'Pokemon Go Art Walk' to hit downtown Cape streets

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri is getting in on the latest video-game craze today with a "Pokemon Go"-themed event.

At 6 p.m., Southeast Missouri State University digital-art major Ashley Tong will kick off the "Pokemon Go Art Walk" at the council's new building at 16 N. Spanish St. in downtown Cape Girardeau with a talk about Pokemon's place in the art world and its history as a game.

After that, she and anyone who wishes to participate will walk down Water Street to discuss the Mississippi River Tales Mural while making PokeStops and attempting to catch Pokemon characters on their phones.

From there, the group will head up Broadway to the public-art sculptures as they continue to play the new game that's taken the digital world by storm since its release earlier this month.

Part of the allure, Tong said, is how "Pokemon Go" can be played with both feet planted firmly in the real world.

For the first time, fans can go on actual, physical adventures as they strive to "catch" as many Pokemon, or pocket monsters, as possible.

"(The game) makes you go out," Tong said, instead of sitting in front of a game screen.

Tong, 21, is a senior with an emphasis in animation who grew up around the Japanese anime characters.

"I started watching Pokemon (on TV)," she said.

At the time, it was 1998, and she was 4 years old. Pokemon had been released as a game in the U.S. the year before, and it quickly spawned an animated series, among other things.

"I'm a millennial. We grew up with Pokemon," Tong said.

Originally, Satoshi Tajiri created the Nintendo-Game Freak-Creatures consortium in Japan in 1995.

Game Freak developed a pair of Pokemon games for the original Nintendo Game Boy, and things mushroomed from there.

The basic theme of an 11-year-old boy going off on adventures to catch Pokemon creatures is a mirror image of Tajiri's childhood, when he would catch and release insects.

"When he grew up, he missed his hobby, so that's why he came up with Pokemon," Tong explained.

Now, "Pokemon Go," which runs on Androids and iPhones, uses real locations (PokeStops) for Pokemon characters to be captured digitally and trained to fight.

Participants in the art walk will receive a ticket that can be redeemed at businesses along the way.

To join the event, visit www.facebook.com/events/1056998347669340.

ljones@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3652

Pertinent address:

16 N. Spanish St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.