“Pidgeot over by the Jacoby Storehouse!” 

Dressed in a white coat sporting an embroidered pokéball on the lapel, local Pokemon enthusiast Lucas Hylton shouted an alert to the crowd of Pokémon Go players assembled at the first ever “Arcata Plaza Pokéstop Day.” An arguably important species of Pokémon was nearby! Ahh!

While none of players really physically moved their bodies in response to this urgent information, one can assume their fingers hurriedly oriented the virtual map on the smart phones so as to be able to click on said Pidgeot in an attempt capture it and add it to their ever-growing pocket menagerie. Humboldt County, like everywhere Pokémon Go has been released, has a raging case of Pokéfever. The world is different, now. 

The Arcata Plaza in Pokemon Go

In the hour or so the Outpost spent on the Arcata Plaza Wednesday midday, around a hundred players showed up to tilt their head down and play Pokémon Go, Nintendo’s augmented reality phenomenon that has coaxed millions of gamers (and more!) off their couches and into the (kinda) real world. 

Wednesday’s Plaza event was planned by Hylton who works for local State Farm Insurance agent Luke Visger up the street. To promote their services, the agency set up a table where, between catching mostly Ratatas and Pidgeys (sigh), attendees could give their personal info to receive future insurance policy consultation. Sure. But according to Hylton the day was mostly about providing a place for joy. 

“The main part is to make sure there’s a safe environment for people to play this game,” Hylton said before referencing some of the “weird things” that have happened since Pokemon Go’s release.

As you may have read, there have been reports across the country of players being seduced to remote Pokéstops — real world locations represented in the game by markers where players can accumulate items — and then robbed. How could that happen? Well, one in-game item coveted by players is a “Lure Module” which, when activated at a Pokéstop, can draw rarer-and-thus-more-desired species of Pokemon near. The community-creating catch is that when a Lure Module is used, anyone in the area playing the game can see it on their device and then also benefit from its powers — this is part of the reason you’ve noticed packs of gamers congregating in high traffic areas.

Lure Modules are hard to acquire in the game, but they can be purchased with actual money. In the case of Wednesday’s Facebook-promoted event, Hylton footed the Lure Module bill making all three of the Arcata Plaza’s Pokéstops desirable for aspiring Humboldt Pokemon trainers over the three hours they held the event. Party! 

How much did it cost for a State Farm insurance agent to draw a hundred people to the Plaza in the middle of a weekday?

“It’s gonna cost about $15,” Hylton said. Well, the office also provided bottled water. So there’s that to consider too.   

Pokemon Go player Victoria Bennett might like some insurance

One of the lured players was Victoria Bennett, a level 21 Pokémon trainer, who came with her 6-year-old daughter Makilee. In addition to racking up Pokemon experience points — so close to level 22! — Bennett also signed up to learn more about getting renter’s insurance through Hylton’s office.   

“They’re gonna call me,” Bennett said. 

Bennett lit up when we asked her about her Pokemon Go experiences. She said the game has gotten her out of her home — “I’m losing weight” — and has opened up a whole new community for her. She loves the game so much, not even the haters can bring her down.  

“A lot of people are talking crap, and they’re like ‘Oh, you’re chasing around imaginary things,” Bennett said. “But you know what? I used to lock myself in the house before. And now I’m outside and I’m talking to people and getting out there and moving. I’m actually socializing.”

Depending on its success, Hylton said he plans to throw future Poképarties, maybe a couple a month.  

“Originally we were talking about doing them once a week. I think that might be too much for me personally,” Hylton said, but more likely a couple a month. Hopefully they will expand to Eureka’s Old Town, a hotbed for Pokémon activity.

“There’s a lot more variety here [on the Plaza], but there’s a lot more abundance there,” Hylton said.