If you grew up in the early 2000s, there is a very slim chance you don't know what Pokémon is. If you somehow do not, get ready to learn. Pokémon, or Pocket Monsters in Japan, are animal monsters that you can catch and raise as your own. You can battle them, breed them or just try to catch all the different kinds. There are tons of video games featuring these monsters, but our focus for today is on "Pokémon Go." First released in July 2016, this app gives you all the fun of the Pokémon video games, but on your cell phone. If this seems like your kind of thing, continue reading and I will teach you all about this game and how to play!

Encountering wild Pokémon!

J. Jones

As you walk around, you will encounter wild Pokémon. To try to catch them, all you have to do is click on them. This screen will appear. You may choose the type of berries to use (to help catch them more easily) or the type of Pokéball you wish to use. The more centered the ball is, the more likely you will be to catch it.

Spinning Pokéstops!

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To spin a Pokéstop, all you have to do is hold the stop with your finger and then flick your finger. This will cause numerous items to come out including but not limited to: pokéballs, potions and even eggs.

Understanding what certain colors/times/shapes mean. 

J. Jones

In this picture, you see can see some wild Pokémon next to my character. The number in the bottom left hand corner is the trainer level I am at. The blue bar below is how much stardust I have. To level up, you must get X amount of stardust. You receive stardust by spinning Pokéstops and fighting gyms. You can also see what looks like buildings of different colors and times above them. The colors are reflective of what team is currently holding that gym. The teams are red for valor, blue for mystic and yellow for instinct. The times above the gyms are showing how much time is left for the raid battle happening at the gym. The blue cubes next to the buildings are Pokéstops.

Field and special tasks!

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Throughout the game, you will be assigned tasks to complete that will reward you with certain items. For some tasks, a wild Pokémon will appear. You can get new tasks to complete by spinning Pokéstops. If you complete a task for seven days, you will have the chance to catch a rare Pokémon. The special research tasks are only given every once in a while, but if completed, a legendary Pokémon will be awarded!

Having a buddy pokémon!

J. Jones

You have the option to have a buddy Pokémon in this game. This Pokémon will receive candy based on how much you walk with them. Sometimes, if they are small enough, they will sit on your player's shoulder. So cute!

Preparing for a battle!

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Before preparing for battle, it is a good idea to make sure your team is all healed up. You will have an easier time fighting the battle if you use types of Pokémon that are powerful against the other. For example, a water type would be strong against a fire type, a grass type would be strong against a fire type and so on.

Battling a Pokémon!

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When you are actually battling a pokémon, you have the option of using two different attacks. The most powerful of the attacks is called the charged attack that will build up the longer the battle goes on. Other players can help you with battles as long as they are on the same team as you. (Mystic, Valor, Instinct). If your pokémon faints during the battle (no death here!), you will be able to use one of your other five Pokémon. Your party consists of six. At all times, you have the option to run away or switch out which Pokémon you are using.

Which gym holds what Pokémon

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Before choosing to enter a battle, you can click on a gym and see what pokémon are defending that gym. You can also choose to not fight the gym at all and just spin the Pokéstop attached to the gym. The longer a pokémon stays in a gym, the more coins it accrues. The coins will max out at 50. You can use the coins to buy things in the Pokéstore.

Nearby raids!

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As mentioned previously, raids are attached to the gyms. They go on all day and end around early night time. The little angry heads below the pokémon indicate the difficulty (one for easy, five for hard). It's way easier to defeat a raid battle the more people you have helping. The team colors don't matter for raid battles; each team can work together. If the raid boss can be defeated in the allotted time, you will be given a chance to catch it.

 Raid passes!

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To compete in a raid battle, you must use a raid pass. You can receive a raid pass by spinning Pokéstops or by spinning the Pokéstop at a gym after fighting a raid boss. You can also purchase them from the Pokéstore.

Egg colors and their meanings

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As mentioned previously, you can receive eggs from spinning Pokéstops if you have an open space (you can only hold nine eggs at a time) or from gifts that you receive from other players! The colors all have different meanings. The green speckled eggs are 2 km eggs. The orange speckled eggs are 5 km eggs. The purple speckled eggs are 10 km eggs. You must purchase incubators from the Pokéstore to be able to walk and hatch the eggs. There are two different types of incubators: super and normal. The super incubators will hatch the eggs faster.

 Friends! 

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You can make friends on "Pokémon Go" by keying in their trainer codes. Your trainer code can be found when you click the add friend button. Adding friends can allow you to send gifts back and forth and trade Pokémon. The more often you send gifts to your friends, the stronger your friendship will build. The stronger your friendship is, the less stardust it will require to trade Pokémon back and forth and perks like that.

 Gifts! 

J. Jones

As mentioned previously, you receive gifts from friends and from spinning Pokéstops. These gifts contain items such as Pokéballs, potions and much more.

I hope that this article was able to inform you how to play this super fun game. While the nostalgia certainly is part of the fun, the exercise is an added bonus. Also, you can meet friends while fighting battles and raids. Enjoy the game and happy hunting!