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Pokemon stops on the Camino?

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I bet there are. I expect Santiago Cathedral has got one.
 
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Of course there are. All those cities and villages you walk though are not sacred places that exist for you only.
Spain is just a regular European country, people live in all these places and many of them play pokemon, search for geocaches or whatever you find unfitting.
 
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Well one positive thing about this Pokemon madness ( my personal humble opinion ) is that the young ones , say 14 or 15 years old are finally moving again...and walking the streets in search of that yellow virtual creature.
I think my young neighbour walked for the first time in his life in order to " brood a Pokemon egg " .So yes the game has the advantage to get a couch ridden adolescent active....
And maybe these walks will inspire one or two of them to keep walking and maybe walk a Camino.
 
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beiramar said:
All those cities and villages you walk though are not sacred places that exist for you only.
Click to expand...
Of course they're not. And at the same time the Camino is a sacred path for many of us--one that's open to everyone, even those searching for geocahes. Especially the 'geocache' called 'un-augmented' reality.
Viranani said:
And kindly but in all honesty, this may not be the best place to ask that question, @SooYunKim.
Click to expand...
I can see how you might have misunderstood my comment--apologies if I caused offense--I meant (and no doubt I'll be corrected if I'm wrong) that most folks here have probably never played Pokemon. How would we know?
So play to your heart's content, but don't bother asking apples about oranges.
 
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The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
But @Robo, don't you know? Pokemon is a life. It's called "Augmented Reality."
(Really--look it up. Anyway I'm no fun so don't ask archaic me; Real Reality is enough of a joy and challenge--one that doesn't benefit from faux augmentation.)

@notion900
Eeeeee...the real ones are bad enough, but 1.4kg?!?
(Runs and hides--pass on this kind of augmentation............)
 
Pokemon on the Camino? Gosh, I hope NOT! I saw a guy playing Pokemon go walk into a lamp post here in NYC the other day. I wanna walk the Camino to get away from that sort of thing. Lol.
 
Wow... this is going to take the 'Mindfullness on the Camino' conversation we had some time ago to a WHOLE new level... Well, I've always said each to their own so guess I need to apply that here too. Pokemon away if it makes your Camino better.
 
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Hi @SooYunKim, most of us here won't know the answer to your question as we're of a different generation. You may also find a little impatience in our answers, probably because of concerns that Pokemon activities may not be appropriate on a pilgrimage route.

Personally, I would find gaming (I don't know if that's the right terminology!) somewhat offensive on quiet trails or at 'special' places. It wouldn't annoy me in a larger town or city - especially if locals were also doing it. I would probably find it quite entertaining.

Buen Camino!
 
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falcon269 said:
By all means, do your camino our way.
Click to expand...
Touché. Perhaps I was being dogmatic. It would be a sad day if there were rules and standards for the Camino.

This forum is about information, advice and opinions. I wonder if there are human behaviours that could test the tradition of no rules?
 
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From limited experience with our grand-daughters:-
They seem to be in more populated places, not on Dartmoor for example but many at Killerton House.
They run your phone battery down double fast especially I think where there is no 4G network.
They certainly encourage walking but they could also pick them up in the car although I don't know if they actually caught one that way.
As others have said maybe this isn't the place to get a good answer as we are not, generally speaking, players ourselves.
 
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Viranani said:
Real Reality is enough of a joy and challenge--one that doesn't benefit from faux augmentation.
Click to expand...

You know me! I cannot resist arguing with your truism!

I have virtually (pun intended) never played a computer game (well, maybe 2 hours of my life have been spent on computer solitaire or tetris) and I don't expect to take up Pokeman unless as an act of elder rebellion! (Hmmm! There's an idea.)

From the wikipedia entry on Augmented Reality: the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality.

Well, I try to enhance my reality every day, through both technology and intellectual effort - by what I eat, drink, read, do, think, etc. Sometimes I escape into fiction or gaze at works of art, sometimes I use music to change my mood. I also find that long walks enhance my perceptions. And I get great joy from communicating with real people who are far away, for example here on the forum. Those are all augmentations to my reality, but I'm not sure if they are faux or not. I'm not sure I care.

I too have occasional discomfort about new-fangled trends and computer games, but I try to control my knee-jerk reaction to them. My first reaction to Pokeman Go was "No! Never! Keep it away from me." Then I read an interesting article by an autistic woman who pointed out what a helpful tool it was to help her interact more in the community. I realized that my prejudice needed to be examined.

