How the globetrotting game Pokémon Go works

Augmented reality at its Millennial finest. Credit: Courtesy of/via tctechcrunch2011

The augmented reality dream for Millennials nostalgic for the early 2000s.

18 Juli 2016 14:52

Brilio.net/en - For those of you who dont know what Pokmon Go is. The augmented reality game has users hooked to their phones, trying to catch em all. Pokmon, short for pocket monster (its okay, we chuckled too) has been a phenomenon since it first burst onto the scene in 1999, and the free new app has revived everyones favorite childhood game.

Heres a breakdown of how it works:

Turn of the Millennia kids just have a spot spot for these little creatures.Credit: Courtesy of/via comingsoon.net

How do you play?

Its pretty simple, even for those of us who arent so keen on phone games. The app, which is available for Android and iPhone, is free to download. While its free to play the game, it does eat up a lot of your data, but fret not, providers in the US have listened and T-Mobile is even offering users unlimited data to play the game.

Using your phone's GPS and camera, the augmented reality game puts you front and center on your quest to catching all the Pokmon. Its pretty eerie as only you can see the Pokmon appear in front of you, on a lawn, in a chair, hovering above someones head. With a simple flick of the finger, youll be able to throw your pokeball at the little creature and make it yours. Some are easier to catch than others, but thats the fun of it! Not only can you amass the most Pokmon, but you can train your little treasures and fight other uses, just in case you werent already addicted enough.

via home.bt.com

But heres the catch. You have a limited number of Pokeballs, so youll have to walk to Poke Stops to get more so you can catch more Pokmon (its a vicious cycle of keeping you off your couch). Another catch that will get you in shape in no time? The eggs! These little guys incubate and only hatch based on how far you walk - 5km, 10km or 20km.

via cnn.net

Is it actually that popular?

Yes, yes it is. On July 8th, Android users used Pokemon Go more than any other app, ringing in at 43:23 minutes per day, followed by WhatsApp with 30:27 minutes per day. (Sorry Tinder, but your 15 minutes of fame are over.)

Pokmon Go overtaking all its competitors.Credit: Courtesy of/viatechcrunch.com

It only took one day for Pokmon Go to outdo its competitors, according to Survey Monkey. Within three days of its US release, the game attracted more users than Twitter. According to SensorTower, the game is making around $1.6 million per day with its over 7.5 million users, in the US alone. This is quite a feat considering the game was only launched this month, and was only made available in the UK on July 14th. If you dont live there, this site will let you know where you can download the addictive game, and even allows you to be notified when your country will have the app ready for you.