This is a nature blog, however, just this once I ask for
indulgence. I’ll get to why this
pertains to nature in a bit. If you own
a smart phone, you probably already know about a new phenomenon called Pokémon
Go. If you do not own one of these
devices, or you do not “play” online games on your phone, or you live in a
cave, you probably are as confused as I have been this last week.
With my family on vacation in the Mid-West, I was
surrounded by people walking and talking while holding their cell phones out in
front of themselves. Now, this is not
totally unusual, that is a sight you can see every day, anywhere. But you may have noticed MORE people doing
this lately.
This is because of the new game, Pokémon
Go. Everywhere you go, they are there, 21
million walking cell-zombies paying attention only to what is on their small
screens. What are they doing? Chasing, finding and capturing Pokémon
characters placed in real-world locations using GPS.
They even talk a different language. “Hey I evolved my Rattata into a Raticate,
but I keep seeing a zillion Rattatas.
Oh, I see, I need to evolve them for XP!” Or this, “I did a twelve candy Pidgey
evolution and got 1000 XP!”
What does it mean? If
you spend a little time with a Pokémon user, you will learn some of the lingo.
But, I am not writing this to help people learn about Pokémon, I really do have
a point about how it can become a natural phenomenon.
To some of these people, this is a real
competition, and they are risking their lives in search of these finds. Police departments and other authorities across
the country, including the National Parks Association, are issuing warnings
because public safety is at risk at times.
A number of people have been injured while playing the game, due to
failure to pay attention to their surroundings. Yesterday at the St. Louis Zoo,
people were asked (in fun) to stop playing Pokémon before boarding the train!
How does all this pertain to nature? Now I will get to that. What I see is opportunities. Opportunities for people who generally stayed
inside hooked on electronic devices to get out and interact with natural
surroundings. Pokémon are found everywhere, including parks and outdoor
recreational areas. I see opportunities
for fitness. Pokémon requires walking,
literally, to “hatch” the eggs of the creature they seek. And finally, I see opportunities for the
public to learn more about issues related real plants and animals.
Studies are already being done to see if
similar games can be built around the Pokémon concept to get people out there
in search of real species. Imagine a similar game that helps people learn about
preserving our pollinators. Can you see
a game where people learn to identify bird species? And finally, imagine a game that sends people
in search of endangered species where they learn about the habitats they
require.
Engaging the public in learning more about
issues related to real plants and animals and biodiversity really appeals to us
naturalists. So before you condemn those
21 million cell-zombies for getting in your way and clogging up our natural
areas, re-think it. What if 21 million
people began caring for our world? Oh
what a force that would be! It’s a start,
and I will end this blog on that hopeful note.
I feel a need for a walk. I have
to hatch an egg.
