Pokémon have invaded Anson County.
The digital creatures can be captured, battled and trained at locations across the globe using the new mobile game Pokémon GO that utilizes a real-world map.
The game displays an augmented reality. Players appear as an avatar on a map that shows their real-world location on Android and Apple devices. Non-residential addresses pop up on the map with markers indicating the type of resource they are in the game. Pokéstops show an image of the building — such as the Little Building in uptown Wadesboro — which can be swiped and spun to make it drop goodies such as Pokéballs, eggs to hatch Pokémon or other items used to benefit the player.
Gyms also show up as non-residential addresses on the map, a place for players to fight their Pokémon and earn rewards by holding a gym. Once they reach level five, players can choose to join one of three teams.
The Ashe-Covington Medical Museum, Wadesboro town hall, both Wadesboro water towers and First Baptist Church are a few of the Pokéstops located uptown. The memorial on the courthouse lawn, the Wadesboro post office, the Anson County Historical Society’s Boggan-Hammond House and Calvary Episcopal Church are all gyms. In Ansonville, even the historical marker for the Carolina Female College can drop resources for players.
Players can stumble across Pokémon when the game is open, giving them an opportunity to try to capture the creatures. Wild Rattatas, Pidgeys, Weedles and more roam digitally and can appear in parking lots, parks, office desks and other locations. Once a Pokémon shows up on the player’s map, the user can click on it and use the phone camera to show the creature’s location on the ground, a bed or wherever else it may appear, then flick Pokéballs at it to attempt to capture it.
Pokémon GO was immediately popular upon release, so much so that the developer, Niantic, was unprepared for the amount of downloads. Players who go to open the app are sometimes met with a message saying the servers are down. The immense popularity of the game has caused enough issues that the international release of the game in countries such as the United Kingdom has been delayed as the company scrambles to fix issues, according to Business Insider.
Health and safety
Some have supported the game for its potential benefits. Players are encouraged to walk around to find Pokémon and to hatch eggs. While Pokémon can be caught riding in a car, users have to move more slowly to hatch eggs, which are incubated by meeting each individual egg’s minimum walking distance to hatch. The distance varies according to the type of egg the player has. Because of the limit to the speed that can be used to hatch eggs, players are encouraged to walk miles in order to continue to hatch eggs and find what type of Pokémon is hidden inside. The U.S. News & World Report for health has noted its potential to encourage exercise at a time when obesity is an epidemic in the United States.
Sheriff Landric Reid had a bulletin on his desk from the state with information about the game and said he’d been reading up on it.
As of July 14, Reid said he hadn’t heard any complaints related to the game, but that he wouldn’t be surprised if some came up.
“The biggest thing is going to be trespassing,” he said. “I think we’re going to have some issues from the trespassing part.”
He’s also worried about kids playing it.
“I think one of the biggest problems we’re going to have also, especially with kids, is playing it, looking at their phone and crossing the road,” he said.
“It seems like every time I turn on the news, they’re talking about it,” Reid said. “And it’s not in a positive way they’re talking about it.”
The game was one app the sheriff didn’t have on his phone.
“You won’t find me playing it,” Reid said.
Wadesboro Police Chief Thedis Spencer said that he hadn’t heard any complaints related to the game as of July 13, but he had heard a radio call about a group of young children out late the night before. In hindsight, he guessed the kids were playing the game.
“My concern is if you’re doing it, to be with a group,” Spencer said. “Don’t be by yourself.”
Spencer said on July 13 that he planned to send an email to his entire department that day telling them about the game.
“We definitely need to educate our officers on the game to know that if they see groups where we’re not used to seeing groups, say at the library at night, if they see a group of kids in the parking lot, our officers need to know about this game,” Spencer said.
The chief understood the lure of the game, but said that players need to be careful.
“I can see the benefits of using it to exercise or broaden their minds, but I do have some safety concerns,” he said. Distracted pedestrians and motorists, unsupervised children hunting for Pokémon and trespassing concerns were a few of his worries.
