Cecilia D’Anastasio
7/13/16 3:30PM
486
25
Illustration by Angelica Alzona
Pokémon Go is getting gamers outside, but not all gamers. Tales of trespassing, fence-jumping and brave jaunts through tough terrain to catch Pokémon have bolstered the hit mobile game’s popularity among able-bodied players. Physically handicapped fans of the Pokémon franchise, however, are struggling to love a Pokémon game in which movement is a crucial mechanic.
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Some wheelchair-bound fans of the Pokémon franchise say that important game mechanics like frequenting PokéStops for items and gyms for battles, hatching eggs and even traveling around to catch rare Pokémon are exponentially more difficult for them.
Pokémon Go’s success is partly due to the game’s capacity for wish fulfillment. As kids, how many of us dreamed of embarking on a real Pokémon adventure, traveling the world with our friends to hunt down monsters? Over a decade ago, when Pokémon was just entering the American mainstream, millions of children fantasized about catching Pokémon outside the confines of their Game Boys. Pokémon Go necessitates these real-life quests, forcing players to explore their physical surroundings. The goal, to catch all the original Pokémon, requires players to explore diverse locations, since some Pokémon are location-specific.
Pokémon Go, in [...]