By Jay Cook
RED BANK – Strategically placed beneath some essential tree shade just outside of Riverside Garden Park are Matthew Wilson and Timothy Moses, putting in work at their nearest PokéStop.
The two 14-year-olds, with iPhones in hand, walked through Red Bank when they saw a lure was placed in the area, giving them a better chance to catch more Pokémon and restock on a number of items, ranging from Pokéballs to potions to revival medicines.
“Most of the time, it’s me and Timmy coming down,” said Wilson, who has been playing since Day One, on July 6. “We try to keep it small because usually a lot of people in one spot clogs the servers; that’s the theory that we made.”
The concept of Pokémon GO, which is now readily available on iOS and Android devices, is an offshoot of the main Pokémon franchise first released in Japan in 1996. Previous formats of the game have been featured on Gameboy; Gameboy Color and Advance; Nintendo 64, DS and 3DS; GameCube and Wii.
The app utilizes augmented reality (AR), which places appearing Pokémon into view on a smartphone screen by accessing the back camera on the device.
What puts this newest, more inclusive edition of Pokémon over the top is its availability to everyone with a smartphone. Users download the game, create a name and a personalized character and then begin their search to “catch ‘em all.”
Places called PokéStops and Pokémon Gyms are strewn around the real-world map inside the game; these could be landmarks, monuments, restaurants, post offices and churches, to name a few.
Little by little, public places have started noticing random people wandering outside their establishments. Like local libraries.
“We’re always looking for opportunities like that to bring people in that normally wouldn’t come in,” said Donna Mansfield, programing coordinator of Monmouth County Library.
Throughout the 13 branches of libraries that the system covers in Monmouth County, six are PokéStops. Once word had begun to spread, children’s librarians took the initiative to set up Pokémon stations filled with books and DVDs. Players can come in and read up on some Pokémon history while either charging their phones or restocking their virtual backpacks.
The Monmouth County Library Facebook page have been posting updates on where PokéStops or Pokémon Gyms can be found at their branches. They also shared a how-to-play guide through their social media platform.
Pokémon GO has also captured a popular gaming spot in Red Bank.
“I’ll see people just standing outside the store on the sidewalk battling people,” said Kelsey Guthrie, store manager of Yestercades in Red Bank. “I have people that come inside ‘Oh we’re just playing Pokémon,’ and they literally just want to try to own the gym and leave.”
Guthrie did not know that the arcade was a Pokémon Gym until she downloaded the app for herself, and then the madness ensued. She has to let people know they cannot loiter inside or outside the business, although the arcade has plans to bring patrons in and have them stay in.
“We’re actually getting more Pokémon games; for the N64 we’re getting the original Gameboy games as well that you can play on the NES so that we can lure people in with that,” she said.
Capitalizing on this opportunity, just like Yestercades has, is what all small businesses should try to do, according to independent financial analyst Brad Daniels of Colts Neck.
Four siblings of the Conery family, from left: Shane, 18, Mikey, 13, Kayla, 14 and Sarah, 20, of Middletown, playing Pokemon GO on the streets of Red Bank. “I like catching ’em all,” Sarah said.
“For the local shop owners, it’s just the newest way to make money,” said Daniels, who has been in the industry for over 30 years.
Since the release of Pokémon GO, Nintendo stocks have jumped way up over 100 percent, which means the gaming company’s stock has doubled in that time period.
“Off the top of my head, no other app or a brand new product comes to mind with that much market share in that time period,” Daniels said.
It seems as if Pokémon timed the app’s release into the U.S. perfectly; children are out of school and the weather is optimal for walking around. Despite the fact this the app is so popular now, it can change in a moment’s notice, because “it’s a teenage craze, almost like teenage fashion; stocks go up and down with the whims of teenagers,” said Daniels.
Locally, Red Bank River-Center is following suit and cashing in on the craze while the game is still hot.
On July 21, the nonprofit alliance for small businesses in the borough hosted a Pokémon GO night, where a plethora of deals and specials were available to shoppers who play. RiverCenter mentioned that there are over 30 PokéStops in town with multiple gyms, such as The Dublin House on Monmouth Street, Monmouth Conservatory of Music on White Street, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash on Broad Street, Marine Park and the mural wall art that is now Local Smoke BBQ on West Front Street.
A photo contest, accompanied by the hashtag #redbankpokemongo, is also in effect this entire week, from the 18th to the 24th. Users can send in screenshots of Pokémon they find throughout town to RiverCenter’s Facebook or Instagram accounts. Winners of the photo contest will receive gift cards to some popular Red Bank stores.
While there is just so much happening with Pokémon GO now, and it truly is a national fad, precautions must be taken when playing the game.
After first opening the app, the main loading screen provides a warning, which reads “Remember to be alert at all times. Stay aware of your surroundings.”
In Middletown, police have only received one call where Pokémon Trainers, as users are called, were trespassing on private property. That occurred at St. Leo the Great Parish in Lincroft, according to Deputy Chief Stephen Dollinger.
More concerning to him, though, were some of the observations his department have made.
“Officers have experienced finding kids and people walking around all different hours of the night, they’re driving around playing this game.”
Dollinger also had a message for players, which hearkens back to the warning in Pokémon GO.
“Obviously don’t operate any vehicles while playing, and they need to pay attention to where they’re walking; don’t enter traffic or some other dangerous area or condition,” he said. “They need to respect the rights of private property owners and business owners.”
