[URBAN NOTE] "Toronto pokemasters rediscovering their city with Pokemon Go"

[rfmcdonald]

Metro Toronto's Luke Simcoe describes Pokemon Go in a way that might even get me playing.

In their quest to catch ‘em all, Pokémon GO users in Toronto are rediscovering the landmarks, avenues and alleyways that make up their city.

“I had never been to the Jack Layton ferry terminal before, but I went there after work and got to see all these interesting things while trying to catch Pokémon for fun,” said Sushil Tailor, a self-described Pokémon fanatic who works downtown.

The augmented reality game – which Nintendo hasn’t been officially released in Canada yet – is based on a database of global parks, public art, heritage sites and popular buildings. Pokémon are more likely to be spotted near these locations.

“It's easy to marry urbanism with Pokémon,” Tailor said. “Walkable neighbourhoods directly correlate with running into more Pokémon, more landmarks, and more gyms.”

Rachel Lissner, founder of Toronto’s Young Urbanists League Facebook group, has been playing the game non-stop since Monday. From chasing a Torterra through the Christie Pitts pool to scouring Kensington Market in search of a Jynx, the game has Lissner exploring the city a bit more than usual.