How Pokémon Go reflects our community

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/04/2020 (2220 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

My wife Meghan recently started playing Pokémon Go.

As a millennial in my early 30s, I am obviously familiar with the Pokémon universe from my childhood, but I mostly allowed the 2016 summer of Pokémon Go to pass me by. No longer, however, as our family has joined the estimated six million active users worldwide.

For those who don’t know, Pokémon Go   is an “augmented reality” game, in which players use their phone to catch Pokémon (pocket monsters) while walking through real world physical space. Real destinations exist in the game as Pokestops where you get useful items, and “Gyms” where your Pokémon can battle other players.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing which has kept us away from friends and extended family, walks with the kids and our dog around our Old St. Vital neighbourhood and other Winnipeg areas have been the extent of our outdoor activity.

I could spend the rest of this article listing various great locations in our vicinity for players — like the little free library at the end of our street, on Egerton Road, or the gym at the Taoist temple on St Anne’s, the St. Vital curling club, or the plaque on Regal Avenue about the history of the St Vital agricultural fair. All of these locations are playable!

Instead, I’d like to comment on what this game reveals about our community. About any community.

Pokémon Go destinations are populated based on the presence of things to associate with. Businesses, public art, recreation centres, parks, plaques, historical sites, murals, houses of worship, and other features of the public realm all generate active playable elements within the game.

A diverse, dynamic, and dense community translates to a better gaming experience. In this correspondent’s opinion, the richness of playable locations in Pokémon Go in a certain area directly indicates the richness of community life in that area.

In this respect, Old St, Vital does quite well. A walk around our neighbourhood is all it takes to find interesting destinations, sights, and opportunities to appreciate our surroundings.

I’m grateful to Pikachu for his help in taking us into unexplored nooks and cranny of our community and help us appreciate just how much we have going on here.

Ryan Palmquist is a community correspondent for St. Vital.