The Pokemon Phenomenon

“What the heck is Pokémon GO! ?”, you may ask. You’ve probably been hearing about it everywhere. People of all ages, all over the world, have been playing this game, and small businesses everywhere have been taking advantage of that.

Pokémon GO! is a smartphone game that allows players to walk around and, in real-time, catch small animated creatures named Pokémon. These creatures are based off of real-life animals, and appear on your phone screen either on a pre-set screen or in augmented reality. Appearing in augmented reality simply means that the app connects to your camera so that the Pokémon can appear on the scene in front of you. 

Fig. 1: The "Seel" Pokémon, based off of a real-life seal.

Fig. 2: The "Eevee", based loosely off a dog. This is an example of the pre-set Pokémon catching screen.

Fig. 3: The "Weepinbell" is based off of a buttercup flower. This is an example of Augmented Reality - the Weepinbell is on Margo's desk!

But why is this important to Museums? How can we use this gaming application to our benefit?
The Pokémon franchise is unique in that it appeals to everyone. The traditional ‘console' games are marketed and made for children around 10 years old – the protagonist of the games and TV show is a ten year old boy. This emphasis on younger children also contributes to making the games easy to play and learn. What makes the games cross-generational is the fact that the first game came out on February 7th, 1996, establishing a large number fans and well-loved games and characters. The franchise continued to gain popularity and now, twenty years later in 2016, this large, multi-generational following has made Pokémon a global phenomenon. Adults (who were the first children to love the games) and children alike play each game that comes out. This long history of popular games made it easy for Niantic and Nintendo to market the Pokémon games, and especially Pokémon GO!, to people of all ages. 

Fig. 4: An example of a traditional 'console'. This is the handheld Gameboy Advance of the early 2000's.

Fig. 5: This is what looking for Pokémon looked like in the old games. You would search through tall grass to find Pokemon.

Fig. 6: This is the new Pokémon GO!. In this game, all the green areas are 'tall grass'.

This accessibility to all ages is exactly what the Museum strives for. I have written about the importance of Social Media in Museum work before and this application definitely falls under that umbrella. Because Pokémon GO! is so widely used and so wildly popular, it is important that we, as a Museum, understand and utilize it. If you’re interested in why Social Media is so important to Museum work, check out this blog post for more information!
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With that being said, how do we go about utilizing a gaming app to benefit the Museum? Luckily, the way the game works makes that easy for us. In-game there are set places in real-life that the game has labeled as Pokéstops. These stops provide you with items that are essential to playing the game – things such as Pokéballs for catching Pokémon, and lures for attracting Pokémon. Pokéstops are the cultural, historical, and geographical landmarks that I mentioned before. Each Pokéstop has a picture so that you can make sure you’re in the right place. Museums count as a historical landmark, and are usually counted as Pokéstops! Ours looks like this (picture example). By promoting that we use the game through other social media posts we can prove that we are accessible and interesting to all age groups. As an added benefit, Pokémon often appear near these Pokéstops!

Fig. 7: The Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives as a Pokéstop.

Fig. 8: An example of the type pf Pokémon that may appear near Pokéstops. The "Vulpix" is modeled after a fox.

Fig. 9: A list of items that Pokéstops give you. The items are randomized so you don't get the same items every time.

Another way for us to use to app is one that is already widely being used by popular Museums such as the New Westminster Museum. These Museums are organizing ‘Pokémon GO!’ walking tours, similar to what we do with Dale here at the Sunshine Coast Museum. The tours are advertised widely both on and offline, and are targeted towards those with the Pokémon app on their phones. As I mentioned before, Pokéstops are usually places of historical, cultural, or social significance. These are the same places that walking tours go to! This creates a perfect opportunity for modern technology and history to combine in one fun turn activity. These tours have also proved to be wildly popular, pulling out some of the biggest groups that have ever attended these yours.

Fig. 9: An advertisement for a Pokémon Tour in New Westminster, off their website.

All in all, Pokémon GO! is a fun, accessible way for people to get out of the house. It provides a sense of community, and presents a great opportunity to learn about history and culture.