Virtual Animals Brought to Life at Pokémon Go DayVirtual Animals Brought to Life at Pokémon Go Day
Pokémon fans of all different ages flocked to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo to participate in the zoo's Pokémon Go event
By
Tate Sigworth
Track 1: “Animals of all shapes and sizes fill the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. Just like they do in the virtual world of Pokémon Go. Caitlyn Sparks, a sales assistant at the Zoo, is a huge fan of Pokémon and was a driving force in putting the event together.”
Sparks: “So it got people to actually go out and explore the world.”
Track 2: “Signs were posted on most exhibits showing the Pokémon counterpart of the real-life animal to help bring the game to life.”
Sparks: “A lot of Pokemon are actually inspired off of real animals. In fact, some of the kids will see some of our animals and be like ‘Oh it looks like that, oh it looks like that’.”
Track 3: “So this is what the app looks like. It places the user in a virtual map, anywhere in the U-S. It allows them to walk around, find items, and hunt their favorite Pokémon.”
Bryce Rodos: “I’ve caught like 25 Pokémon…Gengar…Because he’s a ghost Pokémon…If another Pokémon tries to do an attack they can disappear and it will miss.”
Track 4: For Sparks, her connection to Pokémon, goes a little deeper than general fandom. ”
Sparks: “Pikachu has been my favorite Pokémon since the beginning of Pokémon. Especially when my nickname is Sparky. One of the Pikachu’s on the show was nicknamed Sparky.”
Track 5: “Events aimed at students on mid-winter break are set to continue at the zoo throughout the weekend. Tate Sigworth, N-C-C News. ”
SYRACUSE, N.Y (NCC NEWS) – Fans of Pokémon were given the special opportunity for a Pokemon themed day at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo on Thursday.
The event was apart of a series of events put on by the Zoo this week aimed at students who are on their mid-winter break from Syracuse-area schools.
One of the main organizers of the event is Caitlyn Sparks, a sales assistant in the Zoo’s gift shop. Sparks, who was dressed up as Pikachu, has a special connection to the yellow, electric creature that stems from her childhood.
“Pikachu has been my favorite Pokémon since the beginning of Pokémon. Especially when my nickname is Sparky. One of the Pikachu’s on the show was nicknamed Sparky,” Sparks said.
While the Pokémon Go app was released back in 2016 and the first ever game released in 1996, the brand remains popular with its fans. On top of that, Sparks realized that the Zoo could capitalize on the fan base’s passion after she thought about the actual purpose of the game.
“When I realized that the point of the game was to inspire people to go to parks and zoos because they would put Pokéstops in places of importances like memorials. So it got people to go out and explore the world,” Sparks said.
The game incentivizes visits to public places by making them hubs of items and restricting players to only move in the app when they physically move.
