The hyper-popular new app Pokemon Go, which landed at the beginning of July, has players exploring NoVA and D.C. in order to “catch them all.” The game employs virtual reality, allowing users to capture the digital creatures known as Pokemon on their smartphones in real-life locations—whether that’s the backyard, a shopping mall or even the D.C. monuments.
Pokemon’s place in pop culture spans more than two decades. The first Pokemon games, Pokemon Red and Green, were released on Nintendo Game Boy in Japan in 1996. They were followed by a new Blue generation of the game and then the contagious Pokemon Trading Card Game. The Red and Blue iterations, along with the popular anime show of the same name, arrived in North America in 1998, with the card game shortly following suit.
Now, Pokemon is once again dominating public consciousness—but this time, there’s a 21st-century twist. All of the familiar components of the franchise can be found in the new Pokemon Go app: catching, training, battling and trading Pokemon. However, now some of these actions take place on a backdrop of the players’ everyday world.
To control their Go character, users must have the app open on their phones. Pokemon are discovered based on a player’s GPS location, and as a result, the game encourages players to get out and explore in order to find different species of Pokemon. When the player stumbles upon Pokemon, the creatures appear on the smartphone screen depicting their current surroundings.
The app has taken the U.S. by storm, and the DMV is no exception as players flock to historic landmarks, museums, parks and monuments to catch Pokemon. In addition to finding a variety of Pokemon, players are also more likely to find more Pokestops when they venture outside. The busier the area, the more Pokestops there are, and Pokestops are essential so players can stock up on necessary tools for capturing even more Pokemon.
While the DMV is a hotbed for Pokemon-catching, there are historical landmarks and sites that are asking players to abstain from the game out of respect. Both the Holocaust Memorial Museum and Arlington National Cemetery call for somber reflection and therefore have asked visitors to turn off the game while on the premises.
“We do not consider playing Pokemon Go to be appropriate decorum on the grounds of the ANC,” a representative for Arlington Cemetery wrote in a tweet. “We ask all visitors to refrain from such activity.”
Other memorials and landmarks, however, are embracing the game and encouraging players to catch Pokemon while visiting the historic sites. The National Mall, for one, organized a Catch the Mall Pokemon Hunt event that paired Park Ranger Pokemon Trainers with players to find the creatures around the Mall. Even so, the Mall asked that players show respect to other visitors and be mindful of their surroundings and their significance.
“Seriously, though, as you race around the park trying to collect as many Pokemon as possible, please remember to be respectful of your fellow visitors as well as the memorials,” a rep for the Mall wrote in a statement to Facebook. “Yes, it might be tempting to go after that Snorlax near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, or the Venusaur hanging out in the chamber of the Jefferson Memorial, but remember that there are places of solemn reflection here at the National Mall where playing Pokemon just isn’t appropriate. But that Pokemon Gym over in Constitution Gardens? Go get ’em!”
Fairfax County Park Authority is also encouraging visitors to play Pokemon Go at area parks, and Great Falls Park, Burke Lake and Huntley Meadows have proven to be prime locations for capturing Pokemon. Shopping centers like Tysons Corner and Reston Town Center are also using the game as a handy marketing tool, even employing the social media hashtag “#CatchTheMall.” However, Fairfax County officials issued a statement asking that visitors stay safe and always be aware of their surroundings while playing.
