The Main Plaza of the City of Cusco always has people, especially on weekends when people come to spend time there as a family. I remember when our grandparents would go there to read their newspapers and talk about economy and politics.
Now the boom is a new game called Pokémon Go. Las week I took a taxi to the plaza de Armas and the driver asked me if my destination was the parada Pokémon, the Pokémon Stop. I didn’t pay much attention to that comment until I got there. A large quantity of people, mostly young, was standing either alone or in groups and playing this famous game.
It is because Cusco’s main square has become a pokeparada where everyone can talk about their pokémones and the game. Before young people were lost in internet cabins playing the famous Dota or Dota 2. As things change, now you see them walking from here to there looking, no matter the weather, the cold or the heat.
From early in the morning until late at night you will see small groups of 3 to 5 people standing on the corners of the plaza. You can also see the seated by the Paraninfo or on the plaza waiting to catch a Pokémon. The question is: “why in this place?” According to the game, the pokeparadas are places where you can obtain pokebolas and other objects that are neccessary to play. This means that people gather there to be able to get these objects and play without any restrictions.
You can hear, “there’s a Pokémon here” and everyone runs to trap it, or “there is one over there.” So it goes all day long. Many young men and women even study while seated their, their cell phones on the ready to be able to try to capture a Pokémon if something interesting appears.
In this fashion, the game is causing a lot of noise and excitement throughout the world. News comes from all over about updates of Pokémon Go, Pokémon Go events, tutorials of how to play better, jokes, comedy, and more. Even Tongo, a singer of chicha music, has made a song that is hilarious about the Poké.
