Being a child of the 90s, I really really love Pokemon. Heck, given my last name it was practically forced upon me. Training a team of collectible monsters, battling and trading with friends and earning gym badges still gives me a thrill that can’t be rivaled even to this day.
So leave it to Japan to actually take the idea of a Pokemon Gym and make it a reality! That’s right, as of November 19th in Osaka, Japan, there will be an – as translated from the Japanese site inside-games.jp – interactive edutainment facility. Yeah Pokemon die hards, you might want to lower your expectations, since it appears that a physical building made just for a group of players to get together to play a video game for the chance of a badge is only a minor thing the Pokemon EXPO Gym will provide with its “Charizard Battle Coliseum.” It seems the place will actually be closer to a family facility, where educational lessons and bonding will happen using Pokemon.
All told it’s a great idea. Pokemon is one of those brands that appeals both to adults and kids and the cross-appeal of education and competitive Pokemon battles is sure to bring in a wide variety of clientele. Though something tells me if this ever catches on overseas a lot of people are going to call in sick to work…forever.