Pokemon Go: Why Everyone Is Losing Their Minds Over A Game

(PCM) Just in case you have been living under a rock these past few days, Pokemon Go has been taking over our smartphones one adorable creature at a time. Seriously, everyone is talking about this highly addictive game. Even the developers, themselves, had no idea just how popular Pokemon Go would become causing several major server crashes within the first few days of it’s release. The awesome part of the game is that it is sending players outside in droves, as they are all exploring areas of their cities and towns trying their best to catch elusive Pokemon that may be hiding in the wild. The game encourages players to be active and the more you travel about the higher the chance you have at Pokemon mastery. It is a very simple game, even for those who have never heard of Pokemon before and that ease and incorporation of smartphone technology has cause it to become a viral sensation overnight for both fans and newcomers alike. To play the game you have to get up and out of the house and begin exploring the area around you. It uses your smartphones GPS signal to determine your location and then alerts you to the Pokemon that are located the closest to you. In order to move around in the game, you must also move around in real life. Your character will travel on the map in same direction that you are moving and you can visit areas such as Training Gyms and Pokestops along your journey to collect additional items to assist with game play. As you can imagine the game is not without a few challenges, as some people are finding that Pokemon they are trying to catch are located in areas that can be rather difficult to get to or are secured facilities. Remember, people, do not do anything illegal to catch a Pokemon!  There have already been quite a few fender benders from those who are attempting to hunt for Pokemon while operating their motor vehicles. There have also already been incidents where people are not playing attention to where they are walking because they are too busy looking at their smartphone screens and getting injured. One player even discovered a dead body floating in a lake in Wyoming as she was attempting to capture Pokemon hiding in the location. Also, several churches and police stations in various areas are coming up as Pokestops (locations to collect game items) and officials are warning players to use caution when attempting to “catch em’ all” in these particular locations. Pokemon Go has been a blessing for small business as many of these locations also double as Pokestops, drawing tons of customers out to the location. Business owners should embrace the influx of traffic and many are already playing off their new found popularity with Pokemon specials and tongue-in-cheek signs.

Pokemon Go is currently available for free download in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan from either the iTunes Store or the Google Play Store.  It will be rolling out to additional regions in the coming months. The trailer below is perfect visual description of how the game works: