The Pokémon Go game reflected in a player’s sunglasses. Credit: Kin Cheung/AP/Press Association Images. All rights reserved.In the days after Pokémon Go was released on mobile iOS and Android devices in Australia last month, the State Library of Victoria became a major draw for players of the augmented reality game. I watched as a crowd gathered: there were primary school children, but also many groups of young adults, both staring at their individual screens as well as chatting and laughing together.
What attracts people to Pokémon Go? While some of the demographic are new to the Pokémon franchise, others see it as a nostalgic return to the game-playing of their childhood. Then there are the ones who may not be so interested in the cute monsters, but want to stay on top of what’s trending. In all of these cases, the draw to players is a new kind of interface between public space and the imagination.
The draw to players is a new kind of interface between public space and the imagination.
