Who knew that gym would mean something different today than it did a week ago? You can thank Pokémon GO, the augmented reality game that has saturated the Bay Area, for that. The smartphone game based on the 20-year-old monster-catching franchise now has more US users than Twitter. It added $9 billion in value to parent company Nintendo just since last Wednesday.
What with Pokémon Go proving so popular, let's take a look at a phenomena of concern even to non-players: The proliferation of San Francisco Pokémon Gyms. These are the hotspots where players bring the toughest critters they've rounded up to fight for ultimate bragging rights.
The can be found in restaurants, churches, civic buildings, theaters, public infrastructure, and even the White House. The story of why these particular locations have been chosen has to do with the tangled history of developer Niantic Labs and its parent company Google.
There's been some debate how to handle the sudden influx of smartphone-waving Pokémon trainers at these locales. If you're one of the GO faithful, here's where you can fight for fame and glory in San Francisco. If you're not, here's where you can expect a bigger, slightly weird crowd than usual, and plan accordingly.
This is only a small sampling of what's out there. Do you have a favorite Gym nearby? Let us know, and we'll add it to the map.
Loading comments...