Pokemon Go has Calgary gamers outside trespassing, talking to strangers
Twitter documents gamers venturing outside to catch Pikachu even though game not yet officially in Canada
The smartphone game Pokemon Go is luring hordes of gamers away from their Nintendo consoles to the streets of Calgary.
It's even getting a few youngsters in a bit of trouble with the law, as seen in the following tweet from Calgary police about three youth caught trespassing.
<a href="https://twitter.com/RichardNairn">@RichardNairn</a> trespassing for Pokemon <a href="https://t.co/hEuFP8qC7Z">pic.twitter.com/hEuFP8qC7Z</a>
—@CstSmithStep... away... from... my... coffee! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pokemongo?src=hash">#pokemongo</a> <a href="https://t.co/EUaM3GgA1g">pic.twitter.com/EUaM3GgA1g</a>
—@itsakev"You can see who are the ones playing. Like they are wandering around with their phones on their faces," said Jonny Chin, 25.
From Chicken on the Way to Prince's Island park, Calgarians are on a mission to catch adorable creatures from the Pokemon world, like Pikachu and Squirtle.
"This game really, really brings a lot of strangers together. I've like had so many conversations with random people," said Chin.
How it works
The Nintendo app uses Google Maps and the camera on your smartphone to help you track down and catch the pocket monsters, which could be hiding in trees, parks and other cityscapes.
Once you nab them, you can train them to battle each other.
"The phone looks like it's looking at reality and then it's placing someone's favourite Pokemon on top of it and it looks like it's in the real world," said Katy Anderson, a Calgary-based digital rights advocate with OpenMedia.
New <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yycbike?src=hash">#yycbike</a> hazard: Pokemon players all over the pathways with their eyes glued to their phones.
—@BigtimeYYCSo... I tried out Pokemon Go around YYC today. Fascinating experience in sociology, urbanism, and geekery. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yycwalk?src=hash">#yycwalk</a> <a href="https://t.co/bZfS5V2wyN">pic.twitter.com/bZfS5V2wyN</a>
—@DaleCalkinsAccording to Twitter, Pokemon Go pandemonium is in full force in Calgary. There's even a map that tracks all the spots gamers are capturing the critters.
"Because everyone's playing it and posting photos and talking about it, you've got this big bandwagon effect going on, as well as nostalgia," said Anderson.
- Do you play Pokemon Go? Where, when and why? Leave your comments below.
"Millennials love the '90s and so many played Pokemon when they were young, so it just reminds them of being small and playing games."
The game has only been released in Australia, New Zealand and the States, but Canadians are able to play by creating a new U.S. iTunes account.
Chin found an even easier solution.
"In my case, I logged into my second cousin's account in Kansas to download it," said Chin.
- Getting hurt, mugged and even finding a dead body with Pokemon Go
- The Canadian government tweets about Pokemon, is totally hip
