Young people in particular have been captured by the gaming experience which overlays animated Pokémon characters into the real world. This is also the first time an augmented reality game has come into the main stream. For many players the game is nostalgic, Pokémon became a phenomenon in the late 90’s early 00’s. One of the reasons for its popularity is it is free to download and very easy to play. Players can also find Pokémon eggs that hatch into Pokémon and can be added to a user’s collection. The map is an anime-style version of Google maps that replaces real street names and landmarks with Pokémon specific buildings.Īnother feature of the game are Poké Stops which are real life locations where users can usually collect free Poké Balls (used to catch Pokémon). The aim is to collect as many different characters as possible. When users come within a close enough range the Pokémon will appear on the device screen and users throw Poké Balls at them to capture them. How does it work?Īs users walk around the real word, Pokémon characters appear on the game map.

Once the account is set up users can create their profile and choose their username. Users can use their Google account to sign in, alternatively users can create a Pokémon Trainer Club account, which comes with added benefits (Newsletter subscription and Gaming codes). There are two options for signing up to the game. 20 years later Pokémon has made a big come back in the form of a location based smartphone game. The popular game grew into a successful franchise which spanned TV, trading cards, comics and toys. The Japanese franchise became well known for its unique graphics and cute characters. The game centered on fictional characters know as Pokemon which humans (Pokémon Trainers) catch and train to battle each other. Pokémon (short for pocket monster) is a franchise owned by Nintendo and began life in the mid 90’s as a game for the Game Boy. However the terms do state that parents of children under 13 can sign-up to the game on behalf of their children.įor more details on terms go to: /terms/ What is Pokémon? Users must be 13 or over to sign-up for the game.

In this article, we look at how Pokémon Go works and answer some frequently asked questions from parents. The game uses location tracking and mapping technology to create an ‘augmented reality’ where players catch and train Pokémon characters in real locations. Pokémon Go is a free smartphone app that combines gaming with the real world.

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