Concrete and digital geograficities signifying places: case of pokémon go players reunions in Recife neighborhood, Recife/PE

Abstract

With the premise of making its adepts wander and live the urban spaces, the Pokémon GO game, launched in 2016, raisedas a global phenomenon, and after the beginningof monthly events called community days, impacts of the game may have achieved aneven bigger dimension, comparing to the initialrepercussion. These events, whichintend to reunite communities of local Pokémon GO players to live the game collectively occupying urban spaces, may have the capability of stimulate community senses and affective bonds between the players, and with the spaces. In this regard, watching the experiences in Recife/PE city, it was perceived that Recife neighborhoodis a recurrent spot of players reunions, and consequently, a case to thought of a humanist perspective, thru the idea that the players activities can be understoodas geographicities, signifying the lived space as a place. Thereafter, the objective of this study was to comprehend how, from the geographicitiesdone by Pokémon Go players, Recife neighborhoodissignified as a place. Furthermore, it was made a bibliographic and documental revision concerning the concepts of geographicity, place, cyberspace, also the history ofRecife neighborhood. Were also done participant observations, whit thegoal to understand the occurrence of the studied experiences. Beyond that, thru dialogs with the players it was acquired elements to understand practicesand its meanings. As from thisstudy, itisexpected to contribute to geography, especiallycultural geography, with the reflections of classic concepts, as geographicityand place, applied in contemporary phenomenon