Already, Pokémon GO players have been robbed when playing the game, with reports of robberies popping up in Maryland and California. Victims can be lured to sites in remote locations or at late hours when robbers use digital incense to attract Pokémon to an area. Players hunting for Pokémon show up, unaware that the lure was also a trap for them, and end up robbed of their devices.
“When criminals get the opportunity to commit a crime and learn how to do it, they’ll use it to their advantage,” Spencer said. “That’s a big concern of mine.”
Pedestrians should be careful when playing the game and watch for debris and vehicles. Spencer said he was concerned that motorists hunting for prime locations may not pay full attention to the road.
“My big concern is someone driving with a device in their hand,” he said. “If they see something on it and try to look for a place to turn around, or they may make a moving violation.”
After sending the initial email telling his officers to research the game, Spencer said he would spend more time looking into it and assign Det. Trevin Ricketts to research it. The information will be placed on a board that houses important alerts for officers. Every officer in the department will be required to read the information and sign their name and the day they read it.
If his officers come across a group of people hanging out at night, Spencer said they will stop and talk to them, but will approach them differently if they know that they’re likely to be playing the game.
“They’re going to stop and check,” Spencer said. “Before this literature came out, the officers would stop them, run a tag, or if a juvenile 12 years old at 3 a.m. goes out, the officer would contact his parents. That’ll still probably happen, but now our officers will understand.”
When asked if it could be used as a community policing tool as some people have suggested on sites such as Reddit, possibly by school resource officers who spend time with children, Spencer said it could help.
“I think it would be a good idea for kids in the neighborhood playing to come up to us and let us know so we can be on the lookout for their safety,” Spencer said.
Officers who decide to play the game may also be able to alert other officers to places where players may gather, Spencer said.
It could even help build trust for police.
“We want our officers to interact more with kids,” Spencer said. “Something like this is a great opportunity for us. We’ve got to gain the trust of the people.”
Spencer said that although tensions are high between civilians and police in some places, and that not everyone in Wadesboro trusts police, his department has received support from residents in the form of cards, letters and baked goods. He hopes the game will provide another way to connect with the community.
“Anything we can do to continue that respect, we’ll do,” Spencer said. “Our officers look for things like that.”
Reach reporter Imari Scarbrough at 704-994-5471 and follow her on Twitter @ImariScarbrough.
Pokémon GO The Ashe-Covington Medical Museum in uptown Wadesboro is a Pokéstop on the new hit game Pokémon GO. The image of the building can be swiped to make it spin and drop items such as Pokéballs, which can be used to capture Pokémon.
http://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_Pokmon-Go-screenshot-fz.jpg
Pokémon GO The Ashe-Covington Medical Museum in uptown Wadesboro is a Pokéstop on the new hit game Pokémon GO. The image of the building can be swiped to make it spin and drop items such as Pokéballs, which can be used to capture Pokémon.
Pokémon GO Players appear as an avatar on a real-world map that shows non-residential locations — including churches, post offices and even historical markers — that can be used in the game. Smaller blue markers show Pokéstops, where players can gather resources, while the taller markers vary in color according to which of three teams holds it. Players can use gyms to fight their Pokémon.
http://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_Pokmon-Go-screenshot-2-fz.jpg
Pokémon GO Players appear as an avatar on a real-world map that shows non-residential locations — including churches, post offices and even historical markers — that can be used in the game. Smaller blue markers show Pokéstops, where players can gather resources, while the taller markers vary in color according to which of three teams holds it. Players can use gyms to fight their Pokémon.
By Imari Scarbrough
iscarbrough@civitasmedia.com
Staying safe hunting Pokémon
Wadesboro Police Chief Thedis Spencer has safety tips for people, especially children, who go hunting for Pokémon: be aware.
“Know your surroundings,” he said. “Don’t get tunnel vision on the device.”
• Watch for traffic and debris while walking.
• Stay in well-lighted areas.
• Watch weather conditions, and be aware of hazards from falling trees or lightning if hunting in a storm.
• Avoid trespassing.
• Don’t play while driving.
• Stay in a group.
• Let people know where you’re going. Children are especially advised to tell their parents where they will be and why they’re going out.