Pokemon Go coaxes UMW students out of their dorm rooms

By OLYMPIA JARRELL

Pokémon Go was introduced in July and is already sweeping the nation with its real life experiences for catching Pokémon. The University of Mary Washington, with the release of Pokémon Go, has become a hotspot for what is called Pokestops, a place where you can get items like, pokeballs, potions, berries, Pokémon eggs and much more.

The campus also harbors Pokémon Gyms, which are specific locations where people can test their skills and battle each other with their Pokémon, all of which can be accessed by your smart phone.

”I love it. In my neighborhood, the nearest Pokestop is down the highway, so having three on one corner due to college things is perfect for filling my bags,” said Pokemon Go player and English major Page Palisin. “Seeing so many Pokestops and Gyms in one place makes me all the more excited to play.”

Ultimately, Pokémon Go has seemed to be an overwhelmingly positive game for students at the University of Mary Washington. For those long walks to and from classes, Pokémon Go provides a fun way to enjoy those walks around campus even more.

“It’s inspiring a lot of physical activity and socialization for me,” Palisin said. Palisin also mentioned how Pokémon Go had encouraged her to stay outside, to capture a gym instead of going back to her room.

It is clear to see that Pokémon Go has gotten people to open up more, socialize with other Pokémon trainers and explore the area around them.

“I walk around a little more during breaks between classes and see friends,” said communications major Heather Moseley, “It’s fun, there are a lot of Pokestops and Gyms around.”

When asked if Moseley felt that Pokémon Go could be a distraction while on campus, she responded with, “Only if you’re playing and don’t move over when people are walking around.”

Amber Stitt, an English major with a minor in digital studies, was asked how she felt about Pokémon Go on campus, she responded, "While the app still has some bugs that need to be fixed, I love it because it’s fun and I always wanted to be a Pokémon trainer and this app makes that seem more real than video games do.”

The university is full of Pokestops and Stitt, along with other students think that it is “awesome because you can go take down a gym and then restock on revives and potions.”

A lot of students also reported that Pokémon Go enhances their experience on campus as Stitt said, “It has in a way because I’m a commuter student so I would never spend that much time on campus and with this app I’ve done more exploring of the campus than I have so far because

I want to hit all of the Pokestops. So I’ve really seen how nice the campus is and the inside of buildings I’ve never been into before.”

Pokémon Go is not only fun to play on campus, but it is also a great way for students to explore and see other portions of their university that may have been hidden to them before.