A student waits for the “Pokmen Go” app to load on their phone. “Pokemon Go” is a location based augmented mobile game. Photo illustration by Ariel Cobbert.
It’s official: Pokemon fever has hit Oxford and “Pokemon Go” players have been roaming the Ole Miss campus in search of coveted Pokemon ever since the app became available earlier this month.
“Pokemon Go” is an interactive game app that uses a feature known as “augmented reality.” In simpler terms, the game has a map of the area that corresponds with the player’s location at all times.
The game uses the player’s GPS signal to track his or her location. As the player moves in real-time, the character moves on the virtual map and searches for Pokemon, which are spread around the virtual map. When the player comes near a Pokemon, the creature will appear and the player tries to catch it using Pokeballs.
Players use Pokestops as locations or landmarks where they can collect valuable items for the game. The Ole Miss campus has about 20 Pokestops, usually located at landmarks like signs, monuments, fountains and buildings.
At these Pokestops, players can use an item known as a “module” to turn the stop into a “hotspot” that attracts Pokemon for 30 minutes. These stops become a meeting point for “Pokemon Go” players at Ole Miss.
While the app has united a gaming community in Oxford and is getting people off of their couches, it has also raised some safety concerns for players.
In the Oxford “Pokemon Go” Facebook group, players often post screenshots of their Pokemon collections, encounters with rare Pokemon and tips on how and where to catch Pokemon. One member of the group recently revealed some security concerns she had for playing the game after dark.
She posted her own disturbing experience to remind others to be safe.
“I noticed this silver car driving up the road slowly,” she wrote in the Facebook group. “The guy called out and started asking weird questions for a stranger. After I told him to please go away politely, he got mad at me then started to follow me in his car. I think I’m done playing ‘Pokemon Go’ for a while.”
UPD Chief of Police Tim Potts expressed concern about the potential dangers of playing “Pokemon Go.” He stressed that people should be aware of what playing a game like this means.
“When you’re playing this game, stay aware of your surroundings and stay in well-lit areas,” Potts said. “Players should know that this app is using GPS and could possibly give up your location to criminals.”
Potts urged anyone who experiences uncomfortable or potentially dangerous situations while playing the game to notify authorities.
“I’d give anyone playing this game the same advice I’d give my daughter,” Potts said. “Be safe, be smart and don’t trust strangers.”
