Posting a photo to Instagram or taking a Snapchat video are commonplace at events, but now it's quite possible that catching Pokémon will become the new norm for using phones in a social setting.
Since it was launched by Nintendo and Niantic on July 7, Pokémon Go has become one of the most popular mobile apps ever, and it's already taking over venues and major summer events. The global augmented-reality scavenger hunt, which through GPS tracking encourages users to catch Pokémon by walking to various locations on a map, has led to mass amounts of players flocking to locations—designated as "Pokéstops" and "gyms"—that range from event venues and restaurants to national and city parks, museums, and historic monuments.
In just two weeks, there have been a slew of community-organized events such as park meetups and bar crawls for people to gather and catch Pokémon en masse. The National Park Service has embraced the craze by using the newfound attraction of its parks to host game-driven hikes and have rangers help players catch creatures. However, the game has already been subject to some controversy when players tried to catch creatures at sacred sites including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York.
In terms of how the game has performed as a mobile app, data collected by Similar Web showed that since the app was released it has been installed on more United States Android phones than popular dating app Tinder, and was slated to surpass daily active users on Twitter.
For massive pop culture events like Comic-Con International, which begins today at the San Diego Convention Center, it was only natural for the host city to highlight notable neighborhoods and locations surrounding the game for tourists. Earlier this week, the San Diego Tourism Authority released a guide that highlighted the eight best spots to catch the creatures during the four-day event.
"Since the launch of Pokémon Go, we've been seeing a lot of folks posting great Pokémon tips at local sites and landmarks," says Candice Eley, director of public relations for the tourism board. "With so many people traveling to San Diego this week for Comic-Con International—many of whom we expect will be fans of the game—we thought it was a great opportunity to round up nearby 'Pokéstops' for visitors. We hope the game encourages attendees to explore San Diego a bit further and adds visits to some of our attractions to their itineraries."
Voilà Chocolat, a chocolate shop in Manhattan that hosts in-store make-your-own chocolate events, has already taken advantage of the fact that it's a Pokémon Go "gym," where players can battle others with creatures they've captured. Voilà Chocolat head of sales Elaine Boxer, who's also an avid player, explains that it made sense to introduce discounts for players, custom Pokémon-theme chocolate, and power strips for players to recharge their phones.
"We're very fortunate that we happen to be a destination in the game, so we introduced something specific to our business that's reflective of the game," Boxer says. "The medium we work in is so flexible and allows us to take advantage of holidays and phenomenons like this. Whatever people's passions are, we can reflect in chocolate."
Boxer also notes that the shop has used its social media accounts and storefront to advertise the fact that it's a location in the game and to encourage players to stop by. "Whether it's organizing themed happy hours, bar crawls, or parties, what restaurants and event venues can do is really enhance players' experience of the game," Boxer says.
Political events have also gotten in on the action. Hillary Clinton hosted a recent campaign event at a "Pokéstop" (Madison Park in Lakewood, Ohio) and set up a lure module—an element of the game that attracts players to a specific location for a chance to catch rarer creatures—as an incentive for players to show up at the event and register to vote. And at the Republican National Convention, the Quicken Loans Arena is a "gym," which has led to attendees catching Pokémon and battling one another.
While Pokémon Go hasn't announced any sponsored events yet, the app does plan on hiring a community manager to organize official gatherings.
