I've been ready to catch 'em all since I was about 6 years old. My childhood dream was to fill my Pokédex. When Niantic announced that "Pokémon GO" had a release date, the dream was revived.

The first time I opened the app, I was in a Denny's (which is a 24-hour diner-style restaurant) eating pancakes. Suddenly, a Squirtle appeared! He was on the table via an augmented reality through my phone. I flicked a few pokéballs at him and he was mine. I caught my first ever Pokémon. The inner child in me reappeared and suddenly, I needed more.

The next day, as my friends and I were in the car driving to the sushi place in town, I found myself looking for Pokémon or places to stop at to collect items along the way. We were stopped at a stop light for the perfect amount of time for me to reap the rewards of the nearest Pokéstop (which are locations in your area that can give you rewards, even eggs that hatch into Pokémon after walking a certain distance).

The game features a GPS map of your actual location. You can walk to a Pokéstop to collect items or a Battle Gym, where you train or battle your particular Pokémon.

I never expected this app to really capture me like it has. I am always checking if there are more Pokémon near me (and I will run down the street to catch it if I can). My friends and I even made a special trip to the town square last night, where there are many Pokéstops and lures for Pokémon, to see who could get the best loot (I got three eggs)! We were not the only people there for that reason, either. It is great to see people exploring the town and connecting, even if it is only through an app.

"Pokémon GO" is an amazing app so far that people use to explore their towns and collect Pokémon on the way, allowing them to relive their childhood dreams of being a Pokémon master.