(photo cred: pokemon.com)

Pokémon has invaded our world and it’s up to you to “catch em all”.

Pokémon Go is the latest game that combines real life with the virtual world to give you a real world Pokémon adventure.

Pokémon Go reminds people that there’s a world outside to explore, and you just may stumble upon a few Pokémon if you are lucky. The interactive game has everyone talking, walking, and throwing Poké balls at various Pokémon in random locations. It’s definitely caught the attention of gamers and non-gamers alike. Either you are playing the game, or talking about the game, but those playing are probably having way more fun.

To play, you simply customize your trainer and start your adventure. The game is wherever you are. There could be a Pokémon to catch in your bedroom, the local grocery store, park, church, school, etc. You never know where a Pokémon may show up. The goal is to catch as many Pokémon as you can to add to your Pokédex and reach higher levels. The higher the level the more powerful Pokémon you can catch. You can even join teams, gyms, and battle other people who are playing the game as well.


(photo cred: Theverge.com)

Although the Pokémon game has been getting mixed reviews, it’s a cool twist in regards to the way we experience games. It’s also forcing people to get out of their homes and interact with the outside environment, and it could help people who may not necessarily be that social under normal circumstances become more sociable. The downside, people have already figured out ways to hack the system to have unsuspecting people coming to certain locations to get robbed. This is still a fairly new platform so hopefully the game developers are already working on ways to make the game not only fun but safe as well.

Pokémon Go is pretty inventive, so even if you are not into playing games, it’s still worth just checking out. Will Pokémon Go stand the test of time? Will more people jump on board and get hooked on the recent craze? Or will it crash and burn once all the hype dies down? It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

The game is free and can be downloaded from Google Play and from the App Store.

 

written by Chandra Meadows for POP ATL