Pokemon GO, the hit Android and iOS game, has created a massive following in a very short time, breaking usage and sales records left and right. In addition to the enjoyment players get from playing the game, some have also used it as inspiration to have a bit of fun of their own. One such person is Trevor Jones, of Arlington MA, who has been creating Pokemon GO signs and placing them around Boston.
Jones is a professional copywriter, so he has some experience with signage and graphic arts. He has used his expertise to create four signs that resemble street signs, with silhouettes of Pokemon and short messages, and placed them in popular locations in Boston so that Pokemon hunters may stumble across them and get a bit of extra enjoyment from the game. Among the signs is one outside of the fire station on Dalton Street that reads: “All firefighters are napping; In case of fire please catch the nearest water Pokemon”, written around a silhouette of the water-type Pokemon known as Squirtle. Another, posted outside Whole Foods on Edgerly Road, reads: ”Alert store manager if you find Exeggcute in your free range egg carton”. (For those unaware, Exeggcute is another type of Pokemon.) Other signs are located at Hynes Convention Center and Frog Pond in Boston Common. While the signs were created with entertainment in mind, not everyone is amused. Mayor Marty Walsh, for example, objects to the project, stating “it is city property” and warning Jones that he “can’t be posting signs whether it is city or state”. While city officials may not be happy about the signs being posted around town, this is a great example of the level of enthusiasm that the game inspires.
This is not the first instance of hobbyists taking creative initiative to add enjoyability to the game. Recently, a Dallas resident took it upon herself to create her own physical representations of Pokemon through the art of crocheting and left them at PokeStops around town for players of the game to find. She is not selling them; it is simply something that she enjoys doing and wants to share with others, and her efforts have been met with great reception by those who have stumbled across her creations. The game has already won the hearts of many players, but the efforts of these creative and enthusiastic hobbyists may be able to make the game even more enjoyable for Pokemon GO players, and perhaps even provide a bit of entertainment for those who don’t play the game as well.
