Pokémon GO is sending gamers far and wide to try to catch their favorite Pokémon. Gamers are traveling by bus, train, car, and even bicycle to make their lives easier. Pokémon GO forces players to travel to new locations to catch new kinds of Pokémon. It is very difficult to go to the same place and catch a different monster. Instead of wasting time, here are three prime locations to catch Pokémon in areas near you.
College Campuses
Even though it is widely considered a children’s game, Pokémon GO has won the hearts of millions of college students and adults. The Pokéstops the app is so well known for are usually large grounds that people can travel onto. What better large chunks of area is there than a college campus?
College campuses are filled with lawns, huge buildings, and art. These kinds of places are all prime locations for Pokéstops. Niantic was smart enough to realize that hundreds of colleges aren’t considered private property. People can walk right onto the campus. As a result, Pokémon is now running wild in college campuses around the country.
Multiple universities’ social media accounts are trying to capitalize on the Pokémon craze by promoting it in their own way. Universities like Harvard and Oklahoma State are joining in on Pokémon GO. One could argue that there may soon be classes on how to catch Pokémon.
College Twitter accounts get in on the #PokémonGO action https://t.co/lboHzmiUlX
— HuffPost College (@HuffPostCollege) July 13, 2016
Local Parks
If you live in New York City, Central Park is obviously the way to go. Hundreds of people have gathered in one of the most famous parks in the United States to play Pokémon GO . Not everyone has the luxury of living next to a park that size, so local parks will probably have a similar effect. Other notable parks such as Yellowstone National Park and Forest Park are probably prime Pokémon locations as well.
Parks are the perfect place because it resembles catching Pokémon in the original Nintendo Gameboy Pokémon games. In the original games, the player would have to walk through tall grass in order to find Pokémon. It seems like a park is the perfect place to recreate that fantasy.
Landmarks
This one is a bit tricky because gamers could get themselves into a load of trouble. Going to Times Square and catching Pokémon is probably harmless if you’re not a child. Times Square is rumored to be filled with hundreds of Pokémon and gamers themselves. This is probably due to the large amount of stores that people are able to walk into and not get penalized for. However, there are some places that aren’t welcoming the Pokémon GO hype.
We do not consider playing “Pokemon Go” to be appropriate decorum on the grounds of ANC. We ask all visitors to refrain from such activity.
— Arlington National Cemetery (@ArlingtonNatl) July 12, 2016
Gamers are beginning to wander onto national memorials to play Pokémon GO and people aren’t taking the matter too kindly. Multiple social media accounts that represent the memorials have posted that they respectfully ask players not to play Pokémon GO in certain areas. Playing Pokémon in an area where people are laid to rest is just downright wrong, so it’s no surprise that someone has already spoken out against it.
This also doesn’t mean that all landmarks are off-limits. There is clearly a fine line between some of the monuments in Washington, D.C., compared to Times Square. Gamers should use common sense to realize what kind of landmarks require some courtesy. Places like Walt Disney World and Universal Studios are probably the more friendly American landmarks to catch Pokémon. One may argue kids won’t be worried about catching Pokémon in those places, but it’s pretty hard not to see it happen.
A few more prime locations are large cities, zoos, aquariums, beaches, lakes, and sports stadiums. Pokémon GO is having such a large impact on the world that even some politicians are taking part in the frenzy.
[Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]