Family

Just have fun !

29 juillet 2016

POKEMON GO: THE SCAVENGER HUNT OF THE MODERN TIMES!


Looking for a new idea to lure your kids outdoors now during summer? I suppose that you’ve already heard or read about this recent game where you have to catch virtual monsters in the real life?!? Well, I do use this to get the kids out of the house and to move around the woods and the fields and to discover our village! And I have to admit: it works! No need to hear long and hard complains because you want to tear them out, they just come by themselves requesting to do some Pokémon hunting…

image

Sure, in the beginning I was not at all keen on downloading this new game the whole world talked about, sceptic about this virtual world trying to liaise with the real world. Like everybody I followed the news and heard stories about kids trying to get into the Grand-Duke’s gardens or this guy having a car accident because of rare monsters which need to be caught.

But beginning of the week, I decided to test the app, to see if it works in the way of attracting the kids outdoors. And it was a success from the beginning as the youngest one had already heard about it and was whining to play the game… True, it’s difficult to move ‘cause the kids constantly check every options of the game, every monster they catch, every goodie they can find, etc. but the fact is that they are outdoors, moving around and, in our case, spending quality time with their best mates! As we are normally only using one device for 3 to 4 kids, they have to (learn to) share it with each other…

image
imageimageimage

And meanwhile I can take the time to enjoy the beautiful landscape around me!

imageimageimage

For the moment we are only playing the game by catching as many wild Pokémon monsters as we can find using one mobile device.

imageimageimage

How does it work? On a map you can situate yourself in the real world and as soon as a Pokémon is around you your device is vibrating. When seeing the monster on the app, you select it and throw a Poké Ball at it to trap it. Some of the monsters are easy to catch (‘cause they don’t move much), others are more difficult to get as they are moving or flying around. The latest normally are also rarer Pokémons. For the moment around 150 different monsters can be caught around the place (or the world?!?).

imageimageimage

You regularly have to restock the Poké Balls (and other items) which you can collect at some special Pokéstops which are, by the way, most of the time tourist attractions like monuments, statues or other historical buildings around you. Yes, the kids even get to learn some new facts about their surroundings!

imageimageimage

In an advanced level you can also use your Pokémon monsters to combat in special arenas, but luckily for the moment we are not yet interested in this step. It’s more interesting running around catching as many different Pokémon monsters as possible. I’m sure that sooner or later the other options like growing and transforming a Pokémon will interest them too…

image
image

Wanna try?!? Well here some small tips & tricks which will make your journey more relax. First of all you have to download the app on a mobile device which uses 4 G. Actually we installed the game on an older iPhone used for gaming and when we’re on the road we connect it by bluetooth with my mobile phone. It’s quite important that before going on the monster hunt, you check the status of your battery and to load it completely! Indeed, having the app continuously running and eventually a second device connected, the consumption of the battery is huge. You can even take an external battery with you (but don’t forget the right cable to connect it to your device!). It’s also recommended to take some snacks, sweets and drinks along with you for some well deserved breaks! Even when our device was out of battery, the kids had still a lot of fun and were not at all too keen on getting back home…

image

If you are concerned about the security of your kids on the streets, then why not (like me) accompany them and chose where to go and the places to visit.

image

Sorry, but I have to leave you now… Charel’s friends have just arrived for yet another hunt… 🙂 And this time we’re heading back to the forest, ’cause I am sure that we’ll still have to discover some well hidden monsters there!

« back to family go top
Fredke
Fredke

I’m Frédérique, fortysomething, mum, maker and craft blogger with a penchant for chaos...

Contributor of