Little pocket creatures, otherwise known as Pokémon, have taken over Catawba! Many of you may have noticed an increase in people looking down at their phones while walking around.  This is due, in part, to Niantic’s popular mobile game Pokémon Go that was released on July 6th, 2016.  

Catawba’s campus has several “Pokéstops” where players are able to get free items that help them in the game.  It also houses a good variety of the Pokémon themselves with rare ones appearing at several places across campus.  This is helping to bring students together because they can stand together and talk while trying to catch the creature.

Our campus also has two gyms with which to battle their Pokémon, one in the Hendrick Administration building and one at the Fountain at the Center for the Environment, and people are engaging with one another to help take the gym for their team.  There are three teams in the game and they are quite competitive.  A tip for those who like to fight in the gym is to remember to claim your “Defender Bonus” in the top right of the “Shop” when you put a Pokémon in a gym.  

Downtown Salisbury is a great location to play Pokémon as well because of the massive amount of Pokéstops within walking distance.  One thing to remember while playing to to stay alert and walk in groups if possible to reduce the chance of an accident.  Also, to keep local businesses happy and thankful for the extra business, remember to clean up after your adventuring and be respectful of those around you.  

One tip for playing is to make sure you grab free stuff from ten different Pokéstops because the tenth one will give you extra items.  Free items are good because not everyone has the extra funds to purchase things in-game.

Another tip for those of you who have an Android phone is to download the app Google Opinion Rewards because it will give you Google Play Store credit for your responses to short surveys and allow you to purchase in-game items if you need to.  

A parting tip is to keep looking for the updates. Niantic will be adding more content to the game, making it more fun and interesting.  The updates currently might be few and far between; however, once the game has been released worldwide, the company will be able to focus more on what the players want to see happen.