Swamp Stomp
Volume 16, Issue 30
The newest trend sweeping the nation is the app ‘Pokémon Go.’ The app forces players to leave their homes and explore their surroundings in order to catch ‘em all. The type of Pokémon found depends on the area players are walking around. In order to find water Pokémon, players need to be near water and so on.
While exploring and trying to find all of these Pokémon, players have also stumbled upon some real wildlife. Some biologists have embraced this aspect of ‘Pokémon Go.’ These biologists believe that these situations can be turned into a learning opportunity. Morgan Jackson, an entomologist and student in Canada tweeted “If you have your #PokemonGo Pokedex memorized but find a live species you don’t recognize, I’m here to help you identify it! #PokeBlitz.” This was the start of others jumping on this bandwagon.
“For the past few days, players have been tweeting photos of the animals they encounter, hashtagging them #PokeBlitz, a play on “bioblitz,” an event in which people count all the living species in a designated area” (Brulliard). Jackson, other biologists, and wildlife fans have all been tweeting the answers and if they do not know the answers they retweet the question to get more help.
“Pokémon’s creator would no doubt approve. Satoshi Tajiri grew up collecting insects in his countryside hometown outside of Tokyo. But the concrete of that megalopolis eventually encroached on his town, and bugs became harder to find. The virtual landscape he made, on the other hand, hosted hundreds of make-believe species — ones that enthusiasts could collect, sort and classify, just as Tajiri had once done with insects” (Brulliard). Tajiri created a generation obsessed with collecting and learning about fictional creatures and ‘Pokémon Go’ maybe instilling in this same generation a thirst to learn more about wildlife on a lesser scale.
Identifying wildlife took an every bigger Pokémon turn when Asia Murphy, who writes about wildlife conservation at her blog Anati’ala, created a Pokédex for wildlife spotted while playing ‘Pokémon Go.’
Biologists are under no illusion that these players will become obsessive bird watchers, but that they believe the number of young people getting interested in the random wildlife they come across has increased. In order to play ‘Pokémon Go,’ players are constantly looking at their screens to see what Pokémon are around them. This means that just because players are in areas surrounded by wildlife, they may not be paying any attention to them. The impact of identifying real life animals found while playing ‘Pokémon Go’ may not be groundbreaking but it is generating more interest in wild animals than there was before.
No matter your feelings on ‘Pokémon Go,’ as long as players continue to play the game and tweet about the animals they come across, there will be biologists ready and willing to identify these creatures for them. Who knows the next step maybe players taking pictures of interesting plants they come across and asking nature enthusiasts to identify the plants for them? Do you think ‘Pokémon Go’ is helping players learn about wildlife?
Source: Brulliard, Karin. “If You Must Play Pokémon Go, ‘catch’ Some Real Animals While You’re at It.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 13 July 2016. Web. 13 July 2016.