I realize this thread could be problematic, and will cease and desist if necessary!
 
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I've always considered you to be a clear thinking and well spoken individual, but you are outdoing even yourself today. You're on a roll; Stay the course!!
 
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Anemone del Camino said:
Just wait for the increase in rescues now that people will miss arrows more then ever as they walk the Camino staring at their phones rather than looking for arrows ;0).
Click to expand...
Maybe someone could develop a camino app that works the same as Pokeman but puts yellow arrows on your screen instead of a Dewgong. Oh wait - that's a GPS...
 
C clearly said:
You know me! I cannot resist arguing with your truism!
Click to expand...
I appreciate your contrarian mind, C...it stops and makes me think, and to clarify.
And as you well know I'm not a luddite. I use lots of technology and value it. And I think technology that encourages imagination isn't all bad. But Pokemon's augmentation fosters behavior that can be dysfunctional--causing otherwise intelligent people to lose their connection with their bodies and physical reality.They walk off cliffs, drive into other cars, get stuck in mines, and otherwise lose situational reality to the extent that they injure themselves or others.
Of course most people don't go that far, but at the very least Pokemon doesn't foster the kind of presence and embodiment and deeper exploration that walking the Camino is about--but rather a restless seeking.

Well, whatever. It's happening. If it gets people out to actually be on the Camino they may see that simple presence is much more satisfying.

I laughed out loud (literally, not just in the lol sense) at @jozero's post, and agree with both parts of it:
jozero said:
Wow... this is going to take the 'Mindfullness on the Camino' conversation we had some time ago to a WHOLE new level... Well, I've always said each to their own so guess I need to apply that here too. Pokemon away if it makes your Camino better.
Click to expand...

And as @falcon269 says:
falcon269 said:
Good question.
Now, just shoot me...
Click to expand...

I'm really enjoying this discussion...but today I have to keep it short, because I have a life and it can suffer because of being here too long if I'm not careful.
(In case we think an addiction to the Forum is for some reason better than an addiction to Pokemon..............uhhhh...I have news for us....)
 
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There are Pokestops and even Pokemon Gyms on the larger cities.

If some of us use the camino for tourism, some use it to experiment wines, some do it for whatever reason, I see no problem in someone doing it to hunt Pokemons.

So many of us use the mobile for GPS, messages, internet, things that never existed a few years ago. Using it for one more thing is really a problem?

Also, so many of us decided to go on the camino because of a Holywood movie, and found out there's much more to it. What's the difference in starting the trail thinking about catching Pokemons and maybe also finding there is MUCH more to catch on the way?

As long as people and places are respected, each one can walk their camino as they believe is best.
 
Anamya said:
What's the difference in starting the trail thinking about catching Pokemons and maybe also finding there is MUCH more to catch on the way?
As long as people and places are respected, each one can walk their camino as they believe is best.
Click to expand...
No difference, really. So long as there is openness , respect, and sensitivity--of course.

At the same time I agree with @peregrina2000 when she says (in another thread going right now):
We all have to walk our own unique camino--there's no other way to do it. But, yes: it's vital that we try to maintain mutual respect and sensitivity that takes into account the impact out actions have on others.

I think 2 things are causing the snarky comments here (for which I for one apologize, having been guilty of posting a couple):
  1. A simple generation gap. Lots of us grew up BC and have a different value system about the usefulness and potential dangers of IT--and particularly about social platforms and gaming. And of course everyone thinks they're right.
  2. For a very long time walking the Camino was mostly a contemplative journey--and for many of us (Catholic or not) it still is. And for some of us the Camino is sacred space. So for many, the influx in the last years of large numbers of other walkers who do not share those values has been jarring, to say the least. Whether it's people doing a wine/touristic walk or playing Pokemon--when done without sensitivity, both seem equally antithetical to the kind of quiet contemplative experince many seek. So there may be a knee-jerk "Not on MY Camino, you don't!" imagining the kind of idiocy that we read about in the media (Search 'dangers of Pokemon,' for example).
All that said, it's the mutual understanding and discussion that are important here, and one of the gifts of both the Camino and the Forum--this is not the usual combative internet forum space, it's more of a virtual albergue. So hopefully we can continue to stay open, learning from each other rather than retreating to defensive positions.
 
