I never expected July 6 to be a mega historic day. I didn’t even realize it until July 9. I was watering our plot at our community garden (the corn is looking spectacular!) when a young lady strolled by walking dead in the middle of the street, head buried in her phone! YIKES!
I said to myself, “That poor girl is going to get whacked!”
A minute later, a young guy came the opposite direction on the sidewalk (thank goodness!) glued to his phone screen. I’m quite sure he didn’t have a clue what was going on around him, judging by the fact I was just 15 feet away watering the tomatoes and he didn’t even notice.
Thought to myself, “Dude, someone will roll you if you don’t get your head out of your phone.”
The responsible “Dad” side in me kicked into action. When I got home, I gave my son and his girlfriend some quick “Daddy-O advice.”
ME: “Guys, I saw two kids glued to their phones, totally oblivious with what is going on around them. When you walk down the street, I want to make sure your head is up and you know what is going on.”
SON: “Oh Dad, they’re just playing POKÉMON GO!”
ME: “What?” (picture a stupid, perplexed look on my face.)
SON: “POKÉMON GO. Everyone is playing it. Look in any park. There are people everywhere looking for Pokémon. You can see them right on your phone’s camera, too!”
ME (as if I had a clue): “Cool! Oh, and be careful out there.”
So goes my first encounter with POKÉMON GO. What did I do next?
Downloaded the app immediately! Get the app for iOS or Get the app for on Google Play
Then I took my dog, Puck, for a walk and kept stopping to capture Shellder, Abra, Zubat, Drowzee, Spearow, Kakuna and Weele. Before I knew it I was at Level 3 and my dog must have been thinking, “This is the worst walk ever!” (How do you like that, I just caught Venonat while sitting at a desk writing this blog!)
5 Things You’ll Want to Know About POKÉMON GO
So, what is POKÉMON GO? What does it mean? How will it change our lives forever? Here are 5 things you’ll want to know if you haven’t already downloaded the app to your Android or iOS device. And if you have, you’ll still want to check out these tips and links as the POKÉMON GO phenomena is taking our world, both virtual and real, to places never gone before.
1) What is POKÉMON GO? Remember the card and video games from the ’90s? The cartoon? The movies? POKÉMania! It’s back after a long hiatus. This time, YOU are the star. POKÉMON GO uses your phone’s GPS and camera to turn the real world into an actual hunting ground for POKÉMON. Augmented reality (morphing real and virtual worlds) has turned a corner and the masses are now open to play. No longer is it a gamers only world–check out this quick POKÉMON GO overview for nongamers.
Local landmarks, businesses, even churches are transformed into POKÉMON GYMS, where you can battle other teams. Need more POKÉBALLS? Stock up at a POKÉSTOP. POKÉMON GO has officially changed the way people game on their phone, explore their neighborhoods and exercise, for that matter.
2) How to get
started? Simple. Download the app (Get the app for iOS or Get the app for on Google Play) and get off the couch. Start walking, looking for POKÉMON on a game map. Tap on them and the game will access your in-phone camera, so it looks like POKÉMON have invaded your actual world. Every aspect, including the bathroom (proof at left!). Launch some balls at them by swiping the screen. Hit them and capture the digital varmints.
That’s about all there is to it to start.
- If you want to be a more POKÉ-savvy, check out these POKÉMON GO Tips before you start.
- If you have 30 minutes to blow, you may want to watch How to Play POKÉMON GO from Trainer Tips on YouTube.
- Need a quicker read? Try POKÉMON GO Explained by Vox Explainers.
- And let’s plug the nongamers guide to POKÉMON GO from The Washington Post. It’s a great overview.
3) Why is it so popular? That’s probably the question Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program and NFL Play 60 is asking when they returned to the office this week. Let’s just say:
Gaming + Real World = Magic
What else would explain gamers getting off the coach and logging so many miles in their local communities that they are reporting exhaustion! Here are a few mega POKÉMON GO stats:
- POKÉMON GO is about to surpass Twitter in daily active Android users! Almost hard to believe!
- Tinder. Passé. Love is overrated compared to the drive for catching POKÉMON.
- POKÉMON GO players are engaging at twice the rate of Snapchat users. Wow!
- Players are complaining of soreness due to playing POKÉMON GO. Why? They have to move! (No joke!)
- POKÉMON GO urban myths are running rampant.
THE ONE POKÉMON GO POST YOU MUST SEE TO BELIEVE: In less than 1 week, this POKÉMON GO TRAINER’S life has been turned upside down. (Thanks for the link, son! LOL)
4) Are there biz opportunities tied to POKÉMON GO? Give me a “heck yeah!” Or an “Alleluia!”
- How to get your business POKÉMON-GO ready?
- There’s opportunity (and POKÉMON) around every corner. Just ask these POKÉMON GO drivers (think they have Uber experience?).
5) Watch your Back In a High-tech World. Remember the kids I referred to looking like zombies walking down the street? Well, it’s true. People are sucked into this virtual world and may not be paying attention to real life. For bad guys (the real ones, not the digital variety), a dream come true. Eleven people were robbed in Missouri while playing. All the perps had to do was set up a POKESTOP within the game. And, there have also been plenty of reports of people collecting, or trying to collect POKÉMON while driving. Really? It should go without saying, bad idea. Don’t do it!
Have fun, but let’s be POKÉ-careful out there!
LATEST UPDATES: So much digital content is flowing on POKÉMON GO, it’s almost hard to keep up. To help you stay connected on everything, we’re sharing this link for CNET’s “The Ultimate Guide to Everything POKÉMON GO.”