Have you encountered the people walking around town trying to find their Pokemon? Are you wondering what the heck I’m talking about? The latest craze is a mobile app called Pokemon Go and it is taking over encouraging kids and adults to exercise.
What is Pokemon Go?
According to Lifehacker, Pokémon Go is a free-to-play mobile app that you can download for iOS or Android. It’s free to download and start playing, but you have the option to use real money to buy in-game currency called PokéCoins. (Between $0.99 for 100 PokéCoins and up to $99.99 for 14,500.) Those PokéCoins are used to purchase Pokéballs, the in-game item you need to be able to catch Pokémon. Now you don’t have to spend real money, but that simply means you need to pay with your time and energy (which is the fun of it, anyway!).
The game works by using your phone’s GPS for your real-world location and augmented reality to bring up those cool-looking Pokémon on your screen, overlaid on top of what you see in front of you. And you—the digital you—can be customized with clothing, a faction (or “team” of players you can join) and other options, and you level up as you play. You can read more about it in their latest article.
How can your organization use it?
Pokemon Go is a great way to help residents get exercise and have a little fun along the way. It’s a great group activity that promotes social interaction and exercise in the great outdoors. Be careful to make sure that you are considering safety if you use this as an activity. It’s hot and you want to make sure that residents don’t overheat and have proper hydration. Also consider the terrain you are on so that you don’t have an inadvertent fall. A little common sense and planning before the outing should make for great fun.
Another opportunity is that your property may have a Pokemon located on it somewhere. If it is in a good location, this is an opportunity to welcome the public and tell your story. Many kids are catching on to this craze and this is a great way to help them become comfortable with older people.
How it can be a problem and what to do about it.
Pokemon stops are showing up in hospitals, nursing homes and retirement communities. Most don’t want to allow just anyone to come onto their campus/property for security reasons. If you find that you are a Pokemon stop and would like to be removed, here is how to do it.
We would love to know how you are managing this latest craze. Email dana@leadingagekansas.org and we might feature you on our Facebook page!
