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National Museum joins 'Pokemon Go' frenzy
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Using both GPS and camera, 'Pokemon Go' requires your character to keep moving in order to catch the Pokemon species. (AP/Richard Vogel)
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ince being launched last week, Nintendo’s augmented-reality game Pokemon Go has reached remarkable popularity, including in Indonesia. Among its enthusiasts are institutions such as the National Museum in Central Jakarta.
On Monday, the museum posted on its official Twitter account, “Are you a Pokemon master or trainer? Let’s hunt the Pokemon at the National Museum. Improving your knowledge in a fun way!”. As this article was being written, the tweet had been retweeted by over 360 netizens.
Apa kamu seorang pokemon master/trainer? Yuk berburu pokemon di Museum Nasional. Menambah wawasan dg cara fun! ^^ pic.twitter.com/6intd6xCvm
— Museum Nasional Ind. (@MuseumNasional) July 11, 2016
(Read also: Players in hunt for Pokemon GO monsters feel real-world pain)
The museum's promotions head, Oting Rudy Hidayat, told The Jakarta Post that the tweet aimed to encourage people to visit the museum as well as trigger their curiosity. “This can be a way to motivate people, especially those who spend most of their time on the internet, to explore the museum and its collections instead,” he said. “Perhaps, while they are hunting down the Pokemon characters, they may discover some artifacts that interest them, such as inscriptions from the Hindu-Buddha era.”
When asked whether the museum would hold a special event for Pokemon enthusiasts, Oting said, “We'll see the development; but we have collaborated with other communities that share the same purpose with us, which is related to Indonesian culture.”
(Read also: Non-mall weekend spots to visit in Jakarta)
Using both GPS and camera, Pokemon Go requires your character to keep moving in order to catch the Pokemon species. It also means you have to get on your feet and find them in real yet unexpected locations, such as historical monuments, mosque, or someone’s front yard.
The museum itself often holds events to attract visitors, including Akhir Pekan @Museum Nasional, for which it collaborated with Dapoer Dongeng and Teater Koma. (kes)
