The Pokemon QR Code Scavenger Hunt contest, held by Venture at UTRGV, runs until April 25. The first place winner will receive a one-day Saturday pass to South Texas Comic Con. COURTESY PHOTO
As the semester begins to wind down and stress starts to build up, a student’s best friend can be anything that helps take the mind off the grind. Venture at UTRGV, a social media video channel run by students, has combined a scavenger hunt with Pokémon to create an exciting escape for those looking to have some fun on campus.
Pokémon is a card and video game created in Japan that became popular in the United States in the late ’90s which revolves around capturing and training creatures.
Senior Angela Ruiz, president of Venture at UTRGV, explained the idea behind creating the Pokémon QR Code Scavenger Hunt.
“I wanted to provide something really fun for the student body that’s happening at both campuses,” said Ruiz, an art education major. “I would love to see UTRGV jump on Pokémon the way UT Austin jumped on quidditch and now they’re actually national champions of quidditch. I would like to see UTRGV as the Pokémon masters in the United States.”
The Pokémon QR Code Scavenger Hunt is a challenge for students to search high and low around school to capture the most Pokémon. The event began April 4 and closes on April 25. There are 50 different QR codes on fliers posted across the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses, which when scanned by a QR code reader application on a smartphone will reveal which Pokemon you’ve found. Simply screenshot the page of the Pokémon to complete the capture. Each campus has 25 QR codes that will feature different Pokémon.
A map providing hints to the locations of the Pokemon QR codes can be found on the Venture at UTRGV Facebook page.
Venture at UTRGV is a student-run YouTube channel established in February, intended to provide students with a platform to create video and animation content, allowing them to build a portfolio compiled of digital and social media experience.
The contest runs through April 25 and concludes with an online registration for participants to submit the Pokémon they’ve captured. The top three Pokémon hunters win prizes: first place wins a Saturday pass to South Texas Comic Con and a Pokémon Master T-shirt, second place wins a Pokémon Gym Leader T-shirt and a Whataburger gift card, and third place takes home a Pokémon Trainer shirt. The T-shirts have been custom designed by UTRGV printmaking students.
Timothy Butler, assistant professor of marketing at UTRGV, said QR code technology combined with a Pokémon scavenger hunt can be good for campus life.
“This is the first time something like this, using QR codes, has been done here,” Butler said. “These types of activities will help unify UTRGV as consisting of one university.”
For more information regarding the online registration and prize information, visit the Venture at UTRGV page on Facebook. Keep an eye on the page for updates regarding the Pokémon QR Code Scavenger Hunt and school-related media.
