Yes, I still play Pokemon Go.
I started because I wanted to play a game with my kids that included going outside. They have moved on. I still play because the augmented-reality game that allows you to see creatures superimposed over the real-world landscape encourages me to visit new places, meet new people and have new adventures.
Schiller Park in German Village is a great place to play. It has ample gyms (where your team can battle an opposing team for supremacy) and Pokestops (where you can restock your virtual supplies). My favorite gym there is the Umbrella Girl fountain. I listened to much of an outdoor theater production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” one evening while circling the park catching Pidgey and Pikachu.
The Statehouse and the Scioto Mile also are great places to play. The Statehouse is loaded with gyms and Pokestops that teach you a little bit about history as you pass by a marker regarding Abraham Lincoln’s visit to the Statehouse, the Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial and assorted cannons. The Scioto Mile offers a variety of Pokemon to catch and is the perfect place to stretch your legs on a long walk.
Hands down, though, Ohio State University is my favorite place to play. You can walk an endless loop around the Oval or explore the whole campus. The many gyms there include the Thompson Library, University Hall, and, appropriately, the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. I never miss the gym — or the donuts — at Buckeye Donuts. There even is a Pokestop in the center of Ohio Stadium.
I have met many interesting people while playing Pokemon Go. We have a group at work that meets for raids. We talk about Pokemon, of course, the newest releases and who is going to Pokemon Go Fest in Chicago, but we also talk about family events, job transfers and new babies and grandchildren.
I have had adventures while playing Pokemon Go, too.
Last autumn, I learned the location of a new legendary Pokemon. I needed it, so I stopped, even though the area was sketchy. There were four guys there, all with facial jewelry and tattoo sleeves. But folks don’t seem so intimidating when they are giving you tips on the best Mewtwo counters. Not only did we beat the raid boss in control of the gym, all five of us captured it.
At RiverScape MetroPark in Dayton, I nearly walked between a man on his knee and a woman with her hands to her mouth. He was proposing to her. I didn’t see the couple until it was almost too late. Like many Pokemon Go players, I walk with my face looking down at my phone too much of the time.
I will admit to a few brushes with the law, too. Pro tip: Coffman Park closes at dark, and the Dublin police aren’t shy about letting you know.
Another time, I was in a group raiding at Catfish Biff’s at Ohio State when a Columbus police cruiser pulled up. Over the loudspeaker they asked us what we were doing. We replied that we were playing Pokemon Go. Both officers got out of the cruiser, pulled out their phones and helped us beat the raid boss.
And once, when playing at the Statehouse, I saw a man with a holstered handgun chasing a down-on-her-luck-looking woman. He quickly caught her and forced her to the ground. Concerned, I moved a bit closer and asked him what was going on. He shouted that he was a bail-bondsman and asked me to call 911, which I did. The Ohio Highway Patrol and Columbus police were there almost immediately. Apparently, the woman had jumped out of the bounty hunter’s car while it was moving — and while she was handcuffed. The police took her to the Franklin County jail.
So I will continue to play — to get my steps in, meet new people and support local law enforcement.
Randy Imwalle, 57, lives in Hilliard. His next quest is sure to take him to see the movie “Pokemon Detective Pikachu.”
This essay originally appeared in the Columbus Dispatch on May 18, 2019.
