Pokemon Go

I'm interrupting the Summer Program formula of having weekly updates based on themed weeks for this new Pokemon game.

You've likely heard of the new smartphone app, Pokemon Go, even if you don't have the app and are not a fan of Pokemon. It basically turns our world into the Pokemon World.

It makes use of the GPS system and places Pokemon everywhere. By looking through your camera, you can see Pokemon appearing anywhere on this planet! And it takes environmental factors into equation. For example, if you're near a body of water, you will find more water-type Pokemon, if it's at night, there will be more ghost-types, and if it's a thunderstorm, you will find more electric-types.

Supposedly, Nintendo’s profits have spiked higher than it has since before I was born. Even the introduction of Pokemon itself was not this big.

Places where large numbers of people gather become Pokestops or Gyms. Pokestops allow you to collect random items such as Pokeballs or eggs. Pokeballs give you the opportunity to catch more Pokemon, and eggs allow you to place them in incubators that result in them hatching after you've walked a certain distance. It's pretty fun to find out that the Kitchener Public Library, the KPL Kids Section, and the sign outside are all Pokestops.

Apparently it’s been leaked that McDonalds branches will all become Pokestops. Outside of giving people the option to buy Pokecoins with real money to buy PoGo items, PoGo is hoping to receive income by allowing large corporations to use themselves as Pokestops to attract customers.

Gyms allow you to fight teams that have been left behind by other players. Fought in my first Gym today, at the Conestoga Mall Museum. I didn't know what I was doing and thought I got my team wiped out, but it said I won.

You can set incense to attract Pokemon to you, or set lures. At level 5, you can join a team based on one of the three Legendary Birds. The electric Zapdos of Team Instinct, the icy Articuno of Team Mystic, and the fiery Moltres of Team Valor. I’m Team Mystic.

It advertises itself as a way of countering our society’s introverted nature by calling people to go outside, to explore, and interact with other trainers. It also encourages physical fitness through the step-counter function of hatching eggs.

However, merging the virtual and real worlds has had its hazards, with people too focused on one or the other. For people too focused on the game, there’s been reports of people walking into busy streets or other hazardous areas because Pokemon have appeared there. People too focused on this world and how they can exploit a game have set lures in obscure locations, not to lure Pokemon, but people, resulting in robberies and kidnappings.  And the random nature of Pokemon spawning has had people wandering out into obscure locations and finding dead bodies and the like.

In Kitchener, a Lapras showed up in Victoria Park. Apparently some course was taking place there and everyone dipped mid-session for the opportunity to catch it.

Of the Summer Program team, I am now one of four of us to have it. Unfortunately, I’m the only one of the four to not have a cell phone plan with data, That means I can only play in areas with wifi. It really takes away the feeling of being on a Pokemon hunt, when your friends are out on nature trails, and you’re wandering around Wal Mart. When I got my new cell phone plan, I got this righteous deal where I got Canada-wide anytime minutes and unlimited texting for $10 less from my previous plan, just without data. The guy pitching it tried really hard to convince me I needed data and I insisted I didn’t. If I knew that the Pokemon World would become a reality for people with data, I would have reconsidered. They don’t even let the pedometer run offline.

My brother got a smartphone just for this game. He’s got a plan with data.

As it is, I’ve got 20 Pokemon registered in my Pokedex. My rarest Pokemon is probably my Jinx, since I’ve only run across one and in the original games they were decently rare. I found a Ghastly in my room, so I guess my room is haunted.

Your Pokemon Trainer name needs to be unique, meaning no one else in the world can be using it. After I tried “Gryphon”, I figured any variation would be taken, so I used MisterAliphant, because my Malian name is “Ali” and I was called the “Elephant”. Merge those names and you get “Aliphant” but sinc e”Ali” is often a girl’s name over here, I felt the name was a bit androgynous, so I made it MisterAliphant. I explained this at lunch at work and the room exploded into laughter. Don’t really know why it caught such a reaction.

But I really messed up, because I’m the only “GryphonSibbald” in the world. I had the opportunity to put that on lock when nobody else would find their names available, and I missed it.

Right now they’re only using the original 150 Pokemon, but just you wait, they’ll be putting every generation in with time. I guarantee it.