Pokemon Hunting| Of bonding, hobbies and being green

Published 11 December 2016 ● Last Updated on 30 September 2020

I go through phases of being addicted to games on my phone.

For most of 2014 and even into 2015, it was the numbers game 2048 – where I was chasing the theoretically possible, but very rare level of 16384. Then it was the word game Ruzzle where you compete with others to form words from a 4X4 grid. Needless to say, I like to believe that these were all ‘grown-up’ and intelligent games.

Then came a game, which I ignored for quite some time. We were out for a morning walk to the botanical gardens and saw droves of people of all ages, glued to their phones, with a seemingly common purpose! My 8 year old was pleading for her to try it and finally I yielded to this temptation. A month and a half later, I have decided to convince myself that it not just a kids game…. well, maybe it is but who cares.

In case you don’t know, it’s a game where you catch virtual monsters that are all around us called Pocket Monsters (Pokemons for short).

Some useful tips for beginners:

• Popular Pokemon hunting grounds in Singapore- Vivo City mall, Orchard Road, Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa, Changi Village, the zoo, Chinese Gardens, the Botanic Gardens are just some places ardent poke fans (including us) frequent.
• Helpful tools such as Go Radar app or sgpokemap help you check where the best places to catch the pokes are.
• You catch some, hatch some from eggs (which need walking) and then you evolve some.
• The purpose at one level is to catch all that you can – 141 in Singapore out of the 149. The remaining 8 are not available with 4 being region specific and not seen in Singapore and 4 not being released yet.

Looking back at the time we have spent on the game, there are a few things about this game that are just fantastic:

1. The game is a lot about the outdoors. It’s about walking, a lot, and much of it outdoors. In this day of staring at electronic screens, this game is a great compromise. We got to walk around many parks, botanic gardens, the zoo, cycling tracks along the ECP and more. My daughter who is not a big fan of walking for miles is always more than happy to trek thanks to ‘poke’ hunting!

2. It’s also a great way to see Singapore. We have to collect Pokeballs (with which you catch Pokemons) from Pokestops. Many of them are interesting locations, artworks and off the beaten track. One is automatically curious to know their history.

3. You can co-create a poke tour with your hobby. We do cycling trips to ECP where we then park the cycle to catch Pokemons around Marina Bay Sands, the Marina Barrage and the ECP. You can make it a photography trek and there are some awesome routes you can create. Your kids could even offer to dog walk for your neighbours and earn some pokemoney (wow, saw the pun there?). This is a strict no no for walking on the main roads though. 

4. Finally, it can be a great way to bond with little people- your kids or nephews and nieces. The excitement of catching the rare pokemons, the long hours of walking and talking about everything including expert game strategies my daughter has learnt from her friends in school, cycling along unknown paths and being startled the first time a monitor lizard crossed the cycling track – these and many more have been priceless moments.

So, what are you waiting for? Get the game on your phones and have a blast. Remember to keep it safe – don’t zombie walk onto roads, people, private property and unsafe places. Remember to pre-decide the amount of time you will spend (yes, one does tend to spend a lot more time than planned) and catch away. And make it a healthy and interesting way to cultivate your other interests, weave curiosity back discovering new things and learn more about Singapore…

-Karthik

Karthik has travelled all over the globe on work in various roles in consumer banking. He is an avid photographer and you will rarely catch him without his gear in tow. He has recently acquired a passion to bike so he can be seen in the wee hours of the morning along Nicole highway in Singapore. Karthik is a self-confessed tech addict and a loving dad to an 8 year old.