Getting to know my colleagues and work better, through Pokémon –Go.

We have a ritual in my new office –among the ones I can mention on pixels: on the third day, the new joinee gets sweets for the team; this is how you get to know them. For the not-so new joinees, I have realised the best way for inter-team bonding is the office version of Uberpool — 11 pm office cabs that go from office to Hoodi to Diamond District to BTM to JP Nagar 8th phase.

But yesterday I discovered a new way to get to know my colleagues better: Pokémon –Go. I walked around the office, greeted (and mooched off stuff) from the other teams, just because my Pokémon count looked sad (I caught JigglyPuff.)

But it isn’t just me, though it was officially released today, by yesterday someone at work had downloaded it and already has about 73 Pokémons.

“I missed my morning gym because I had to catch Pokémon”

“I am going to Ulsoor lake this Sunday to catch them!”

Everyone has a Pokémon Go story by now — whether they like it or not. (Most have stopped telling me Pokémon stories because I turn them into content pieces.)

There is quantum mechanics, string theory and now there is Pokémon-go; and since I am too lazy to read those think pieces to figure how it works — this is what I have been told:
1. Walk around till you spot Pokémons on the go. Capture them and you can toggle the camera screen (Fun to see where they are.)
2. You will find them based on the terrains you’re in
3. You can battle against leaders on reaching level 5
4. Poke-stop: you can find goodies on spinning the wheel.
5. Pokémon eggs — You need to walk, keeping the eggs in incubator — if you walk 5 kms+ you get rare Pokémons.

If this works as an icebreaker for office — imagine the potential with getting to know your city better. Or even the integration with Mi-band. (Cannot wait for augmented reality games on other popular fiction.)

P.S: Happy to report there are zero Pokémons at JP Nagar 8 phase but COUNTLESS at Old Airport road.