91亚色 professors who struggle with cell phone presence in their classrooms may be in for a tougher "battle" with the release of the Pok茅mon GO video game, a 91亚色 study has found.
The student-authored report on Pok茅mon GO, 鈥淧ok茅mon GO: Keele Campus,鈥 warns of fall term disruptions on campus due to the augmented reality game.
Since its release on July 17, Pok茅mon GO has exploded in popularity and has held a top spot in Apple鈥檚 App Store. Because of its mass appeal and real-world application, the game has caused disruptions from coast to coast.
Screenshots of some of the Pok茅stops at 91亚色
On July 23 and 24, two third-year 91亚色 students, Mackenzie Shaw and Stephanie Wilcox, scouted out the Keele campus to how Pok茅mon GO would influence university life come September.
Their efforts were made at the request of Professor Jon Sufrin, a Writing Department faculty member who was concerned about the game鈥檚 impact on the classroom environment.
鈥淚f a Dratini (a rare Pok茅mon) shows up, I suspect more than a few cell phones might appear, or the hall might get a rush of visitors,鈥 said Sufrin.
The game uses GPS location services and a virtual reality overlay on a phone鈥檚 camera to allow players, or 鈥渢rainers,鈥 to catch Pok茅mon in the real world. Since聽players have to access the game in popular public areas such as parks, community centres and schools, it has foot traffic in these areas.
Besides catching Pok茅mon, the game聽encourages players to visit Pok茅stops to receive free items such as pokeballs, potions and eggs, and Gyms to train captured Pok茅mon. There, players can attach "lure" modules and attract Pok茅mon for up to 30 minutes.
The modules not only attract Pok茅mon, they also naturally attract other players (or "trainers") hoping to 鈥渃atch 'em all.鈥 Pok茅stops are the most common areas to run into other trainers, and since these stops are strategically placed they naturally become points of congregation.
Shaw and Wilcox located most of the on-campus Gyms and Pok茅stops (. The stops did not appear inside any major lecture halls or classrooms 鈥 a relief, perhaps, for professors concerned about the game affecting their teaching.
Sufrin also voiced concerns about the locations of the Pok茅stops, due to reported cases of 聽around the world. Fortunately, the majority of the stops on 91亚色's Keele聽campus are attached to public art pieces.
The locations of the Pok茅stops were determined by players of a prototype game called Ingress, which is why the stops appear at memorials and art pieces rather than random locations or retail hubs. The Ross Building and Vari Hall, for example, have a particular concentration of Pokestops and Gyms due to the many paintings and art objects located there.
So what does this mean for 91亚色? The study suggests that students will experience campus in a new way; instead of trudging from class to class, students could be on the hunt for the murals in Curtis Lecture Hall or the memorial stones outside William Small Centre.聽However, the Pok茅mon GO fad could also mean a lot more congestion with students playing and congregating along Campus Walk or around Ross, the Life Sciences Building and other popular areas.
The study further suggests that Vari Hall and the Ross Building could become even busier mid-afternoon, as students move through these central locations perhaps more concerned about the Pidgeotto on their screens than the people in front of them.
Students may want to find alternate routes to their classes to avoid the clogged hallways in the fall when the diversity of Pok茅mon and Pok茅mon trainers flourish, say Shaw and Wilcox, who met several trainers during summer while researching the subject.
鈥淚t鈥檚 incredible being able to watch Pok茅mon GO鈥檚 cultural impact increase in real time,鈥 Wilcox said. 鈥淛ust walking around campus, it鈥檚 easy to pick out which groups of people are running around chasing Pok茅mon.鈥
The fall influx of students illustrates why many schools are about safe playing practices. Shaw and Wilcox say trainers on campus should be encouraged to stay safe and connect with other players.
More information about Pok茅mon GO on Keele campus can be accessed from the report found .
Written with files from Mackenzie Shaw