Legion using game to lure clientele
Popular video game may help revive membership at Saskatoon branch
A local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion is hoping to use Pokémon to get more clientele through its doors, as organizers are using the newly released video game, Pokémon Go, to introduce people to the more than 90-year-old building.
John Davis, first vice-president at the Nutana Legion No. 362, said the idea came to him when he saw how popular the game had become in the United States, adding it was a “no-brainer” to use the game as a draw for the legion while providing a safe and friendly environment to play through a “Pokémon Go meet up.”
“Most people would agree that people tend to think of the Royal Canadian Legion, and the legion in general ... (as) a place for the old soldiers to go and drink and that’s actually being changed right now,” he said. “We’re actually thinking about the future, thinking about the younger generation and working toward things that can help with that, because if we lose the legion, we lose many things.”
Pokémon Go is an augmentedreality game that launched in the U.S. earlier this month, but only officially became available in Canada on Sunday. Players search their community for the mythical digital monsters, which are overlayed on streets and landmarks using the gamers’ smartphone cameras and geolocation mapping.
The Saskatoon branch’s idea of hosting a Pokémon Go meet up got the attention of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Dominion Command, which created a Facebook post encouraging legions across Canada to consider bringing the game on board.
The meet up, scheduled on Sunday, will feature charging stations, digital lures that draw the digital monsters to the location and a venue for people to socialize. Davis noted the event is “Pokésafe,” which means the legion will provide non-playing volunteers to help keep groups safe as they hit the streets in search of the pocket monsters.
Jonathan Burrows, bar manager at the Nutana Legion, said he’s preparing for a busy day, noting while he was skeptical to begin with, the idea has grown on him after seeing the excitement generated on the legion’s Facebook page, as almost 100 people have said they’ll attend.
“We’re going to have to bring in extra staff and I’m actually going to come down first thing just to make sure we have enough staff to keep everything organized,” he said.
Nutana Legion manager Craig McKay said while hosting the event is a good way to bring new people into the legion, it has not stepped back from its traditional goals of serving Canadian veterans and the wider community.
He hopes the event helps bring the organization “into the next phase of the legion’s life cycle,” saying his phone has been buzzing consistently as people join the event.
“We just wanted to have a safe place for these people to congregate, and anything that they do here we can push back out into the community.” he said. “We have to change the way our branch runs so that we can continue to be relevant and continue to help those individuals that need it.”