Wanderlust thanks to Pokémon GO
Reto Baumgartner is the owner and member of the management board of MySign AG and is primarily involved in digital branding.As a digital enthusiast, I wanted to test the phenomenon behind the Pokémon GO hype. And what better time for such a test than a two-week family hiking vacation. It didn't take long for the first Pokémons to get in our way and want to be caught. My children immediately took over and hunted the Pokémons. They had no problem making detours if it meant they could catch something. They soon realized that there was a Pokestop at almost every sight, so they were constantly on the lookout for chapels, stops and fountains. Our first hike went off without a murmur and with extra kilometers. And in the evening, the 9-year-old son said he wanted to go for an evening walk in the village!In the days that followed, the children fetched croissants early in the morning, went shopping voluntarily - as long as they were allowed to take my cell phone with them, of course. And they enjoyed going for walks and other hikes.Teachers are sure to argue that hiking is so tied to an incentive that children don't really see the point and are always looking at their cell phones instead. But how much did we like hiking back then? Didn't we have to be lured with ice cream at the end of the trail or distracted with some kind of guessing game? Nevertheless, we still noticed the beauty. That's exactly how we experienced it: a Pokémon made itself known by vibrating the cell phone. The rest of the time, the cell phone remained in our pockets, giving us plenty of time for discoveries and entertaining conversations. What's more, the children were very aware of their surroundings because they didn't want to miss a Pokestop.My conclusion is consistently positive. It is an excellent game for motivating children to move.