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wow... some firery conversations. *intimidated*
I expected to see a couple of threads with short answer either yes or no
since I thought not many pilgrims are into Pokemon Go game.

Of course there should be Pokemons and Pokemon stops in Spain.
They probaby are everywhere in big cities like Leon or Santiago.
What I was wondering was if anyone ever seen Pokemons/stops in the middle of the Camino like Meseta.
But no pilgrim would focus on their phone trying to catch Pokemon instead of the arrows,
so the answer would be No, I guess.
Still the image of huge Pokemon hovering over pilgrims on Meseta is funny.
Well, there goes my imagination running wild.
Also I think it would be so funny if the Cathedral in SdC has its very own Pokemon.
I mean, Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in So.Cal has one stop and a gym! LOL

Those two Pokemons Notion900 posted are probably the ones that can be found only in Europe.
I've never seen them. Cool.

Thank you for all the great conversations.

Buen Camino.
 
I think the game does let you talk to other people. Last week I sat on the steps of a campground store and talked about the game to about 10 people who were playing, between the ages of 11 and 70. When I leveled up to 5, they all cheered me on and urged me to join their team.

I will admit, I'm not sure how it would work on Camino. There are too many other beautiful things to see and things to talk about. But maybe, for a few minutes, it might be a good start to interesting conversations.

Just because it's a virtual, electronic game, doesn't make it all bad.
 
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Actually @Annie Little There are reports that state quite the opposite, see for example http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rahis-saifi/pokemon-gos-mental-health_b_11204184.html

BTW, I am not a Pokemon fan/player and I also think that like everything else it should be approached with a huge dose of common sense and moderation, but if it helps to get depressed people out and interacting with others, I think it is a good thing.
Seeing Pokemon players among pilgrims, sigh, not so sure about that one, but then over the last ~1000 years the Camino has survived a lot, I am sure it will survive Pokemons also ;-)

Buen Camino, SY
 
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@peregrina2000
I find myself wanting to avoid Santiago, and especially the locations of pokemon gyms etc. where these creatures and those who pursue them are dense. Yesterday, I bicyled downtown and had considerable difficulty getting home because a park where walkers and cyclists share the paths was thick with pokemon players ignoring the traffic and in an absolute daze as to their physical environment. I shall try to schedule a much briefer time in Santiago this year.
 
While camping on the Oregon Coast a few weeks ago with my family, my adult daughter and my grandkids helped me get started playing Pokemon and it is a hoot!! That being said, for me personally there is a time and place for everything. I'll be walking across Scotland in 2 weeks and I will leave my Pokemon hunting at home, with my grandkids. I don't want to get lost in Glasgow or Edinburgh looking for Pokespots! It definitely gets people of all ages out walking and that is a good thing. It really is a hoot!!
 
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WOW @SooYunKim you really started a thread !!!! ...it has been very interesting for me to read all these posts. My oppinion is that even if there are pokemons in the Camino, and anyone starts walking with the intention of finding pokemons, don't think it will last very long, the magic and the vibes of the Camino will involve him or her.
This has been one great "thread" !!!!
PS. @Tincatinker loved your reply !!!!
Buen Camino to you all !!!!!!
 
SooYunKim said:
Just out of curiousity,
Are there Pokemons or Pokemon stops on the Camino?
Click to expand...
I asked this somewhat "tongue in cheek" of a recent pilgrim who had just discovered the fun of "trivia" in his post Camino depression. The issue is maintaining sufficient battery charge as you will know how quickly this is used playing Pokemon Go.
 
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I read that some one put one at Arlington Cemetery (and its removal had been requested). I don't mind people playing the game on the Camino, but I think places of worship or places that honor the fallen (e.g. cemeteries, monuments to fallen soldiers/leaders) should be off-limits because those are not places for playing games (for example, signs at Arlington remind you this is not a place for running, horseplay, etc)--out of respect.

and I suppose this goes for any unthinking behavior, even when not related to Pokemon...I remember being in the Crypt beneath Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena, and seeing a distraught young man trying to stop tourists from walking all over the tomb at which he was praying. Sometimes we forget the human emotions tied to the places we visit.
 
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jdpiguet said:
I'm afraid, but: Did the Pokémon snore during the night?
Click to expand...
Never heard of Ronflex, have you?

Lots of Pokemon snoring on the Way!
*Picture that when you dorm neighbor makes the albergue shake at night!*



 
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