Columbia community finds connection through Pokémon Go

At 5 p.m. on a Thursday evening, the brutal beams of sunlight refused to turn in at the Wilde Lake Village Center in Columbia. Beads of sweat raced down the faces of Heather and Jonathan Dasher, as they escaped to a shady spot of tree cover just outside Slayton House and continued their hunt.Although tempted by a nearby water fountain, the married couple were not after a bottled water or swimming pool. Smartphones in-hand, they were searching for virtual creatures known as Pokémon using the trending gaming app Pokémon Go.&quot;They're kind of hard to catch right now,&quot; Heather Dasher, 35, said to her husband. &quot;You have to throw the Pokéball [using] your phone and you have to hit [them] the right way or it's not going to work. Some of them are harder to catch, so you have to bribe them to stay [using berries].&quot;Oakland Mills resident Wayne Blackwell soon met up with the couple for the first time, introducing himself as the creator of the Howard County Pokémon Go Facebook page. Created on July 9, the page has seen a steady growth of members, topping 58 people as of July 14.Blackwell said he started the group as a way to bring all Pokémon fans together and strategize the best locations for capture.&quot;Everybody that lives in this area loves Pokémon,&quot; he said. &quot;We're actually having a meet-and-greet instead of posting updates online, so we actually can see each other and who's who.&quot;About 20 residents, ranging from teens to adults, gathered on the village center's grassy nook on July 14, with their fingers ready to swipe at their phones and snatch up Pokémon.&quot;The reason why we're going to talk to each other is because of the love of Pokémon,&quot; Blackwell said. &quot;Just off of the game, you can also meet a lot of new people who you wouldn't really talk to in everyday life.&quot;Heather Dasher happily agreed.&quot;I have met a lot of people online through it,&quot; she said. &quot;I would say that I've talked to probably 80 strangers in-person and I have social anxiety. I don't talk to people. It gives you a reason to say, 'Hey, what are you doing? What have you caught? What team are you on?'&quot;Merging the game with reality has reinvigorated the 20-year-old following that began with Nintendo's first handheld Pokémon video game, released on the Gameboy device in 1996.Finding Pokemon Go monsters, gyms and Pokestops at Howard County recreation athletic fields. (Brent Kennedy, Baltimore Sun Media Group)Mobile gaming company Niantic Inc. released Pokémon Go to fans and newcomers alike on July 6 in the U.S. and Australia, followed by a release in New Zealand days later. &quot;Poké-fever&quot; has since swept the nation as players flood buildings, monuments and parks to catch the iconic creatures in the smartphone game.Using an Android or iPhone, Pokémon Go allows &quot;trainers&quot; – the player – to venture around with GPS to find and &quot;catch 'em all&quot; as Pokémon appear on the user's phone screen. A variety of Pokémon are available in the game depending on time and location.&quot;It's something everybody already had such a love of,&quot; Heather Dasher said. &quot;It's something we already really adored and it's part of when we were children and teens. It's this great phenomenon to know we can just do it and it's not like we're just sitting at home, passively.&quot;An avid gamer, Dasher said she previously spent a lot of her days inside, glaring at her computer or TV screen while playing other Pokémon games or World of Warcraft. But since Pokémon Go's release just over a week ago, the Dashers have ditched their gaming consoles and grabbed their phones to find Pokémon in their hometown.&quot;I've been walking all over here a ton. I think I've lost like three inches on my waist size,&quot; Dasher said. &quot;In the last week, I've walked all the way down from the village center to Wilde Lake, so it's definitely helping me to be more active. It gives us a good incentive.&quot;Westminster resident Aaron Bush, 28, said his legs have taken him all over Howard and Carroll counties, including Columbia, Ellicott City and Sykesville. Over last weekend, Bush said, he joined nearly 200 people along Main Street in Ellicott City, all catching Pokémon until the wee hours of the morning.&quot;Probably in the last three or four days, I've walked around 40 miles,&quot; Bush said. &quot;My feet are killing me, but you don't realize it. You have a destination, you have something to do and you have groups of people you're hanging out with, so you lose track of time.&quot;In addition to showing the player's location and status as a trainer, &quot;Pokéstops&quot; are also displayed throughout the game, where players can collect the classic white and red Pokéballs to capture the critters as well as other items, such as healing potions, incense and lure modules to advance their skills.Users continue their exploration by choosing one of three teams – Team Valor, Team Mystic or Team Instinct – while furthering their Pokémon training at certain landmarks referred to as &quot;gyms&quot; to battle other players to become masters.Pokéstops surrounding the Wilde Lake Village Center included the village center, Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, the Jim Rouse Memorial Plaque and St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, while the Slayton House served as a &quot;gym.