The ‘90s are back and so is Pokémon, and University students are reveling in the nostalgia.
At any given time, people can be seen walking around campus hunting for Pokémon on the new Pokémon Go app. From bathroom stalls in the LSU Student Union to inside Mike the Tiger’s Habitat, the little animated creatures can be found all around campus.
Nintendo, in partnership with Niantic, Inc., released the IOS and Android game last week, and it has since taken the world — and students — by storm. With 7.5 million downloads as of Monday, the app was already more popular than Tinder and may soon surpass Twitter in the number of daily users.
To play the augmented reality game, players use their phone’s GPS to move around on an interactive map. The goal is to find and catch Pokémon as you walk, bike or skate around. When you get near a Pokémon, you can use your phone’s camera to see the monsters in real time and catch them by throwing Pokéballs at them.
Like many students, electrical engineering sophomore William Payne downloaded the game for nostalgia. He has been playing it since he was a child.
“All my friends are playing it,” Payne said. “I’ve never played a game like this where everyone I know is playing the game and we’re all talking about it and sharing information. It’s pretty fun.”
What makes the game unique, and also contributes to its popularity, is its use of augmented reality. In Pokémon Go, technology meets the real world. Unlike the previous games, Pokémon Go forces users to leave their house in order to catch Pokémon.
The game also brings groups of strangers together with a shared experience. Besides hunting for Pokémon, players can go to locations called Pokéstops to collect items such as Pokéballs and potions.
Pokéstops are located at important spots, such as memorials and buildings. Pokéstops can be found all over campus from tree endowments, to the LSU Museum of Natural Science, to the Shaquille O’Neal statue.
Lures can be set up at these Pokéstops. The lures attract Pokémon to the Pokéstops. The abundance of available Pokémon also draws users to these locations.
“I think my favorite thing so far is that it’s just encouraging me to talk to a lot of different people,” said natural resource management junior Amber Croffitt. “I have already met some really great people, and I’ve been hanging out with them every day and it’s great.”
Despite the fun the app provides, no shortage of weird stories have popped up. In Wyoming, a player found a dead body floating in a river while searching for water-type pokemon. In Missouri, lures were used by four men to attract users to a certain Pokéstop and rob them.
And of course there are those who are using the app while driving. Many police departments put out warnings against playing and driving shortly after the game’s release.
Despite the negatives, the game’s popularity continues to grow. One thing that makes Pokémon Go unique is the presence of teams and gyms, which can create unity between players.
Once a player reaches level five, they choose a team. The three teams are Valor, Mystic and Instinct. Once players join a team, they can go to gyms and compete against other users.
Like Pokéstops, gyms are located at real world locations and require users to walk to find them. Gyms are either rival or friendly. Rival gyms belong to either of the two teams a player is not a part of.
Once the battle has started, players choose from the Pokémon they have collected to defeat the opponent and claim the gym for their own.
Some gyms around campus are Tiger Stadium, Bernie Moore Track Stadium, and St. Alban’s Episcopal Chapel.
“I like the social aspect just like how many people are playing,” petroleum engineering senior Patrick Kiburz said. “My friends saying like ‘hey what’s up man I’m playing Pokémon Go’ and it’s just fun.”