By Lindsey Paige | Special to the Independent
Gamers have hit the streets of Laguna Beach with the new interactive real-life game, Pokémon Go.
The game uses actual locations to encourage players to search the real world and along the way discover Pokémon in the virtual world, according to the game’s website.
The game’s intended purpose is to capture and collect over 100 Pokémon, each hidden all over the United States and elsewhere. It is expanding to Japan this week.
The game is a form of augmented reality: a user must go out into the real world to find a Pokémon, which appears on a phone screen as if the creature was actually there.
Laguna Beach is looped into the trend with children and adults using their phones to “catch ‘em all,” Pokémon’s trademark slogan.
A lot of locations for Pokémon Go around Laguna are local landmarks. For example, the succulent garden by the Montage Laguna Beach, the Chabad Jewish Center, and the Main Beach Lifeguard Tower are among just a few of the spots where users can find Pokémon in town. Upon finding these Pokémon, users are prompted with historic details about the location.
Lacey Robertson, 15, said she learned about famous Laguna Beach greeter Eiler Larsen through the game. Once she found a Pokémon near one of the two Larsen statues in town, Lacey learned he was a vagabond who traveled through almost every continent and decided to stop in Laguna towards the end of his life and greet people as they entered. “I think he died in 1975,” she said.
For some, the Pokémon craze brings back a nostalgic pastime popularized with the original game in 1995, which consisted of collectable trading cards, a video game and a television series.
Radio host Tyler Russell, 27, said that he has played the new game a little bit each day since it was released a few weeks ago because of the memories it brings back from his childhood.
“I’ve made friends with a lot of 10-year-olds and taught them about first generation Pokémon that they aren’t familiar with,” said Russell, who also has friends in their 20s that are also playing the game.
When asked the best Pokémon he’s caught, Russell said, “I just evolved my Evee into a 949 CP Vaporean” describing a Pokemon that has stronger powers than others because Russell has “trained” it.
Another aspect of the game that is similar to the original is the ability of players to duel and trade Pokémon. This takes place in the real world at Pokémon “gyms.” One of these gyms is the Main Beach lifeguard tower.
Russell said that people congregate around the tower all day trying to “battle for control” in the virtual Pokémon world.
According to the Pokémon Go website, when a user reaches a certain level on the game, he or she is asked to join a team. From there, “ a user gains access to open gym locations or to a gym where a team member has assigned a Pokémon. Gyms can be found at real locations in the world.”
MapQuest online suggests the Artwalk and the Pageant of the Masters among places to seek out Pokémon for the summer.
One of Newport Beach’s largest hotspots for Pokémon hunters is Balboa Island. The Little Island has five Pokéstops, while the Big Island boasts 32. The majority of Pokéstops are located at memorial benches around the island’s 2.6-mile perimeter, allowing players to work in a walk while Pokémon hunting.
Some local businesses are also marked as Pokéstops, including Wilma’s Patio and Balboa Candy. The Balboa Island Post Office serves as a Pokémon gym, where players can pit Pokémon against those of other players.
“It’s the ‘get out and go’ aspect,” that appeals to Russell. “Everybody I see walking with their face in their phones gives me a nod knowing that we’re both playing Pokémon Go.”
Indy intern Lindsey Paige is a University of Florida journalism major.
Photo:
Tyler Russell and Steph Weaver-Weinberg hunt for Pokemon near Pearl Street beach.
A “Clefairy” Pokemon being caught on Forest Avenue in downtown Laguna.
Tyler Russell and
