy. With no smart phone, I’ll have to pass playing along with you.
I did get up and get out this morning . . . for a 2 mile walk in the waves.
Tammy
/ July 27, 2016Smart phone vs 2 mile walk in the waves… let me see 🙂
herbanlifestyle
/ July 27, 2016Hmmm. I’ve been actively avoiding it, since I can get pretty obsessed with video games and it stresses me out. But you’ve really made it sound appealing!
Plus, it’s great that it’s something that you and your boys can enjoy together. I’m off to download it now…
Tammy
/ July 30, 2016I really like what it is causing me to notice.
arlingwoman
/ July 27, 2016Haven’t played, but like the focus on public art, museums and parks. Go for it. Like that avatar, too!
Tammy
/ July 30, 2016It is really fun. Today, we rode the light rail and saw the pokéstops – beautifully designed ceilings in the stations, a unique cloud motif at one spot and in our airport – more art than you ever imagine.
nats1mom
/ July 27, 2016Great post; had no idea what this entailed and, quite frankly, I believed the negative reviews. I will have to revisit Pokémon. Thank you for the information Tammy..
Tammy
/ July 30, 2016Downtown Scottsdale is likely rich with stops because they do have such great public art.
herbanlifestyle
/ July 28, 2016I started playing this morning, and it’s definitely addictive! I found 2 Poké stops in the park in my neighborhood, along with several creatures. There were 2 stops next to my yoga studio, and several corresponding with plaques in the historic center of town. You were right about it being a great way to discover things that you might otherwise pass by every day without noticing. Thank you!
Tammy
/ July 30, 2016Glad you’re enjoying it Mary. We did it on the light rail and at the airport today and couldn’t believe how much art was there.
hotlyspiced
/ July 28, 2016I’m not playing it! I can’t afford my time taken up with anything else. My son loves it. He is addicted. He plays it on my phone and is permanently running it out of battery. He only comes home once the battery is dead. I do hope I’m not up for a huge data bill xx
Tammy
/ July 30, 2016You are so right about the battery drain! My sons have an unlimited data plan but you might want to check on that!!!
Tandy | Lavender and Lime
/ July 28, 2016Tammy, thank you for this enlightening post. I think it’s excellent if used in the right way and that’s up to the people playing. You are correct, the media only publishes the negative hype 😀
Tammy
/ July 30, 2016As with anything! Maybe in this American voting cycle I should praise any news that is other than the election.
I Wilkerson
/ August 2, 2016I have not played though it does look more engaging than the typical game. It will be interesting to see how this evolves!
Tammy
/ August 9, 2016It certainly gets folks out and moving and causes them to notice things they may not have seen before.
Sophie33
/ August 5, 2016My nephew of 13 year’s old plays it all the time. It is ver in right now in Belgium. It is certainly not for me at all.
Tammy
/ September 30, 2016You might like it…. 🙂
Estrella Azul
/ August 9, 2016My co-workers are playing. A lot. I don’t play, and I don’t see this as a loss, but I do like the fact that as opposed to many other games, this one at least gets people out of the house and makes them notice things they might have missed before.
Tammy
/ September 30, 2016If people will take the time, it’s a fantastic way to bring light to public art and architectural features.