Pokémon Go is a recently released mobile game that augments your real life by adding cute little monsters to your phone camera. By now you've surely noticed the hoards of people gathering around the square at all hours excitedly swiping upwards on their phones. We are no strangers to the game ourselves. While I'm sure I have caught far more 'mon than Glen has, we've all been spending far too much time with the app. We recently found Denton's self-appointed "Geek Guru" and recruited him to aid us in our quest to catch them all. Last week, he shared some of the background on the game with us. Today, he has some tips that will help you in playing the game in Denton and how it relates to Niantic's previous mobile game, Ingress. Read on for more!
Geek Guru here. I've been a big fan of Niantic's previous game Ingress for a long time. Ingress was released several years ago and is what helped me to get out and explore Denton. There is so much rich history built up in Denton that it often goes by unnoticed by the average person, but not long after I started playing Ingress I began traversing down roads I'd never been on and experiencing the beauty of places like Quakertown park and Roselawn Cemetery. So when I picked up Pokémon Go for the first time it was like I'd been slapped in the face. Each Pokéstop and gym was a place I had already been when playing Ingress.
My experience with Ingress led me to believe that the fastest place to hit plenty of stops and fill up my Pokédex would be at UNT around the Visual Arts building and the Environmental Science building. As it turns out, the Environmental building was so packed full of Ingress portals that it ended up with two gyms on the opposite corners of that very block. The Visual Arts building still has so many stops that you can walk in a circle getting items and by the time you're done, they will have already reset.
Pokémon Go (right) uses some of the same information from Ingress (left) to determine various aspects of the game such as Pokémon spawning points.
What this means is that Niantic used a lot of the same code and even have some very similar ways of inspiring teamwork (lack of gameplay information, increased benefits from multiple players at the same locations, etc.). What this means is that Pokémon Go users can get a real heads up by checking out Niantic's previous game, Ingress.
Ingress is a game that thrives because players across the world work together to connect portals together and score points. It builds a community of tight knit players that work together. Similarly, Pokémon Go is about filling your Pokédex, spending time with your friends, getting people outside, and building a community. That said, these are still two totally different games - both fun and worthy of playing.
Let's dive in to some tips on playing in Denton!
Check out these 5 places on your journey through Denton while catching Pokémon:
More Fun Comics and Games - This hotly contested Gym has become a focused point being the only gym on the Denton Square. Inside you'll find all sorts of awesome nerd memorabilia as well as some Pokémon Go deals! Additionally, the square has tons of stops and usually has a couple of lures going, too.
Rip Rocks and Lucky Lou's - Down off Fry Street you can find a Pokéstop just between these two bars that almost always has a lure module on it! It's a great place to have a few beers and catch a few Pokémon.
Rooster's Roadhouse - At Rooster's you can have some great BBQ in range of 3 Pokéstops!
UNT Visual Arts Building - This is my favorite place to refill on Pokéballs once I start to run low.
Roselawn Cemetery - Another great place for refilling your items, Roselawn also has 4 Gyms that aren't usually contention. Head out there to collect some easy Pokécoins!
Additionally, if you're on the square you can usually find a gentleman with some water and chargers - a real life Poké center! users on the r/denton subreddit also put together a fairly comprehensive Google Map with information on where the Pokéstops and gyms are in Denton. Check that out here. Also, keep your eyes on the Denton Pokémon Go Facebook Group for plenty of great information.
Until next time, #GoTeamInstinct!
Please feel free to email your geeky thoughts on Pokémon Go, Ingress or more to th3g33kguru@gmail.com