‘Local’ has a new meaning for a younger generation this week after the release of a Virtual Reality mobile phone app from Niantic, Inc. and Nintendo, Inc. The app is called “Pokemon GO” and is a spin-off of the traditional Pokemon series, an overwhelming successful franchise for handheld video game devices first released in 1995. Since then, more than four “generations” of the Pokemon franchise have been released, first for Nintendo’s GameBoy, and the latest with Nintendo’s 3DS.

Pokemon GO brings the franchise into the mobile space, specifically referring to Android and iOS (Apple) handheld smartphones. The app is free to download but has gameplay elements which can lure players into purchasing in-game items with real currency. This is referred to as a “micro-transaction.” Instead of players paying a flat fee up front to gain access to a game (the traditional route), players pay small amounts of real world currency many times to gain an advantage or earn items faster (or that they wouldn’t have been able to earn at all). Parents should be cautioned that micro-transactions have a history of becoming addictive and some experts suggest that they are aimed toward youths under the age of 13 because many children have not yet developed impulse control. It is possible to rack up quite a large sum of money on a bill before a parent might notice. You can read an article from the Guardian on how to help prevent these purchases and how to discuss these issues with your children.

What Pokemon GO means for New Port Richey is that many young people (and older fans too!) may be hanging out around local landmarks a bit more often over the next few months than previously (read: a lot). There have been many reports in other cities of gatherings of 50 or more players of this game in a single location. These players are harmless and are likely making friends, getting exercise, and having fun. No need to call the police unless something else about their behavior (other than being glued to their phones) causes alarm.

Pokemon GO is based off of another Niantic, Inc. game called Ingress which uses important local landmarks as focal points for players to focus on. Pokemon GO, because it is made by the same company, uses these same locations. Sims Park in downtown New Port Richey is one such hotspot. Frances Avenue Park is another. City Hall yet another, and the Post Office on Main Street is one as well. Some of these are “Poke Stops” where players can acquire items by standing nearby. Some are “Gyms” where players can use captured Pokemon to battle and maintain a “king of the hill” status at these locations.

In the app, players simply walk around using the GPS and data functions of their phone to move themselves on a virtual map of the area. As they move, there is a chance that Pokemon (Pocket Monsters, cartoonish small animals) such as Squirtle or Rattata will appear. Players can catch these virtual creatures in order to make them stronger and “level up.”

I installed the app when it first came out to learn about it and was not surprised to see that this trend has taken off, but now the app has become an overnight sensation. I drove by Sims Park this morning and noticed that two locations in Sims Park had been activated as “Pokemon Lures” which means that a player installed something at the location which would allow other players to catch more Pokemon more quickly. There were at least ten people in the park playing the game. These “Lures” definitely drive additional players to the location. Some businesses have also started considering buying the Lures in the game (using a microtransaction) themselves to bring in more young customers.

In short, this is a trend that local leaders, police, and citizens should be aware of and should embrace rather than demonize. This is also an opportunity for local leaders to engage youths and support their interests.

If you’re interested in Pokemon GO you can download it on the Apple Store or Google Play Store.