Ohio State students walk past the Two Wings Flyer sculpture outside the university’s Psychology Building on 1835 Neil Avenue. Credit: Jane Asante-Tutu | Lantern Reporter.
Members of Ohio State’s Pokémon GO club are collectively celebrating birthdays, one month at a time.
The club has launched a new monthly event called the Birthday Bash, giving students a space to socialize, engage in Pokémon-themed activities and compete in friendly competitions.?
Club president AJ Veigel, a third-year in computer science and engineering, said the celebration is meant to highlight its current members while welcoming anyone on campus who wants to join in on the festivities.?
According to the Pokémon GO Pro website, the mobile game first surged in popularity after its 2016 release for its GPS-based gameplay, which overlays a digital map onto a player’s surroundings and marks nearby “PokéStops.” The mobile game blends exploration with light competition, encouraging players to move through physical spaces and interact with others as they play.
The Pokémon GO club, known as POGO, was founded in 2017 as a way for players to connect on campus, Veigel said. The group meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. for raid walks, where experienced members help newer players learn the game and explore campus PokéStops together. The group begins their walk at Graves Hall, and continues to the Two Wings Flyer statue outside the Psychology Building — a landmark members refer to as “the flying eyeball.”?
“It’s a great way to just be with the Pokémon GO community,” Veigel said. “The game is very friendly to new users.”
Last month’s Birthday Bash marked the start of what Veigel described as the club’s “newest addition” to its activities. Alongside a collective birthday cake, the event included minigames and a Pokémon GO player-versus-player tournament that gave attendees the chance to compete to win a gift card.?
“It builds a more inclusive community, being able to know that you’ve been appreciated and acknowledged,” Veigel said.?
Veigel said the idea of the event originated while planning the club’s semester activities, as social media coordinator Zachary Clark, a fourth-year in primary education, suggested creating a community birthday celebration to strengthen connections between the greater Pokémon GO community and the club.?
Quoting the Pokémon GO theme song, Clark said the franchise has always encouraged people to gather around shared interests.?
“‘Pokémon! Oh, you’re my best friend, in a world we must defend,’” Clark said. “That communal process is right in the theme song. It’s been there since the original iteration, that’s what I’m aiming for.”?
Clark said attendees are not required to have a birthday in the designated month of the event. Many who came to the first celebration combined their summer birthdays with those born in Sept.?
“It was open to anybody that came there,” Clark said. “Most of the people that showed up didn’t have a birthday in September. They’re like, ‘So what are we celebrating?’ And I’m like, ‘Your un-birthday.’”?
Clark said they enjoyed playing Pokémon from a young age on their Game Boy, and? a continued love for the game led them to join Ohio State’s club. Clark said the interactive nature of Pokémon GO encourages players to go outside and meet others.?
“[Pokémon GO] is a game that defies generations,” Clark said. “I can learn a lot about a person by asking them which generation they grew up with, and you learn so much from so many people.”??
Veigel said the club holds the Birthday Bash on the last Friday of each month, which aligns with the game’s Friendship Friday feature. The event increases a player’s chance of receiving a Lucky Pokémon, a type of Pokémon with higher individual values.?
Veigel said that within the academic year, the club plans to increase its player-versus-player training in preparation for potential regional tournaments. Club leaders also hope to collaborate with the Pokémon Buckeye League, which focuses on the main franchise and trading card game, to attend this summer’s GO Fest in Chicago.?
The upcoming Birthday Bash is scheduled for Oct. 30 from 6-8 p.m., and is free for anyone to attend. Costumes are encouraged, and the event is expected to lean into Halloween themes with pumpkin smashing and Pokémon-themed Jeopardy.?
“Some people might not be as forthright about their own emotions, [and they’re] not sure where they can actually go and be accepted,” Veigel said. “As the Pokémon GO Club, we want to try and accept everyone that shows up.”
