Grad student and staff member of the University of Idaho’s Department of Movement Sciences Steven Bird found the perfect time to plan his Pop Culture Games class with the phenomena of Pokémon Go. Students can enroll in the physical activity class this fall, NBC News reported.
A press release bills the class as one which “will teach students about leading active lifestyles, building teamwork, and exploring their communities through games like the mega-hit smartphone app Pokémon Go and the live-action game Humans vs. Zombies.”
Are you catching them all this #vandalsummer? #PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/8QWxHW1UVB
— University of Idaho (@uidaho) July 14, 2016
“I want it to be more than people going, ‘I’m going to catch a Pikachu,'” Bird said. “This app does more than let you shoot a Pokeball. You get to adventure around, seeing different things, being active, seeing the sun. It allows you to move in large groups and a team. You get not only physical activity, but you also get team-building and leadership.”
Bird also believes the game could get those who don’t normally do organized exercise to get involved.
“We are hoping to capture the interest in Pokémon Go and other active games and draw the link with a healthy, active lifestyle,” Scruggs said. “It’s a great way to engage youth through adults, and a great way to engage families in active games together. Our interest is to turn folks onto an active lifestyle, and that can be achieved in endless ways.”
The class will also help organize the Humans vs. Zombies competition, which is a big deal on campus.
The university’s class offering is a contrast to the College of the Ozarks, which banned the app on certain parts of campus, out of respect for monuments and memorials.
