Tony Bacigalupo talked to Oren Salomon who owns a coworking space in Dallas called Dallas Fort Work about the Rio Olympics, Pokémon Go, and how to take the inspiration from personal experiences into your own community.

Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go has helped bring so many people together.  You can go anywhere in the world and talk about it because it has become a global phenomenon.  Video games are typically an isolator. However, Pokémon Go can be played in the real world and connect you with strangers.  It unlocks a new world of human interactions, similar to a coworking space. It is a unifier. The franchise is something that people from different generations are familiar with and are able to relate to.

When Oren went to Rio for the Olympics, he noticed Pokémon Go had a presence there as well.  The game was released there the day before the Olympics began whereas the US had the game for about six weeks prior, so the novelty had started to die down.  However, since it was newer there, Oren got to see an explosion of excitement in a different context.

People were clustered in certain areas just catching pokemon.  They were usually gathered in areas saturated with Pokéstops. These Pokéstops were usually located at landmarks or art displays.  Upon opening the app, he would see where the pokestops were which actually made him want to visit all the places shown. The map in the app became a neighborhood guide that showed him what was around.  Despite hearing about all the safety concerns in Rio, Oren noted that he felt safe in Rio in the company of other Pokémon players.

Why talk about Pokémon Go and the Olympics in a coworking podcast?

First off, the Olympics is an event where people with diverse talents in athleticism all gather.  Think of its organization in the same way as coworking. Everyone is dependent on the organization to make this huge event happen and bring their talents to the forefront of the world.  Additionally, sports fans from all over the world gather at once. The Olympics meshes hundreds of cultures together with no cultural gap or gap in understanding. Pokémon Go works in a similar way by bringing strangers together and helping them form a bond over this game that so many people can relate to.  Both examples are similar to how a coworking space helps connect people with different backgrounds and expertise into one community.