&quot;Representing Team Mystic, 11-year-old Jada Drummond-Bednarz and her dad, Jason Bednarz, wandered to the village center playground in an attempt to catch one.&quot;It's a Pidgey! Here, you catch it,&quot; Jada said, quickly handing the phone over to her dad, now tasked with capturing the flying Pokémon. &quot;I like the creativity about it. There are so many little creatures everywhere.&quot;&quot;She asked me to go on a walk the other morning and I was like, 'What?'&quot; Bednarz said. &quot;Then, I quickly figured out what was going on, but it still got us out. We've been having a good time with it.&quot;Caution urgedSearches for hotspots in Howard County are moving forward, with players highlighting Ellicott City's Main Street and Centennial Park; the lakefront and mall in Columbia; and Savage Mill.The game's popularity has sent Nintendo's stock price in Japan spiking — 8.9 percent on July 8 and an additional 24.52 percent on July 11, according to CNBC.While its reception among gamers skyrockets, Pokémon Go has also raised concerns among law enforcement agencies. Police around the country are urging players to pay attention to their surroundings after reports of robberies and car crashes involving players distracted by the game, as well as reports of gamers trespassing on private property.Baltimore County Police say three people playing Pokémon Go were robbed at gunpoint in Parkville one day after the game's release, when they were lured into the area to catch more Pokémon. Meanwhile, University of Maryland Police reported four college students – three who were playing the game – were also robbed in the evening July 12 on the College Park campus.Police departments in Baltimore City and Harford and Carroll counties said they've not received any calls related to those playing the game, while Howard police department spokeswoman Lori Boone said officers have had a few reports of trespassing on private property.&quot;The department would like to remind players to refrain from playing the game on private property unless they've been invited by the owner,&quot; Boone said.In Laurel, Police Chief Richard McLaughlin said officers have noticed more people out at all hours of the night.&quot;We have had people lured into somewhat dangerous situations through the game, like Gude Park at three o'clock in the morning,&quot; McLaughlin said. &quot;That creates some problems because police are going to want to know what's going on there, and they will be questioned. But overall, we are aware of gamers using it, but no major problems have been reported so far.&quot;The department's Facebook page also shared a PSA, telling drivers to &quot;Arrive alive, don't throw Pokéballs and drive.&quot;Howard County's Department of Recreation and Parks has also joined in the craze, informing players that the parks and facilities are suitable hunting grounds for Pokémon.&quot;We're excited to hear of many exploring new parks and getting out and active playing Pokémon Go,&quot; the department's Facebook page reads. &quot;While there are no Pokémon-specific articles in our park rules and regulations, we ask that you be safe and courteous and be aware of all posted signs.&quot;It's important to play responsibly, Jason Bednarz said.&quot;You hear about somebody walking into a pool or something like that. But, there is going to be some good and bad, as with everything,&quot; he said.As an effort to encourage the positive side of participating in the game, Heather Dasher said she is spreading the word of a fourth Pokémon team, Team Harmony. Heather said another player started the team online, and its name refers to &quot;Pokémon the Movie: 2000.&quot; In the film, three legendary bird Pokémon are fighting, but later unite thanks to a fourth legendary creature.&quot;That's the one they're using as the mascot for Team Harmony,&quot; Dasher said. &quot;Team Harmony is people who are trying to promote that even though we're on three different teams and we're competing for gyms, individually, we're all doing the same thing. We're all playing Pokémon and we all have the same goals, so we don't have to treat each other badly.&quot;United with fellow &quot;Poké-players,&quot; Heather and Jonathan Dasher, Aaron Bush, Jada Drummond-Bednarz and Jason Bednarz say they all believe Pokémon Go will only flourish in the future.&quot;I think it's great and as long as we all use it responsibly, I think it will last for a really long time,&quot; Heather Dasher said. &quot;It's really got potential to open up a new gaming style.&quot;Baltimore Sun reporters Brittany Britto, Alison Knezevich, Jessica Anderson, Tim Prudente and the Associated Press contributed to this story.

Columbia community finds connection through Pokémon Go

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