How 'Pokémon Go' Is Warping Real Life

The Pokémon Go craze has sent legions of players hiking around cities and battling with “pocket monsters” on their smartphones. It marks a turning point for augmented reality, or technology that superimposes a digital facade on the real world.

But the game’s popularity has created unintended consequences in everyday life, from annoyed property owners dealing with hordes of monster hunters to store owners using the game to attract customers. Though perhaps that’s to be expected from a game that has players visit real-world landmarks such as train stations, churches and museums in order to find and trap cartoon creatures.

Here’s a look at some of the bigger Poke questions that have emerged since the game went live last Wednesday:

CAN DIGITAL LURES LEAD TO REAL CASH?

Some shops are exploring ways to use Pokémon Go to drum up business.

An Atlanta cafe owned by digital ad agency Huge turned out to be roughly 30 feet away from two prominent “Pokestops” - game representations of physical landmarks where players can stock up on digital game gear. So it spent about $40 in real money to add digital “lures” to the stops, refreshing them every 30 minutes. The lures increase the chance that rare Pokémon with names like “Starmie” and “Poliwag” turn up nearby - drawing players in turn.

“Our corner was essentially lit up all day long,” says Huge executive creative director Derek Fridman.

In San Francisco, enthusiastic players working for Kawika’s Ocean Beach Deli likewise set out lures and branded the store as a “charging station” for drained phones. (The game is notoriously hard on batteries.)