Those 500-plus gamers on Calle 61 Saturday were on an important mission: catching Pocket Monsters.
They were members of a fan community playing the smartphone game Pokemon Go.
The sidewalks in the Centro are a little narrow for this kind of thing, but the players were determined.
“It’s a community of people who like Pokemón, we like to go out with their friends more than anything,” said Alex, one of the young people who with a group of friends not caring that the sun hit them in the face as they tried at all costs to capture one of the legendary characters.
“It’s over, it’s stuck!” shouted excited Cassandra, who was able to catch one of the virtual monsters.
A reporter from Punto Medio observed that it was impressive to see the rows of young people together, as if lining up for something real like a concert.
But Pokemon Go players are hunting virtual characters, and have since the game took the world by storm in 2016.
The crowd appeared to be mostly teens, but also children and even some fans well past their youth joined them.
These monster hunts are held simultaneously at other points in the city, such as Parque de las Américas and Parque Hundido.
Not everyone is amused by Pokemon Go hunters. A class-action lawsuit in the U.S. is close to being settled now.
The lawsuit originates from several homeowners annoyed that the game leads players to congregate near their private property.
With information from Punto Medio
