If you haven't heard of the latest and greatest mobile app, "Pokemon GO," you probably either live under a rock, or carry a flip phone. Just in case you don't know about the latest craze, the new app produced by Nintendo uses a smartphone's GPS capabilities to bring Pokémon to life, quite literally. Players can walk around their surrounding areas, collecting Pokémon to fill up their Pokédex. Utilizing both the smartphone's camera and Google Maps, the world is an oyster filled with Pokémon, and a new generation of trainers is about to take it over.
Unfortunately, some of the new trainers aren't exactly responsible. There have been many reports of accidents related to inattentiveness due to a Pokémon encounter. Many places that have been deemed Pokéstops or Gyms are begging the public to be ethical, or for the game designers to take them off the map. There is a cry for the madness of this app to stop, but as it has just been released, the hype is still very much alive. I, for one, see the app as more than what it has been intended for. "Pokemon GO" isn't just a way to get Pokémon fans out and about; it's like a new way to geocache.
Geocaching is a worldwide phenomenon that encourages its users to go out and look for treasure. Like Nintendo's latest app, it utilizes a smartphone's GPS to track down the "X" that marks the spot. It has been quite a cultural craze in the past few years, but not easily accessible unless one is able to travel. "Pokemon GO" can be used in a similar way.
"Pokemon GO" has selected random locations on Google Maps to be Pokéstops, or Gyms to battle opposing teams. I have a mother cool enough to not only willingly drive me around to find these locations, but one who has just gotten into the craze as well. We have scoped out the local stops and gyms, finding many, many more than we thought we would encounter. My favorite part, besides the large number of Pokémon we can catch together, is being able to find the history behind the locations.
Many of the Pokéstops and Gyms are churches, fire departments or other large buildings. However, many of the historical sites that are marked with a sign are also deemed worthy of this "honor." Driving up alongside these locations, my mother and I are able to discover more of the rich history that the Capital Region has to offer. Sometimes, she's able to teach me something new about Watervliet, a town with a sinister past. Sometimes, we'll find out something about a monument we see, such as the one just downtown in Waterford, my hometown. Sometimes, we'll find something entirely new, like a "Tiny Brick Castle" on the bike path in Cohoes, with no explanation behind it whatsoever.
So yes, perhaps the "Pokemon GO" craze is bringing kids directly into traffic, or into an insensitive mindset. But Pokémon Go could also bring families together or children into a world of wonder that exists right in front of them. History is everywhere — and while you're out "catching them all," you can go out and catch some local history!
