Pokémon GO Community Day brings players together downtown
If you were in downtown Colorado Springs Sunday afternoon, you might have noticed something peculiar: droves of people staring down at their phones while they stood or strolled along shops and restaurants.
For the uninitiated, it can be a strange scene, but those who frequent downtown have likely seen this before—it’s Pokémon GO Community Day.
These phone gazers are trying to catch fictional creatures from the popular Pokemon video game series. They can train and then battle their Pokémon against other players.
The mobile game draws dozens of players to downtown Colorado Springs, which is the perfect place to play, gamers say.
“Video games tend to be something that people sit inside and play,” said Pokemon competitor Avery Lane. The game according to Lane is, “trying to get people out and active.”
The game takes the world you see around you, and places Pokémon into it via a mobile device. That bus stop may look normal to you, but if you download the game and look at it through your phone, there might be a Pokémon there. The technology is called augmented reality, and because different Pokemon appear in different locations, it encourages players to get up and move to find them.
Pokémon Go Community Day is facilitated by the game’s creators. Players who join Community Day have the opportunity to catch a special, rare Pokemon in the wild and earn bonus points.
“I think it’s a positive thing for the Pokémon community.” Lane said.
The game, created by Niantic, Inc in partnership with Nintendo, has been downloaded 800 millions times, and has generated $2.45 billion in revenue since its launch in 2016, according to Sensor Tower.
It’s available as an app and is free for players to download to their phone.
Those interested in community day can go to pokemongolive.com/events/community-day






