Pokemon Go Brings Players To Holyoke Home
HOLYOKE (CBS) – Pokemon Go has people wandering the streets of their neighborhoods and a Holyoke man says the new game has made his home a destination.
"So, I was having a cup of coffee Sunday morning, looking out the window and going, 'Hmm, there's some strangers. We have many strangers,'" Boon Sheridan said.
In the virtual world of the wildly popular new GPS driven app, the Holyoke house, converted from an old church, is one of the places players who've "gotta catch 'em all" need to physically get to.
"Folks just come by and sit cross-legged on the sidewalk and play," Sheridan said.
In the game it's called a gym. And from across the street, Jonathan Ventura is the envy of all players. He owns it. Well, not the real building of course, just the virtual version.
"It's a big thing for us 20-year-olds seeing our childhood dreams come to life," Ventura said.
It's also raised safety concerns, social media posts from local police warn of players being lured and robbed.
When you activate the app, a warning comes up warning players to be alert and aware of their surroundings. In Bridgewater Monday morning, a woman playing the game was approached by two suspicious men in a van.
Woburn Police Chief Robert J. Ferullo Jr. says players should watch where they're going. "Just as if they were playing baseball or Wiffle ball that they don't chase the ball out into the street, we say don't chase Pokemon out into the street," Ferullo said.
But fans say it gets them out of the basement, moving, and socializing. Even the Sheridans have a couple new friends now.
"All it will take is one jerk to ruin it, but everyone has been super cool up until now," Sheridan said. "Everyone has been very respectful and we might as well have fun with it."
