Pokemon Go raids bring Spokanites together

If you saw a suspiciously large group of adults standing around a Spokane landmark over the weekend peering at their phones, you may have stumbled into a Pokemon raid.

Pokemon Go, the game that became an instant sensation last summer before its popularity faded, was back for a special one-year anniversary event that allowed players to work together in real time to capture rare Pokemon.

Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game, meaning players’ motions in the real world are reflected in the app. Certain locations are marked as gyms, where players can battle Pokemon from other teams and sometimes work together to capture them.

Following a real-world Pokemon Go fest in Chicago last week, the game introduced two “legendary” Pokemon, Lugia and Articuno, and gave players an opportunity to fight them in teams. The Pokemon show up at gyms in the area for a certain amount of time, and players can work together to battle them before trying to catch them.

The effort requires real-world coordination and often takes 10 or more players working together to be successful, hence the large groups standing around with phones in hand. It harkens back to the early days of the game, when Riverfront Park was crowded well past dark with players searching for Pokemon.

A group of 17 players gathered outside Spokesman-Review offices just after noon Monday to battle Articuno. After successfully completing the battle, a number said they were planning to drive around all afternoon in search of other rare Pokemon before the special event ended at 5 p.m.

Niantic, the company that makes Pokemon Go, has hinted it will release other legendary Pokemon in the future, so it may not be the last hurrah for large Pokemon gatherings.