Pokémon Go is a new app that allows you to catch Pokémon in the world around you. The "augmented reality" game, which layers gameplay onto the physical world, allows you to connect your GPS system to the game, so you can track down Pokémon anywhere you go.

As a kid I loved Pokémon. I obsessively collected trading cards and watched VHS videotapes religiously. For a while, I dragged a stuffed Charizard around my house. But my Pokémon days have come and gone, and the thought of owning my own Pikachu has long been put out of my mind. So when the game was released, as a 20-year old girl who has never really been into video games, the new app sounded appealing, but not something I would go out of my way to do.

This was not the case for the rest of my family.

“I found an Oddish down the street!!” my sister screamed excitedly. And suddenly my mother, father, sister and brother, before fully explaining to me what an Oddish was, ran gleefully out the door. But the term did sound vaguely familiar, so after a bit of searching (and a lot of attempts to spell the word ‘Oddish’), I realized: Pokémon Go had officially taken over my household.

Pokémon Go is currently generating more revenue and is getting more downloads than any other iPhone app in the United States. The app went live the evening of July 6 and took less than five hours to get to #1 on the download charts. Not only is it popular among users, but there also have been many articles about the strange events that have occurred due to this game.


So what was all the hype about?

After almost a five-mile walk around my neighborhood looking for more Pokémon, my family was still hooked. How could this game be so addicting?

Out of pure curiosity, I volunteered to chauffeur my family around town to continue the search. With the word “Pokémon” barely out of my mouth, they had already hopped in the car and we headed down the street.

My father, riding shotgun, gave directions, “Alright if you turn left down this street, there could be a Pokémon”. As I came to a halt on some random street in my neighborhood, I heard the little “plunk” of the pokeball, signifying that the creature had been captured. And we continued on.

Obviously, the GPS system on this game did not completely realize where all the Pokémon were hiding. At one point, I argued with my brother that it was probably not a good idea to hop a fence to catch a Rattata. I drove down alleys, into parking lots and through neighborhoods.

That night we wandered for almost an hour. My siblings and father are still completely hooked. At first, my mother and I were both concerned that Pokémon would begin to run our household. But a day and a half later, they have started to volunteer to go on errands for my mother to find a Jigglypuff at the grocery store, they willingly walk long distances around the neighborhood to find new species, and even spent an hour at the dog park getting to meet other trainers (they forgot to take the dog).

Surprisingly, this app has increased people’s desire to go outside and to engage with neighbors. Meeting other people who are playing the game feels like a uniting factor, causing people to engage over something positive. Events are being created on Facebook for Pokemon Go lovers, social media is buzzing with news about where to find the new creatures, and you can easily find people staring at a wall around town with their phone.

This app, in the big scheme of things, may seem frivolous. But in a time when the news brings us sadness and hope seems more like a dream, maybe going outside, talking a walk and exploring with your neighbors seems like a pretty good thing to do.