Pokémon Go has 166 billion active users worldwide and is one of the most popular mobile games of all time, which is why it’s no surprise that the craze runs rampant on campus. It is not a new trend either; the Pokémon community has been going strong on campus since the game’s release, growing a clique of devotion on campus.
For those unfamiliar, Pokémon Go is an AR (augmented reality) game based on the popular long-running Pokémon series where players collect and battle monsters. By using augmented reality, the game brings Pokémon to the real world. By turning on AR mode, your camera will allow you to see the Pokémon in the game walking around in your room. In addition, the location of your player in the game directly correlates with the player’s real-life location.
The game encourages walking around and exploring; you will discover more Pokémon in new areas. It tracks how many kilometers a player walks in a week and rewards it with in-game items. Gyms and PokéStops are at landmark locations, and players can visit these to get items and battle in the game. The Lyndon campus has three gyms and seven PokéStops. Gym locations include the Etruscan Stripes statue, the Quimby Gallery, and the gazebo that used to be located by the Stonehenge Parking Lot. The locations for PokéStops include the dining hall, Veterans Park, Wheelock Hall, Rita Bole Complex, the gazebo outside of the Hornets’ Nest, the intramural/rugby field, and a trailhead by the President’s House.
All these steps didn’t come overnight; players were so enthusiastic they could nominate locations around campus to become in-game Pokéstops. Student Alex Huff told the Critic, “I remember during my open house [in 2017], I looked to see what the Pokémon Go community was like, and we didn’t have very many PokéStops and gyms compared to other campuses.” However, over time, dedicated players built up enough of a campus community to warrant more in-game locations. The game bases how many Pokémon spawn and the number of places on the density of players in one area. Students from small towns get excited to come to campus where there is so much in a small area.
The first-year class has enthusiastically joined the Pokémon Go player base on campus. During orientation week for the first-years, Peer Leaders Huff and Thomas Decker held a Pokémon Go play session, which attracted a significant crowd. Students confirm the hype hasn’t died down since. “I followed the trend, and now I’m addicted,” first-year Joe Santiago told The Critic. Stephen Wutlz, another first-year and seasoned Pokémon Go player, added that the game became part of his daily routine. “I brush my teeth, change my clothes, then beat the gym.”
You can friend other players in the game and send each other items or fight together in challenging battles called raids. Raids only happen at certain times, so students coordinate to join in on specific raids. Students will gather at 6:00 PM and take on raid battles, even in the freezing Vermont winter. “We take Pokémon Go very seriously,” first-year Tyler Silveria said.
Pokémon Go is so popular even the staff and faculty at NVU are joining in. “We were taking part in a raid and my professor joined us,” Wultz admitted. Assistant to the Dean of Students Elizabeth Sousa told The Critic, “I like the Pokémon Go community on campus because as a staff member, especially as Head Resident, I can connect with my students without breaking any boundaries.”
It may not be advertised on the pamphlets, but Pokémon Go is definitely a part of the student life on campus. “It is a really cool bonding experience to meet people in this virtual reality and bond over this game,” Huff said. While students who don’t play may tire of hearing about it, the game has positively impacted those who play it together. The game continues to be updated with events coming out regularly, so the player base will be around for quite a while.
Feature Photo by George Menard || First-year Isabella Mertens checks out the Pokémon Go map at dining hall.