Gotta catch -em all

By Rhianna Busler

The “Cow up a Tree” sculpture is a well-known spot along Harbour Esplanade, so it’s only fitting that it is a major location for the social sensation, Pokemon Go.

Using a combination of virtual reality and real life locations, players can capture different kinds of pokemon in various locations around Docklands.

Players roam the streets with their phones, using the device’s GPS and camera to capture, battle and train their virtual friendly creatures that appear on their screen as if they were in the same real-world location as the player.

Helen Nguyen and Ivy Ngo started playing the game only two weeks ago but are already on level 21.

“I first heard about the game through my partner because he’s been playing it for a while and one day I just downloaded it and gave it a go. It’s very addictive,” Ms Ngo said.

Ms Nguyen added: “I actually used to play this game on the computer, but I only recently downloaded it on my iPhone.”

While both ladies admit to playing it on their lunch breaks, they said: “It’s not something we go out of our way to play, but a lot of our friends have downloaded the app now too.”

They commonly see people crowded near Cow up a Tree.

“It’s where most of the pokemon are,” Ms Ngo said.

After being released last month, Pokemon Go has taken off across the world and we can see the evidence of this right here in Docklands.

Docklands News witnessed about 60 people crowded by Cow up the Tree on their phones during lunch-time last month.

Simon Hansen, a local worker in Docklands only started playing the game three days before but already knew the ins and outs of the app and how it worked.

“My brother plays it so we sort of verse [sic] each other, trying to get to the highest level. A lot of people always come to Cow up a Tree because there are lure modules set around,” Mr Hansen said.

Lures are designed to draw pokemon in to a particular area, and can be attached to a pokestop. One player drops a lure module, which then works for all players, lasting no longer than 30 minutes.

Mr Hansen said: “I’ve heard about companies purchasing lures to draw customers in.”  

“There are a lot of pokestops around Docklands. You just have to look on the map, but Cow up the Tree is probably the biggest,” Mr Hansen added.