Who hasn't heard of Pokémon Go, the augmented reality video game where players hunt Pikachu and Snorlax while wandering around towns? It feels like there are more cyber addicts than usual, bent over their smartphones and tapping away. They are undoubtedly players having fun together and, for once, reclaiming urban space thanks to a video game.
Video games and social media are often criticised for being exclusionary, even though more and more experts are highlighting the cognitive learning that can be developed through certain practices, provided they are used in a reasonable and controlled manner. With the new augmented reality game Pokemon Go, developed by the creator of Google Earth, we are seeing something different. Olivier Mauco, video game designer and professor at Sciences Po, explains in an interview with the newspaper Ouest France: «What's great is that it's a conversation starter. Like the weather, rain or shine. People try it out and talk about it because it creates a sense of belonging. It's always the big question of living together.»
Living together in a public space that can be frightening after a series of attacks, but which people are returning to because they need to relax and enjoy themselves. And to get closer to each other. Damien Leloup in Le Monde quotes all those who are delighted to play with their children or simply watch them walk the streets, be outside, or just meet people.
Like all online or connected video games (and the use of social networks), Pokémon Go is certainly a practice that needs to be monitored, as it may have its share of cyber drawbacks. For now, it is a star that is said to be breaking download records all over the world...
