With Fairfax County Police officers blocking traffic, dozens of community members crossed Stonecroft Boulevard in front of the Sully District government center in Chantilly. Once they reached the other side of the street, the majority of women, children and teenagers whipped out their phones and continued to play Pokémon Go, the smartphone version of the popular video game. Photo by Tim Peterson.
With Fairfax County Police officers blocking traffic, dozens of community members crossed Stonecroft Boulevard in front of the Sully District government center in Chantilly.
Once they reached the other side of the street, the majority of women, children and teenagers whipped out their phones and continued to play Pokémon Go, the smartphone version of the popular video game.
In the game, players are tasked with searching for, capturing, battling with and caring for imaginary animal-esque creatures called Pokémon.
In this latest viral iteration, players engage with “augmented reality,” where elements from the game are overlaid on the physical map, allowing someone to see something on their phone in the same place where nothing exists to the naked eye.
For Pokémon Go, the Pokémon creatures can be found roaming, seemingly randomly, through the individual worlds of players as they move through their day-to-day routines.
But as the game itself became wildly popular in just a short time, the number of crimes and accidents as a result of people walking around outdoors with their heads buried in a handset has also gone up.
IN JUST THE SULLY DISTRICT, Crime Prevention Officers say there have been several “near-misses” between drivers and pedestrians, where they were walking unawares into the road.
Also, they said, there have been regular calls coming in overnight reporting suspicious persons walking around, that have turned out to be people playing the app.
In Springfield, in just the past two weeks, five individuals were arrested for trespassing on school property. They were pursuing Pokémon.
To address the safety and legal issues associated with the game — which everyone admits does a great service by getting players out of the house and interacting more with both the world and each other — several elected officials organized a day-long event to engage with community members face-to-face-to-phone.
Lt. Matt Owens, acting commander for Sully Station, encouraged those in the audience to be safe drivers, and to be respectful of memorials or locations where Pokémon may be hiding.
Supervisors Kathy Smith (D-Sully) and Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) then lead excursions around the station so visitors could practice good safety habits while playing the game.
“This is another example of a police department really getting out there and being proactive in the community,” Herrity said.
Smith received a tutorial in playing the game from William Phan, of Fairfax, who founded the Facebook Group Pokémon Go. He says he started the page out of a paternal instinct to protect people he saw as putting themselves or others around them in danger by not hydrating, going out by themselves, going out at night, etc.
“It needs good policy,” Phan said. “I’m here to make everyone happy, get them at their optimal level.” Phan’s Facebook page acts as a forum for players to communicate, as well as a message board for posting helpful tips.
OTHERS ALL AGREED one of the successes and attractions of the game is how it requires movement through a very real world, providing very real exercise.
“It’s nice to be out in the community,” said Staff Sgt. Miesha Collins, of Mount Vernon, a U.S. Army recruiter based in Falls Church.
“You find people with the same interests as you,” Collins said. “This game is bringing a lot of people together. Also, there’s a Jigglypuff in my neighborhood and I’ve been walking around for days trying to find it.”
Though the app’s server was down for a short period in the afternoon, Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid and Public Schools At-Large School Board Member Ryan McElveen spent time at the event as well.
Kincaid arrived with custom-made Pokémon cards for her office, encouraging people to be safe when they play the game in public.
McElveen had promoted the event — which was scheduled to run from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. — through his Twitter account that’s popular among FCPS students.
Herrity has scheduled a similar event, partnered with the West Springfield District police, for August 5 from 12-5 p.m. at Burke Lake Park, located at 7315 Ox Road in Fairfax Station.