Like many other churches and places of interest around the country, we woke up on Friday morning to discover that we are a Pokémon Go Pokéstop! Pokémon Go is the latest smartphone game craze that is gripping people young and old across the country. It is a game you play on your phone outside where you try to collect Pokémon monsters and battle it out with others in Pokémon ‘gyms’. The catchphrase of the game is ‘gotta catch them all’ – it is like a truly 21st Century version of card swapping or marbles. To catch a pokémon you need to throw a pokéball at it. These balls can be collected at Pokéstops – and there is one such stop at St Michael’s.
So if you see groups of people staring at their phones around St Michael’s, they are probably playing the game – ask them what they’ve caught!
Rev Bryony, our curate, was taught by some local children how to play the game after she downloaded the app to see what all the fuss was about. The game is enabling children to play computer games but outside! It also encourages exercise – walk 2km and you can collect a precious egg!
There have been some safety concerns about the game, it is important to stay alert whilst playing. If you are a parent, the NSPCC has issued this helpful advice:
So now you have another reason to come to church!
Here’s what the Curate’s already caught:
