The next MediaCom Seminar hosted by the School of Media, Communication and
Sociology at the University of Leicester will take place on *Wednesday 8
February* with *Dr Tom Phillips* from the University of East Anglia.
The seminar will take place *4:00-5:30pm* *on* *Wednesday 8 February
in* *Bankfield
House Seminar Room *– all welcome.
School of Media, Communication and Sociology
University of Leicester
Bankfield House
132 New Walk
Leicester
LE1 7JA
*Dr Tom Phillips (University of East Anglia)*
*The Geeks Come Out at Night: Understanding the Impact of Pokémon Go*
In July 2016 augmented reality game *Pokémon Go* became a cultural
phenomenon. Based on the 20-year-old Nintendo franchise, the aim of the
game is to walk around real-world locations in order to capture monsters
generated in the game “in the wild”. Using a smartphone’s camera, the app
allows players to find Pokémon superimposed onto real spaces, with the aim
to catch all the creatures in predefined geographical locations. This
premise saw hoards of players take to the streets in an attempt to capture
as many Pokémon as possible.
Following its launch, fervent media coverage spoke of the wide ranging
impact of the game: cultural, social, economic, and even medical benefits
were discussed, and the game quickly became one of the most popular in
history, with the number of daily active users at times surpassing Twitter,
Facebook, and Tinder. While later media coverage charts a downward trend in
users, this paper captures a moment in time when *Pokémon Go* was at the
height of its popularity, using interviews with players in order to
understand the game’s appeal.
Through ethnographic research conducted in July 2016 with *Pokémon Go*
players in Norwich, UK, this paper uses interview data to unpack players’
thoughts and opinions on the impact of the game: how it can function as a
method of social cohesion, and how it can provide a powerfully nostalgic
fan experience. This paper reflects on how *Pokémon Go *provides players an
opportunity to reconsider the landscape in which they are playing:
reframing the city of Norwich in the context of the game, and the novelty
of adopting a tourist gaze in one’s hometown.
*Dr Melanie Kennedy*
*Lecturer in Media and Communication*
School of Media, Communication and Sociology
University of Leicester
Bankfield House
132 New Walk
Leicester
LE1 7JA
Tel: 0116 223 1624
https://leicester.academia.edu/MelanieKennedy
Book Reviews Editor for *Celebrity Studies* (Routledge)
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