Grace Cavanaugh, Staff Writer~
This past Sunday, October 21, was Pokémon Go’s Beldum Community Day. For those that have no idea what Pokémon Go is, it is an app on your phone where you, as a person, walk around and catch Pokémon. Currently, the entirety of Generations 1 through 3 is in the game, but about a week ago my favorite generation, Generation 4, began its addition to the game.
My first exposure to Pokémon was Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. I told my parents I wanted a Pokémon game, so they got me a Pokémon game. In retrospect, I should have specified I wanted the game where you are the person catching the Pokémon, not a Pokémon catching other Pokémon. I eventually saved up enough money to buy my own Pokémon game: Pokémon Diamond.
I played Pokémon Diamond way too much. I even brought my Nintendo DS onto the bus so I could play before and after school. I caught my Dialga, even after I used my Master Ball on a Medicham. To this day, my favorite Pokémon is Piplup, because that was my first Pokémon.
The beauty of Pokémon, especially with Pokémon Go, is that it brings people together. I became best friends with one of my neighbors because she gave me roughly 50 Pokémon cards. I met a bunch of people my first year of college because we all played Pokémon Go. I got both of my sisters, my mother, and my aunt into Pokémon Go, and now we go to Pokémon Raids together.
Community Day in Pokémon Go is an excellent time to be a Pokémon fan. One Pokémon, out of the 426 currently in the app, has been chosen to appear more frequently in the game. Pokéstops, which are designated places where you can receive items, have longer lures, or specific items that attract Pokémon. Eggs you collect can hatch faster, and there is the possibility of catching special shiny Pokémon.
Essentially, Community Day is a day where Pokémon fans can come together, tackle gyms, catch legendary Pokémon, and show off their prized Pokémon. People befriend each other, both in and out of the game, and one of the memories I will hold onto dearly is looking across the Dell and seeing so many people staring down at their phones. Gaggles of nerds walked around, their phones connected to chargers, asking passing groups how many shines they had caught. It was a heartwarming experience, especially with the social environment nowadays.