That trifecta equaled plenty of fun in early October as Pokémon GO participants got together at picturesque Lakeside Lions Park to play a popular game.
“The Pokémon community is huge,” said Spring Lake Park police officer Aaron Imig.
Pokémon GO events are staged every month in Spring Lake Park. The most recent get together was orchestrated by Imig who believes the game is a good way to forge friendships.
Imig is a Pokémon GO fan and was happy to see between 40 and 50 participants show up.
“We’ve got people here from little kids all the way up to seniors,” Imig said…”It’s actually a walking around game and as you walk around, you go to different parks and what they have in different parks is pokey stops.”
Pokémon GO is part fitness and part technology.
“As you get your steps in, you’re also meeting new people,” Imig said. “It’s actually an app that you have on your cell phone.”
Throwing Poké Balls
Players use their phones to track down characters on a map, then capture them by throwing Poké Balls at them.
“You can walk around and catch many, many Pokémon,” Imig said. “If you’re lucky you actually get a shiny Pokémon which are really, really, really rare.”
“I’m competitive in my own sense,” said Christopher Morrissette of Fridley. “I just try to compete with my friends and family. We’re going to see who can catch the most shinys, who can catch the most Pokemon.”
Pokémon GO burst onto the scene in July of 2017.
Said Morrissette: “I’ve been playing it since day 1.”
For Morrissette, the game is a bridge to making new connections.
“I’ve built a lot of friendships and a lot of relationships off this and been able to connect with a lot of law enforcement, police, firefighters, EMT’s and a lot of other people because of this game,” Morrissette said. “Just walking around, meeting new people, starting raids. Playing the game itself.”
“Pokémon is a huge, huge community and so with that we just come together and play Pokémon,” Imig said. “We’re all just a bunch of kids playing Pokémon.”
“I have about 200 (friends) on my list for the game and that’s just all from people in the community,” Morrissette said.
Postcard-like setting
The game can be addicting – especially when players are searching for characters in a scenic lakefront park.
“I like the lake,” Morrissette said. “It has a good breeze so you’re not overheating when it’s 90 degrees. There’s a lot of people that come here to play. It’s a nice area.”
Pokémon GO is definitely fun for participants.
“You can find new adventures every single day,” Imig said.
But the game also requires common sense when playing.
“If you’re playing you gotta be safe,” Morrissette said. “You gotta watch out for the people around you. Can’t play and drive. One of the biggest things that I have problems with is the driving and playing.”
The Pokémon GO event was sponsored by Hy-Vee and Kraken Hits, a card shop in Fridley.
