When Pokémon Goes to Campus: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Nati Harnik, AP Images

Two weeks after its release, the augmented-reality game Pokémon Go has become a global phenomenon, and college students across the country are finding that their campuses are among the best places to play.

By using the GPS system and camera lens on a player’s smartphone, the free app tracks the player’s location and creates a virtual world atop the physical one, viewed through the phone’s screen. Campuses are prime destinations for players because of their landmarks, which often double as “Poke Stops” and “gyms,” essential spots for players who want to catch the game’s fictional creatures and advance to higher competitive levels.

By many accounts, the game’s popularity has had a positive effect in higher education: Students are venturing outside, interacting with one another, exercising, and exploring their campuses to an extent that may be a little unusual during the summer. But the game also carries some safety concerns, such as people playing on campuses well into the night.

And the game has occasionally turned dangerous: Last week at the University of Maryland at College Park, three students playing Pokémon Go were robbed of their phones, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Such incidents have been rare on campuses, though. And even if the game turns out to be a fad — say, the next Candy Crush — students and administrators are making the most of it for now.

The Good

As the game’s popularity has grown, colleges have jumped on the bandwagon. Some have created elaborate maps that proudly showcase their Poke Stops and gyms. Others have held Pokémon-themed events, like one at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Saint Leo University offered prospective students a tour of the campus, according to its associate director of events and campus tours, Brandee L. Bolden. The tour highlighted the Florida campus’s classrooms, dining hall, athletic fields, and, of course, three Pokémon gyms and 17 Poke Stops.

Emporia State University, in Kansas, released a video that features its president, Allison D. Garrett, comically telling viewers what not to do while playing the game.

Corey Byers, a public-information officer in Virginia Commonwealth University’s police department, said that an officer patrolling the Monroe Park campus had played the game’s theme music for students who gathered there one night.

But the game’s popularity extends beyond marketing and entertainment. Last week a Fullerton College student and his roommate helped the police catch a man who had been wanted for attempted murder, according to the The Orange County Register. The two were playing in downtown Fullerton, Calif., when they spotted a man bothering children. Because of their vigilance, the police arrived and arrested the suspect.

Players are also seeing benefits to their mental and physical health, said Jane S. Bogart, director of student wellness at Columbia University Medical Center.

The game not only gets people outdoors and moving, Ms. Bogart said. It can also foster the kind of heightened awareness that can be reached by activities such as meditation.

The Bad

Many colleges have urged their students to exercise caution while playing the game, or to stay away from construction sites and private property. Many students seem to be getting the message, although some continue to play late into the night. Delincy Nelson, a senior at Virginia Commonwealth, said that a few days after the game was released, he stayed up playing until 5:30 a.m.

That could lead to poor sleeping habits, which are already common among students, said Ms. Bogart. And such habits could impair the immune system, making players more vulnerable to illness, she said. Long-term sleep deprivation could harm a player’s emotional health, she added.

Another problem is an ailment that she called “phone neck.” By looking down for extended periods of time, she said, “people have been getting tingling fingers from squashing their vertebrae.”

The College of the Ozarks, in Missouri, sent a message to students saying that people should “refrain” from playing the game on its campus. The college does allow students to play, but only in certain areas.

The Ugly

At Texas A&M University at College Station last week, a person who was playing the game got dehydrated, had a seizure, and injured himself, according to Lt. Allan Baron of the campus police department.

Also last week at A&M, a person was driving while playing the game, and decided to park in a bike lane so he could catch a Pokémon. Another motorist, who was also playing the game, crashed into the parked car.

Both drivers were given citations, Lieutenant Baron said.

An alumnus of the University of Oklahoma got stuck inside the campus’s football stadium while hunting for a Pokémon known as a Squirtle, The Oklahoma Daily reported this week. He tweeted that he had escaped, thanks to a worker’s help:

@zoellerpowered Bless this man and his key. pic.twitter.com/gkf1eWma9d

— Steven Zoeller (@zoellerpowered) July 19, 2016