With all the rage about "Pokemon Go" lately, I feel it is necessary to talk about its older sister, "Ingress." For those of you that haven't heard about any of these games, they are both Mixed/Augmented reality games that encourage going out in the real world and playing the games on your phone. "Ingress" and "Pokemon Go" are developed by the same company, Niantic. Niantic has only made these two games, and while "Pokemon Go' is too young to give an honest opinion of, "Ingress" is a top notch game.

"Ingress" came out in 2013, and since then has built up a very active community that is close knit and very accepting. The game is focused around capturing Portals where “Exotic Matter (XM)” leaks out into the world. XM is a substance that can influence human thought (it is all around us) and is the primary fuel/health for in-game actions. There are two factions, the Enlightened, and the Resistance. The Enlightened believe that they can use XM to encourage peace and bring about the golden age of humanity. The resistance are opposed to this idea and want humanity to go on naturally.

Portals are at landmarks, stores, and places of significance in the world. You can hack portals, set up defenses for portals, and link portals to make a stronger influence and defense for an area. "Ingress" requires a lot of moving around, walking, and going to places in order to support your faction or disturb another.

The gameplay is fun and addicting; you can pick it up and start playing very easily. It encourages players to walk around and explore the world around them. Through "Ingress," you see the world through a different lens, the world becomes a game of "Risk." "Ingress" allows you to make the seemingly static world a dynamic place. Though your faction may have control of one area for now, it can change, and it will change. There is strategy in planning what you want to hack and link, and there is always someone in need of helping.

"Ingress" is a whole lot of fun for people playing, and gives you the chance to connect with other people in the community. There are local communities for certain areas that give people the chance to coordinate and help others. "Ingress" has the best community of any game I have ever played. It is a rarity to find a gaming community that is inviting, helpful, and non-judgmental, but "Ingress" has one. Maybe it has to do with the fact that "Ingres" is not anonymous, like most other online games. Regardless, the community is fantastic.

"Pokemon Go" shares a lot in common with"Ingress." While they are games with different objectives, they both encourage you to go and explore the world, and they both make the world fun. The way gyms work in "Pokemon Go" is similar to how Portals work in "Ingress." Landmarks are also important in "Pokemon Go," for example, a Pokeshop or Gym can be at a landmark. While "Pokemon Go" is about catching Pokemon and training your team, it is also about planning your way to go about defending your territory and keeping your team safe. Finally, let us not forget that without "Ingress," "Pokemon Go" would not be made, and your friends would not be feverishly trying to be the very best, like no one ever was.