Pokemon Go gets Gurgaon going

“Oh it’s too addictive. Me and my daughters are totally hooked,” reads a post on Gurgaon Moms page on Facebook.

“I downloaded it too..pretty addictive.I cheat to get pokemons running over to me instead...but catching them on the go would be fun and a lot of exercise,” reads another by Namrata Bhargava.

With the interest in the game spanning across all age groups, Pokemon Go has got the world talking and ‘moving’. Gurgaon Moms (a community of mothers) speak to HT City on how the latest global rage, Pokemon Go app, (an augmented reality game for iOS and Android devices that uses GPS and Google maps to place Pokémon in the real world for you to catch and collect) has caught the fancy of not just their kids but with them too. With an earlier dreaded visit to the mall to the now more frequent walks in the parks, the moms share with us some interesting anecdotes.

Neela Kaushik, from Gurgaon says it’s a great way to get your kids go out. “I wanted to try the app before giving it to my eight-year-old son. We downloaded it and had so much fun playing it. We’ve decided to go to Leisure Valley on Sunday to play it together. It’s an awesome way to take your kid out of the house. Earlier they would say, they don’t want to come out. Now they readily come out, if you tell them they can use the Pokemon Go app. He would crib earlier when we would go out shopping, now he doesn’t mind, because of the app,” she says, adding, “But I am happy that there is one game that encourages kids to move outside the house. Though not the ideal way to explore nature, nevertheless helps them move around.”

READ:Pokemon Go takes you back in time with augmented reality

Deepti Bahl, another resident shares her amusement to her daughters sudden increase in visits to the parks, “Both my daughters, who are 19 and 10, were suddenly excited to go to park, despite the rain. They waited for the rain to get over and went and caught the Pokemon. They said they have to go, it’s urgent. Yesterday they were interested in going to the mall as well. We have planned to play the game together now. I have downloaded it as well.” she says.

Ruchi Mathur, a teacher from Gurgaon, DLF Phase-5, says that the game has caught the fancy with her two grown up kids. “I went to the Galleria market with my daughter to play the game. My son used to hate going to the mall. There was some time for our show..And I said ‘Let’s go to a mall’. I thought my son would refuse, but to my surprise he said yes. And the reason was to catch Pokemons there. In another instance, the game also helped in arranging for my husband’s surprise birthday party recently. Till the time, the guests came in , my kids drove him around catching Pokemons.”

Moms are hooked too! Vidya Deshpande, a working professional from DLF Phase-3, says, “There has been so much craze about the game on the internet. More than my twenty year old son, I am hooked on the game too and having lots of fun with it. I walk to my gym now, instead of taking the car now.”