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Small Batch: The Rise Of (And Backlash Against) Pokemon GO

Pokemon Company
/
Niantic

If you've listened to NPR or stepped outside in the last week or so, then you've probably already heard about Pokemon GO, a new "Augmented Reality" app in which players encounter and "catch" Pokemon characters the game has (virtually) situated around their own neighborhoods. In addition to its massive success, the game has sparked an assortment of controversies, the latest of which involves players showing up at "Pokestops" located in, for example, Arlington National Cemetery and the United States Holocaust Museum.

For this Small Batch edition of Pop Culture Happy Hour, Glen Weldon and I sit down to discuss the game: its allure and ubiquity, the inevitable backlash and glitches, and its zeitgeist-y collision of gaming, community and nostalgia.

Also, though it's certainly not necessary in order to follow this discussion, I highly recommend catching up on Glen's day-brightening 3,000-word Pokemon GO essay.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Stephen Thompson is a host, writer and reviewer for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour. He appears frequently on All Songs Considered and NPR newsmagazines.