For better or for worse Pokemon’s ability to endure has been highlighted by the release of the new gaming app Pokemon Go to a feverish crowd eager to catch ‘em all.
More than 1000 people attended a Pokemon Go walk in Perth on Saturday giving fans a chance to interact and hunt down elusive creatures, a similar event has been organised for Bunbury.
The Facebook event has already attracted a large crowd with over 400 people keen to attend.
Organiser Robert Hall said because of the game he’s now more physically active.
“I’ve always loved anything Pokemon and it’s good to see some nerdy attention, the game is very social, it has people out talking to each other and having fun,” he said.
“The walk is looking like it will start at the Graham Bricknell Music Shell but I’m just discussing with police to make sure we don’t disturb anyone.”
The app encourages players to walk around town in real time to find and battle different Pokemon using the smartphone's GPS and camera to capture characters in a virtual representation of your surroundings.
Local Pokemon enthusiast Luke Caruana said he’ll be going along to Bunbury’s walk.
“I'm excited to meet fellow Pokemon fans. It'll be great to have us all in one place, so we can geek out together,” he said.
“It's what Pokemon fans have been waiting for, to live like you're in your favourite game through Augmented Reality.”
When asked by journalists in Bunbury on Monday, Premier Colin Barnett said he was surprised Perth had been caught up in the hype.
“I can remember our youngest son walking around Tokyo when he was six or seven. I didn't have a word of Japanese to my name and we were walking around trying to find somewhere to buy Pokemon,” he said.
“I eventually found a toyshop where no-one spoke English, I said Pokemon and was able to buy some cards - which he's still got. They might be worth something today.
“That generation is now coming back to Pokemon - albeit it an online version. Crazes and waves come back and I think it's a good thing - why not?”
It’s not all good news though as Police Minister Liza Harvey told Nine News Perth that parents needed to be vigilant about their children's online gaming.
"Be aware that these games are out there and there might be the ability for your child's location to be revealed to an online predator," she said.
Blayde Grzelka
Journalist for the Bunbury Mail, Australian Community Media, and Fairfax Media.
Journalist for the Bunbury Mail, Australian Community Media, and Fairfax Media.
