I played Pokémon for the very first time when I was eight years old. The game I played was LeafGreen Version, a reboot of the original 1996 Green Version. The game had been out for only a few months and was already popular with people I knew; I was beyond ecstatic when my dad took me out and had me pick out a GameBoy handheld (the Advance SP in blue, for those curious, and I do still have it) and one game for my birthday. I chose LeafGreen, and unbeknownst to me, an obsession was born.

I played Pokémon incessantly over the years, and my dad showed an interest; whether it was an interest in the game itself, having been introduced through me, or an interest stemming from my boundless enthusiasm for it, I’m not sure. I do know that when I was stuck in a particularly hard cave or battle I could hand the GameBoy off to him as I was going to bed, and he would help me by leveling up my Pokémon or navigating his way through the puzzle-like terrain, leaving the game for me to check in the morning.

My father played LeafGreen, compiling a list-slash-index of different teams of Pokémon and the moves I could use to beat the Elite Four (the highest level trainers a player can battle in the game). He graduated to Emerald Version when I did, and because I was older, he brought me to different game and toy stores when they had Pokémon themed events. He even braved a Pokémon convention with me (and that’s me in the header picture-decked out to look like May, a character from the Pokémon animated series)- Pokémon Rocks 2005, in Boston. With the release of the Nintendo GameCube, we played Pokémon XD together, and he bought an adapter so that he could help me trade different Pokémon across the three games I owned to help complete my Pokédex (the in-game catalog of different Pokémon).

As I continued to grow older, we played together less, and we played separately less. I still bought new Pokémon games religiously (aside from the few games mentioned above, I also own copies of Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon Puzzle Challenge, Pokémon Colosseum, Diamond Version, White Version, Black 2 Version, Pokémon X, Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Shuffle, Pokémon Picross, and two different titles in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series of games). So, even though we didn’t both play, I played. A lot.

Rumors of Pokémon Go! began circling months ago, and for all the Pokémon geek that I am, my dad was the one to show me the trailer. The idea of Pokémon in augmented reality would have absolutely amazed me as an eight year old. Now, I can watch a bird or a bat Pokémon flap around my father’s head as we toss Pokéballs on our phone screens, waiting for the stars that mean a Pokémon has been successfully captured. We joined the same color Pokémon team within the game, at my insistence, which means we can battle the same Pokémon gyms and station our Pokémon there together.

I don’t just want to say Pokémon Go is a cultural phenomenon (it pretty much is) and revolutionizes the way mobile games can be played (it pretty much does). I want to take a minute to thank the creators for making something that I, a lifelong Pokémon fan, can enjoy, and for creating something that brings people together the way it does. Tomorrow, me and my dad can both go catch that Pikachu in our backyard, or take a walk to the local Pokéstop to get some extra items to help us out in our travels. Once the app has been updated, I’m sure we’ll be trading with one another. This app is another title in a series of fun games I’ve played my whole life, and to top it off, it means I get to spend extra time with my dad, just like when I was eight years old and couldn’t find my way out of the Viridian Forest. Except now it’s him asking me for help hatching his Pokémon eggs or wondering which Pokémon evolves into what. Regardless of who’s the real Poké-expert here (me!) we’re both just playing, and playing together.