Have you met Jigglypuff at the intersection of Pearl and Franklin streets? Have you spotted Charmander hiding in the bushes on the bluff? What about Eevee or Clefairy? Those two are roaming the streets of Natchez waiting for the inevitable “Poké balls” that will be thrown their way.

If you are not familiar with any of these cartoon monsters, you might try to brush up on your knowledge of the popular 1990s video game craze called Pokémon.

In less than a week, a mobile phone app called Pokémon Go has become the newest form of escapism for Americans. Released on July 6, the game has been downloaded by 7.5 million cellphone owners. Currently, more people are using the app than use Instagram every day.

The game involves collecting video “pocket monsters” that lurk in public places — churches, post offices, parks and other places. There are 151 of the characters that are to be collected. Trapping these digital creations has become a national obsession.

If you have seen people wandering around the Natchez bluff staring at their cellphone, chances are they are playing Pokémon Go.

Thursday night, as many tourists gathered along the bluff to watch the sun set over the Mississippi River, approximately 20 adults and teenagers were staring at their phones trying to spot a bulbasaur.

In recent days, several accidents directly tied to the game have been reported. Two men fell off a cliff in California while playing the game. Both survived, but were sent to the hospital with moderate injuries. Traffic accidents have been reported in Texas and New York because of the game.

After reports of robberies and trespassing incidents, police are warning people to be aware of their surroundings when playing the game.

I don’t pretend to understand the ins and outs of this game. Admittedly, I was well out of college when the original Pokémon craze hit in the 1990s. The video game was created in 1995 and the popular card game in 1999.

As much as I might be amused watching people wander around a bit like zombie in an alternative universe, it wasn’t until I bumped into a local tour operator that I realized that there might be an added benefit to this new craze.

Driving her open-air tour bus along Broadway Street, local businesswoman Sally Durkin remarked that she was going to start a new tour of downtown Natchez — a Pokémon Go tour.

Equally surprised by the new craze, Durkin said she had recently toured a mother and her son, who was into the new game, around town visiting various historic sites along the way. When the tour ended, Durkin said the boy had collected 10 characters along the tour. Because the app is set up to most effective around historic marker and public buildings, the tour proved successful for the boy.

Who knows? Maybe a new Pokémon tour may be the newest tourist craze for our town. If not, Durkin’s experience demonstrates an important point — part of the future of tourism in Natchez might just be in your smart phone.

New technologies in what is called ‘augmented reality’ may hint at the limitless possibilities for those who might experiment to make the Natchez tourism experience equally exciting for tourists with smartphones at the ready.

Pokémon may be today’s national craze, but it may lead to another way to offer the Natchez experience in the future.

 

Ben Hillyer is the news editor of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3540 or by email at ben.hillyer@natchezdemocrat.com.