When people think of video games, they imagine someone sitting for hours in the dark, console in hand with their eyes glued to a screen. But now video games have taken a turn. The new app, Pokémon Go has inspired people to get off their couches and venture outside with their friends, exploring their neighborhoods and new places in the search of Pokémon.

Pokémon Go was released on July 6 and is available on Apple and Android devices. It is an augmented reality game, which means the player’s perception of reality is changed or altered in some way. Blending the digital and real world, the game uses the GPS on the player’s smartphone. Pokémon Go’s main screen creates a map based on the player’s location. If a player is close enough to a location where a Pokémon is generated, they can catch it.

Players travel along a road map that corresponds to the player’s surroundings. Certain buildings and landmarks are PokeStops, and if a player is close enough to these locations he or she can get catch items like PokeBalls, potions and eggs. Other landmarks include Pokémon gyms where players can battle with the Pokémon they collect.

Pokémon Go has received criticism since players are often unaware of their surroundings.  Sophomore Pokémon Go player Nick Barsanti said, “When I am playing, I am looking at my phone and sometimes I don’t know what is happening around me. People often bump into things.” Barsanti has also seen many people playing Pokémon Go while crossing the street and walking in parking lots. Recently two people fell down a cliff in California while playing, illustrating the dangers of gameplay.  

The result of rare Pokemon in certain locations has resulted in near riots in player’s quest to “catch ‘em all.” National news was also made on a steamy July evening when hundreds of people stampeded into Central Park chasing a rare Pokémon.

To prevent people from playing while driving, developers have inserted speed restrictions so that players have to be travelling at about 12 miles an hour. If a player is going faster than the limit, his or her movement will prohibit their ability to hatching an egg and the player will not be able to catch a Pokémon. This has resulted in many players becoming more physically active. Many players are walking or riding bikes to catch Pokémon.

While it has caused people to become more active and some people view it as unsafe or it is unsafe, Pokémon Go grew in popularity as soon as it was launched. Within two weeks of its release, Pokémon Go had more daily users than Twitter, and was the most downloaded app on both Apple’s App Store and the Android Play Store.

Why is Pokémon Go so popular? It is based on a sense of nostalgia, as many players grew up watching Pokémon cartoons, collecting Pokémon cards, and playing Pokémon on Nintendo handheld devices. Pokémon Go fulfills the dreams of players born in the ’90s and early 2000’s, as Pokémon catchers could finally become reality. So don’t be too surprised if you see someone walking around Hackley trying to catch a Charizard or a Pikachu, since the campus has many Pokémon.