CRESTVIEW — There was a Pinsir loose on Main Street Wednesday night. But don’t panic: Xavier Torres, 9, caught it.
The nasty-looking Pinsir, which looks like a louse on steroids, and other elusive Pokemon invaded downtown Crestview this week upon the release of the GPS-based game Pokemon Go.
The animated critters that collectively form Pokemon are superimposed on players’ smartphones or tablets, populating the actual surroundings viewed through the phones’ cameras.
It was Main Street’s designation as a PokeStop, or congregating place, that started drawing crowds, including Xavier, his brother Elias, 8, sister Xiomara, 3, and their mom, Katherina.
NOT JUST FOR KIDS
While critics may think it’s just another kids’ video game, a walk down Main Street showed the game draws players of all ages, including families like the Torreses.
Mandy Nesbitt and her daughter, Brenna, 11, enjoyed a mother-daughter evening, during which Brenna promptly captured 76 Pokemon.
“It’s so cute,” Mandy Nesbitt said. “It’s a neat thing we can do and this is a good area to do it in because everybody’s driving real slow.”
Players chasing a Pokemon into traffic was such a concern that the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office issued a caution asking players to remain aware of their surroundings as they concentrate on nabbing a hard-to-catch animated critter.
“I do watch for traffic,” player Trea Snider said.
An avid Pokemon fan who even named his dog Eevee after one of the game’s little species, Snider had already caught more than 700 Pokemon less than a week after the game’s release.
INCREASED FOOT TRAFFIC
Main Street Crestview Association merchants are thrilled to see the increased foot traffic.
“There are so many hunters on Main Street,” Viola Owens of Hart Printing said. “It’s got so many people walking up and down Main Street. I’m lovin’ it!”
“Lord, players are all over,” Lois English of Desi’s Restaurant said. “I’ve had some of them sitting at their table trying to catch them (Pokémon).”
Kaitlyn Williams at Hideaway Pizza said the restaurant noticed an uptick in business over the weekend when the game was first released. “We definitely had some more people come in on Saturday,” Williams said.
Players said they discovered areas in their own town they never knew existed.
“I found some new places I didn’t even know about, for example, this community garden,” Jawanza Rich, 14, said. “I’ve been by it but never saw it. I’m happy Pokemon Go has changed that for me.”
HEALTH BENEFIT
Because Pokemon Go requires players to be out in the real world, there’s an unexpected benefit.
“We’re actually burning fat and having fun at the same time,” Steve Mosher of Holt said, adding he’s lost several pounds since he started playing, and increased his daily walking level.
“I’ve lost a pound,” his friend Kate Melcher of Milton said. “I actually caught my first Pokemon in my driveway the other night. I cannot confirm or deny that I then went Pokemon hunting in my pajamas. But I think I need some type of intervention,” she added jokingly.
The Independent reported this week that playing Pokemon Go improves “the mental and physical health of players suffering from depression and social anxiety” and the International Business Times stated “the social nature of the game provides easy avenues for those with social anxiety to interact with people of all backgrounds.”
In Crestview, Main Street being a PokeStop draws players like Mosher and Melcher from neighboring communities.
Melcher said she and other congregants discovered their First United Methodist Church of Milton is also a PokeStop.
“We joke we should advertise, ‘Come for Pokemon, stay for Jesus,’” she said.
SOCIAL INTERACTION
Players can have virtual combat in a Pokemon gym, hopefully lowering the prestige of a rival’s gym.
Others toss out virtual “lures,” drawing more Pokemon that in turn attract more hunters who make new friends around a shared interest.
“So many people are coming together and meeting new people,” Darren Jernigan said while playing on Main Street with his family. “There’s all ages and all groups out here.”
“I really love meeting new people out here Jawanza said. “It really does bring the community together. I’ve met a lot of amazing people here.
“It’s really a lovely way to get exercise as well as meet the community around you.”
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WHAT IS Pokémon Go?
Pokemon Go is a free-to-play, location-based augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic and published by The Pokemon Company as part of the Pokemon franchise.
It was released worldwide this month for iOS and Android devices.
The game allows players to capture, battle, and train virtual Pokemon — animated creatures from the Nintendo video game — who appear throughout the players’ real world. It uses GPS and the players’ smartphone or tablet camera.
Pokemon Go is a free-to-play, location-based augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic and published by The Pokemon Company as part of the Pokemon franchise.
It was released worldwide this month for iOS and Android devices.
The game allows players to capture, battle, and train virtual Pokemon — animated creatures from the Nintendo video game — who appear throughout the players’ real world. It uses GPS and the players’ smartphone or tablet camera.
What is Pokémon Go?
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Video game draws players to downtown Crestview — in droves (PHOTOS, VIDEO)