The smiling, rosy-cheeked face of the iconic Pikachu, the red-and-white tool of the Pokémon Trainer’s trade, the Poké Ball… these images evoke as much nostalgia for players of the 1990s’ first-generation video games as they do excitement in younger children just discovering the cache of card games, toys, and animated shows.
But the media franchise’s popularity soared to even greater heights early this month with the release of the Pokémon Go app for iPhone and Android devices. And as is the case in cities across the nation, it has recently achieved mania status in Artesia.
On Friday afternoon, crowds of Pokémon hunters were flocking to the new hub of virtual activity that is Baish Park in front of City Hall, where three Poké Stops sit within feet of one another – and plenty of the elusive critters are roaming, as well.
Pokémon are loose literally all over the community, with Stops at numerous local landmarks, churches and stores. At the Stops, Trainers can load up on supplies and extra goodies. The Gyms allow Trainers to put their Pokémon to the test against other Trainers’ fleets and raise their experience levels to boot.
Artesia High School junior Maegan Lemon recently nabbed a number of Pokémon while shopping in Wal-Mart and is excited to see how swiftly the game is catching on.
“Pokémon Go has really been a great game for our community,” she says. “Sure, it’s got its downsides like anything else, but it truly brings people together and out of the house to unite over some common ground: Pokémon!”
Local business owners have also been entertained watching the crowds of Trainers, heads ever bent over their cell phones, increase in number over the past two weeks.
Workers at The Jahva House were amused by one hunter, who opened the door of the coffee shop, scanned the room with his phone, and then departed without a word. They say the throngs moving up and down the sidewalk in front of the shop are reminiscent of Light Up Artesia crowds.
Late Saturday afternoon found AHS students Angel Luevano, Honesty Segura, and their friends on Quay Avenue for a group hunt.
“It’s fun, and it brings back a lot of memories from childhood,” said Luevano, who has caught around 37 Pokémon.
“It brings it to life instead of being on a video game,” said Segura, Trainer of 123 Pokémon.
Pokémon hunting has become something of a nocturnal sport in Artesia, with temperatures continuing to surpass 100 degrees during daylight hours, and between 12:30 and 1 a.m. Saturday, Trainers were continuing to arrive at Baish Park in cars, on motorcycles, and on foot.
Players could also be seen milling through Central Park, driving slowly around the Artesia Public Library, and simply walking the streets. That increase in late-night activity hasn’t gone unnoticed by the local authorities, who have received a few suspicious activity calls that turned out to be Pokémon Go-related.
But Cmdr. Lindell Smith notes officers aren’t bothered by the craze.
“I would not imagine kids walking around looking at their phones would disturb anyone’s peace,” Smith said Saturday. “We respond to the calls we get using a prioritization system, but we have some bigger fish to fry than kids in a park most of the time.
“If they are not breaking the law, they have nothing to worry about in their contact with APD, and in fact, such a contact is a chance for us to complete part of our mission statement to build relationships with people. It’s hard to break the law exercising and playing a game on one’s phone.”
That the game gets people out of doors, moving, and visiting local places of interest has drawn much praise, and Artesia players will no doubt continue to learn a little more about their community as they try to catch ‘em all.
“We encourage kids to exercise and find a hobby,” said Smith. “Have fun and interact with each other in a positive way, but watch out crossing the street and make good choices about the places you might visit that you might not have visited before or might be unfamiliar with.”
