By Cynthia Robertson

Video game phenomenon is bringing neighborhoods together

Since early July, when you see a group of people — young, old or middle-aged — with heads bent, all of them looking at their phones, it’s nearly a sure thing that they are playing “Pokemon Go.” The game is likely to stay around for a long while because the players are discovering all kinds of positives about it, right in our own neighborhoods.

Based on the old “Pokemon” game from 20 years ago, this newest augmented reality version is free to play, and is location-based using users’ Androids or iPhones.

To understand what the craze is all about, it is first important to know the basics about the game. The concept is simple. Look for the Pokemon creatures, catch them, train them and then do battle with them on teams chosen by the players.

The biggest difference from other games is that the real world is used to inform the game player’s experience. “Pokemon Go” uses the phone’s GPS sensors to track where the player is, using a Pokemon-style map as the primary game board. Each player has his or her own character which moves in the game as the player moves and walks around in real life. Events and objects — known as PokeStops — are associated with specific locations in the physical world. In order to interact with them, the player needs to actually walk to a particular place in the real world.

The necessary walking around yields one of the first and most important benefits of playing “Pokemon Go”: exercise.

“It’s the most exercise we’ve got as a family in a long time,” said Andrew Pitcher of San Carlos.

Deb Metzer lauds the game along with Pitcher. “My entire family is playing, getting to the lake more, the dogs are getting out more. It has been nothing but fun,” she said.

Another San Carlos resident, Micah Douglass, echoed similar sentiments. “My wife plays, my stepson and his girlfriend plays, my sisters play, my brothers. It’s something fun that we do that keeps us in contact,” he said.

“Pokemon Go” has no instruction manual, so players have to rely on their own intuition or use the internet, to figure out how to catch the creatures. The more Pokemon caught, the more points scored up as a trainer.

Del Cerro resident Jill Palhegyi said she has reached level 14 in the game. At first, Palhegyi stayed close to home, as an “armchair player,” as she called it.

“You have to have patience for the Pokemon to come to you,” she said.

Once Palhegyi gained enough experience points to reach level five in the game, she began to play all over San Diego whenever she went out. Even Del Cerro Baptist Church, where Palhegyi is a member, is classified as a “gym,” the term used for a local landmark to catch Pokemons and train them.

Train them?

“At the gym, you train your creatures for power and the right for your team,” explained Palhegyui, who is on Team Valor.

“It can be a rush looking for that special Pokemon” she said.

Another reason the game is sure to remain popular for a long while has to do with its sociability. In their race to find the online creatures, “Pokemon Go” players have also made new friends.

Micah Douglass, a San Carlos resident, believes that the game makes people more neighborly.

“It provides a common ground and lowers these interpersonal walls that everyone has built up. I have talked to several strangers while playing as if we were in a circle of friends,” he said.

Douglass has found that the mutual camaraderie exists not only between players, but with people who are watching and talking with them. “The instant community engendered in a time of ambivalence and insular type attitude is why I continue to play,” he said.

Some of the most popular places to play locally include Allied Gardens Community Park and Recreation Center, Lake Murray, and even Mission Trails Regional Park. Wherever bunches of people are hanging around looking at their phones is a sure sign that a Pokemon is near.

As for any negative consequences of playing “Pokemon Go,” the general consensus is that most people use common sense.

Sometimes something on the humorous side happens, such as people walking into poles as they have their heads bent looking for the creatures, Palhegyi said.

Douglass said that he thought the company has done a good job with updates where players are allowed to play and reminding them of the maximum speed at which they can be moving to catch the Pokemon. He also said that he has never ended up wandering onto private property while playing the game.

Even people who don’t play the game give it thumbs-up for the community it creates and the good vibes. Carol Shear, an Allied Garden resident, sees a lot of people playing at Allied Gardens Recreation center.

“I see parents with their kids, so it’s also a safe area, since everyone seems to look out for each other. I hope this game goes on for a long time,” Shear said.

Douglass agreed. “Plus, I think there are opportunities to build community events around it. Like a big Pokemon hunt group, or neighborhood barbecue, or a softball game,” he said.

— Cynthia Robertson is a San Diego-based freelance writer. Reach her at [email protected].