Mishall RehmanIt’s the new sensation sweeping the world. Once a highly popular video game of the 1990s, Pokémon is making the ultimate comeback in the form of its new augmented reality game Pokémon GO.
Using the catchphrase “Gotta catch ‘em all,” Pokémon GO is getting people off their couches and out into the real world. Players must follow the app to hunt down as many Pokémon as possible and be willing to travel far and wide at anytime of the day. The type Pokémon, a participant, is hunting for varies depending on the location, water type Pokémon are near a lake or ocean and more bug Pokémon are out in a park or in nature.
Based off of the 1990s video game created by Satoshi Tajiri, the game is available both on Android and IOS. Participants can catch Pokémon much like the original game, by virtually launching red and white “Poké Balls.”
Released on July 5, Pokémon GO is currently only available in the U.S., New Zealand, and Australia. There has been no date announced yet for the release of a Canadian version; however, according to multiple news sources, many Canadians have found loopholes and downloaded the game off of other websites or by “jailbreaking” their devices.
According to experts at Tech Crunch, Pokémon GO has an estimated 7.5 million U.S. downloads and $1.6 million in daily revenue. However, the rather sudden popularity of this game has led to problems in the software including reports of the game crashing and stalling.
This game, ever increasing in popularity, is reported to be a great form of exercise, getting people moving and exploring this summer, rather than just sitting still in front of a computer screen. However, players are reminded to always keep safety first and not play while driving.
Of course, long before Pokémon GO took the world by storm, people have been playing good old fashioned geocaching for years. Another great way to get off the couch and get outdoors, geocaching is real-live treasure hunt located in more than 2 million spots around the world. All you have to do is download the app, signup, and start tracking down a cache. Once you find the item, sign the logbook, log your find online, and put the item back for the next explorer.
