Three teenagers stop along the Armstrong Rails to Trails in Ford City on Monday in search for a “Pokéstop” where players can collect potions and eggs to evolve their Pokémon. (photo by Jonathan Weaver)
by Olivia Wasilko
A new phone application called Pokémon Go recently took the world by storm, and Kittanning is no exception.
The free game, which was released in the United States last week, is an augmented reality world that simulates what it would be like if Pokémon- fictional creatures that can be caught and trained to battle for sport- roamed Earth.
The Pokémon franchise started in 1995 with games for Game Boy consoles, trading cards, animated television series, and toys. As popularity grew, fans began to ponder how a real-life Pokémon universe could exist to people across the world.
Years of speculation led to Pokémon Go, which allows players to capture and train Pokémon in the real world using the GPS and camera on player’s mobile devices.
The game’s reception has varied. Many Pokémon fans and critics have pointed out that the application has some glitches and quickly drains phone batteries, but others are loyal to the game.
Pokemon player Gabrial Kuntz searches Kittanning Riverfront Park for other players to battle with.
Gabrial Kuntz, a long-time player of the original Pokémon games, says the issues do not subtract from her love of the game.
“The service crashing is annoying,” she admitted, “but there’s an easy fix for that. Turn your phone off and back on, or kill the app in your settings. You can fix it pretty quickly.”
Kuntz says that although she has been playing for almost her whole life, she strongly encourages newcomers to the game.
“I’ve grown up with Pokémon for years,” Kuntz said. “My first game was Pokémon Leaf Green. I’ve been with it ever since it was on Game Boy. I’m not one of the people who judge someone for not playing the games. If you’re just now getting into it, good for you. It’s also a good start to getting more exercise without even realizing that it’s exercise.”
Players can also choose a team to compete with through battles. Kuntz, a member of Team Instinct, is a minority in Kittanning, which is run by Team Mystic players.
Teams can take over gyms, where different trainers can battle their Pokémon against each other. They are similar to Pokéstops, which are locations (often churches) where players can collect items needed to evolve their captured Pokémon.
The game is also biome-based, meaning that certain Pokémon are more common in specific environments. For example, water-type Pokémon can be found near the river in downtown Kittanning, and rock-type Pokémon may be found near mountains.
Because players must actually walk around in the real world to play, safety concerns have been raised by parents. Injuries have been sustained by tripping while looking at
phone screens, and younger children may wander while trying to follow a Pokémon.
The Pokémon Company along with the publisher Nintendo have released a statement concerning players’ safety: “For safety’s sake, never play Pokémon Go when you’re on your bike, driving a car, riding a hoverboard, or anything else where you should be paying attention, and of course never wander away from your parents or your group to catch a Pokémon.”
Parents should take note of these safety tips, because it seems like the game is no passing fad. Although at the moment only the original “Generation 1” Pokémon are included, some fans predict that the game will soon feature newer Pokémon to attract more players.
However if the game decides to introduce new features, Pokémon Go is here to stay.