It was a warm and sunny day as I was walking down the Santa Monica Pier this past week. As I looked around me, it was a wonderful sight to behold: a gleaming ocean, an exciting amusement park, and street vendors and musicians all along the wooden pier entertaining the locals and tourists.

There was also another sight to behold, one that isn’t so glamorous, but rather has been common and amusing these past couple weeks: seeing teenagers and adults looking down at their phones, trying to find and catch Pokémon.

Pokémon Go, an app developed by Niantic and published by the Pokémon Company, has taken over the hearts and minds of adults and children alike, all determined to become the best Pokémon trainers. The app allows players to join 3 teams, Team Mystic, Team Instinct, and Team Valor, to play anywhere with a signal to find, catch, and battle Pokémon. Having various locations for people to battle their Pokémon in gyms and places to collect Poké balls and other items called PokéStops, and placing rare and common Pokémon anywhere you can think of, it has created a frenzy I haven’t seen I think since the release of Flappy Bird in 2013.

How the app has gained so much popularity in the short amount of time it has been released is how it is different from so many games on the market today. Having the ability to go out into your own neighborhood, to places you visit, or go on a hike to play the game is what gets people motivated and interested to continue to play the game. While many popular games, such as Candy Crush or the infamous Flappy Bird, allows you to just sit and play, Pokémon Go requires players to get out and actually search for things in the game, resembling the popular phenomenon Geocaching.

In addition, its simple concept and design allows young kids and adults to learn and play the game with ease. Being able to touch your screen when a Pokémon appears in front of you and simply swiping Poké balls at the Pokémon in front of you to try and catch it is a technique anyone can do. And how it is displayed on your screen, showing every building and block in the area and using your camera to display what is in front of you to make it more real world than virtual, it is as if we have been living in the Pokémon universe and now we are being able to finally see them.

With its mass popularity, the app has also caused many people and parents to concern about safety. A man caused a traffic accident when he stopped his car in the middle of the road to catch a Pokémon in Texas; teenager Shayla Wiggins in Wyoming discovered a dead body in a river while searching for Pokémon; and many people have gotten injuries, other accidents, and into areas off limits to the public from being distracted with the game. Muggers have also used the app by knowing areas where Pokémon are to rob players when they go to the area.

With this heightened concern, it puts into question if this game has more dangerous consequences than pure enjoyment. Nevertheless, the hype of the game is still at an all time high. The nostalgia this game has created for young adults and adults who grew up with Pokémon brings back a sense of childhood and fond memories from playing the game that people can’t ignore. Being able to walk around and truly be a Pokémon trainer was every young boy’s and girl’s dreams played the game, and now it is a literally.

As I play the game, strangers say to me, “ Yea Pokémon Go!” and walking down the boardwalk in Santa Monica, a woman was saying “Go catch those Pokémon!” to people playing the game; it goes to show how so many people have heard of and are attracted to this game that won’t be going away any time soon. It will continue to expand, such as with the release of Pokémon Go Plus, a device that allows you to connect via Bluetooth with your phone to detect Pokémon in your area, and it will continue to get people to go out and catch them all. As for now, this game will continue to be the summer hit of 2016.