Pokemon Go outside and play children

I had a fairly bizarre experience at Street Chess today. As some people may have realised, a new Pokemon game has been released, utilising phone based augmented reality. The purpose of the game is to use your phone to track pokemon, and then if you find them, catch them on the screen of your phone.
As it is winter, Street Chess is currently being played indoors, but while the rounds were in progress, I did wander out into the cold. At various times I would have seen 20 or 30 people, gathered in small groups, all staring at their phones. They weren't saying much, just occasionally flicking the screen, before eventually moving on. This went on for most of the afternoon, and even when I left there were still plenty of people chasing pokemon.
While the concept is clever, and it does get people out and about, it does look a bit of sci-fi. I was immediately reminded of the old TV series Quatermass, where young people fall under some kind of alien influence, leaving oldies (like myself) to save the world.
Nonetheless even the young people at Street Chess were able to squeeze some games in between their hunting, including this quick win for Harry Press over Albert Winkelman.


Press,Harry - Winkelman,Albert [B33]
Street Chess, 09.07.2016