The Profit in the PokéStop

Pokémon Go transforms our public spaces into potential sites of exchange and purchase, and its inhabitants into roving profit centers.


Pokémon Go is a phenomenon. Despite having been released a short time ago and in a select few countries, the game has garnered more active daily users than Twitter and is already generating $1.6 million of in-app purchases per day in the United States alone. Nintendo, which has a 33 percent stake in the Pokémon franchise, has seen its stock value double since the game’s debut.

An “augmented reality” spin-off of the popular Pokémon video game franchise for iOS and Android devices, Pokémon Go uses your GPS to generate a virtual map that transforms real-world locations into “PokéStops” that can be used to capture Pokémon or collect in-game items.

Follow the prompts that appear on your map and churches, public parks, university campuses, street corners, and historic monuments become potential Pokémon hunting grounds. Location and time of day are key: water-type Pokémon like Goldeen and Horsea are more likely to be found by bodies of water while ghost Pokémon like Haunter are more likely to be caught at night.

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