Pokemon are everywhere, even at Best Buy headquarters.
As the “Pokemon Go” craze rages on, we opened the doors of our corporate campus in Richfield, Minnesota, on Thursday to let members of the public catch ‘em all on new turf.
More than 60 “trainers” meandered through the campus searching for monsters, loading up at our two PokeStops and vying for control of our “Pokemon Go” gym.
“I was excited to be able go into somewhere we aren’t usually allowed to go and grab the PokeStops,” said Cambria Sheppard, 21. “It’s neat to see new places.”
“Pokemon Go,” an augmented reality game powered by GPS, is a free hide-and-seek scavenger hunt. The game has swept through the United States since going live on July 6. It has become commonplace to see groups of people wandering around, looking at their smartphones and swiping the screens.
“I loved Pokemon as a kid growing up,” said See Vang, 24, who was one of the Best Buy visitors. “It’s nostalgia, it’s fun to get out there.”
Players began lining up outside Best Buy’s visitor entrance as early as 90 minutes before the late afternoon start time on Thursday. They had one hour inside to capture what they could. The first 50 received free battery chargers — a must for any serious trainer.
The visitors filtered among the employees moving from building to building. They walked around, staring down at their phones and up at their surroundings to figure out the right locations.
The event came to a close, but the game will go on.
Trainers, check out our tips on saving battery life and preserving data.