Pokemon invade Bauer Hall

The WashU campus is not immune – nor off limits – to the new Pokemon Go game phenomenon. We’ve discovered that Bauer Hall’s third floor is the location of a gym, an important place for battles and recharging in the Pokemon Go landscape.

We weren’t sure what a gym was, but found this explanation on Cnet:

A lot of confusion stems from the gym system and how best to battle enemies or assist your own team. Gyms are the critical hubs of Pokemon Go where you assist your chosen team, and there are many personal benefits for engaging in gym battles. So while you can ignore gyms and just roam the world catching Pokemon, you’ll power up your team much faster by using gyms to your advantage. – Seamus Byrne on Cnet@seamus

Let this be a warning to all players and non-players: watch your step as you make your way to the Pokemon gym or Starbucks, or Bauer Cafe on the third floor! When augmented reality captures the undivided attention of Pokemon Go players, they are reportedly oblivious to the real world all around them. Accidents can happen while players are trying to catch ’em all.