The
phenomenon of Pokemon Go, a location-based augmented reality mobile
game, has finally engulfed Turkey, with hundreds of gamers gathering
outside to capture, train and battle pokemons.
Groups of Pokemon fans in the capital Ankara
began to contact each other on social media upon the game’s release and
came together in the city’s central Güvenpark, collectively playing the
game for hours every day.
The game is not yet officially available
for download in Turkey but eager fans have been able to download it by
connecting to other countries.
The number of gamers multiplies after work, as Pokemon fans can be seen walking streets around the city searching for pokemons.
As
elsewhere, there have been reports of players even having accidents –
falling over or walking into lampposts – due to focusing too much on the
game.
Ali Kemal Ustali, a gamer who works at a hotel in the
central Kızılay district of Ankara, said the game “lent color to life
and helped make new friends.”
“Everyone who plays is so happy. It
is a really nice feeling. It is important to be together in crowds
because there are three groups: Blues, reds and yellows. So the more
people there are, the easier it is to catch pokemons,” Ustali said.
“The
game also lends color to life as a social activity. There are lots of
people making friends. I have been here for three days and have met many
new friends,” he added.
Some Turkish Pokemon fans have said
their most important problem was their lack of phone battery, and there
have been demands for the municipality to build public charging stations
inside the park.
“I have been here for just two hours and 55
percent of my battery has run out. If we had an opportunity to charge
our phones we would continue to play the game at night,” one gamer said.
One
youth center in the neighboring province of Eşkişehir has started
serving free tea and water to locals who drop by while searching for
pokemons.
The Tepebaşı Municipality Youth Center posted a notice
on its Twitter account, calling on Pokemon Go fans to come for free
service.
“Pokemon Go mania has also engulfed our youth center. We
have water and tea service for ‘Ash Ketchums’ who are tired while
searching for pokemons. We also have a pokestop very close to us, so you
can get a free pokeball along with a free tea every 10 minutes. We also
have incense to help you easily catch pokemons if enough trainers come
together,” the youth center tweeted.
Pokemon Go has become a
global phenomenon since its release in the United States last week. It
was the most downloaded smartphone app in the U.S. in its first three
days of release, increasing Nintendo’s stock value up to nearly 60
percent in just four sessions as of July 12 despite not yet being
released in Japan.
Developed by Niantic, a company founded as an
internal startup at Google, the free mobile app game uses satellite
location, graphics and camera to overlay cartoon monsters on real world
settings, challenging players to capture and train the creatures for
battles.