Pokémon Go the new mobile game that lets players catch Pokémon as they roam the streets has become a bit of a phenomenon. It’s a game that uses augmented reality and GPS software to display virtual creatures in the real world so that players can find and capture said creatures.
Many of your pupils will already be playing Pokémon Go – it’s a great way to get people, young and old, out of the house and moving around. Within a month of its launch (July 2016) Nintendo’s share price had doubled (despite not owning or distributing the game). High-level accounts are being bought and sold for hundreds of pounds; there are already 9.5 million daily players and apparently, there are claims that, amongst adults, it is proving more popular than online pornography!
But is it ok for children to play? Given that so many of our young people and children are overweight and under exercised a free computer game that involves physical exercise sounds like a great idea. Pokémon Go is hugely engaging, requires some very basic mapping skills and gets players out and about.
As it’s a game played in the real world, there are of course the usual concerns of road safety, stranger danger and general awareness of surroundings. Younger children need physical supervision when outside. Many sensible parents are accompanying their children when they play Pokémon Go and enjoying the chance to spend time with their kids while increasing their daily step count.
Players of all ages do need to be reminded to look up from the phone when crossing roads, and to avoid colliding with street furniture! Players also need to remain aware of their surrounds.In July, a lifeboat was scrambled to rescue two 13-year-old Pokémon players who had waded out into rough seas, while in London, three Pokémon playing teenagers were robbed of their phones, at gunpoint.
Some of the features of Pokémon Go actively encourage players to come together. Pokémon Gyms are places where players go to battle their Pokémon characters and so gain status. And there are ‘Lure modules’ which users can buy to attract more Pokémon characters and therefore more Pokémon players, to their set location. Older children and teenagers should be reminded of the need to take care when meeting new people.
Pokémon Go is, of course, a commercial undertaking. Although it’s free to download the app and play the game there, of course, must be a revenue stream for the developers. Players can spend real money on PokéCoins with which they can purchase features and items to enhance their playing experience. Bill payers should be aware that an eager young player could quickly accumulate a sizeable fee.
If you haven’t experienced Pokémon Go yourself I’d recommend downloading the app and giving it a try – at least you’ll know what your pupils mean when they talk or write about Squirtles, Bulbasaurs and their Pokédex. From a personal safety point of view, as with so many things on the internet, the game itself is harmless fun. The danger comes when players become so absorbed in the active that they ignore the hazards around them or when people intent on doing bad things use the game as a way to befriend/ meet individuals for their ill designs.
As always we need to raise awareness, help children, young people and their parents recognise and manage the risk.