If you see groups of people walking around like zombies in your neighborhood this week, don't call police – they're just trying to catch 'em all.
They're (likely) playing Pokemon Go, an "augmented reality" game that sends players to real-world locations to capture virtual creatures.
A game that’s forcing people to actually get up and walk around? It's true.
And if it seems like everyone is playing, it's because they are. It became the top-grossing app in the iPhone store just days after its Wednesday release.
In simple terms, Pokémon Go uses the phone GPS and clock to detect where and when players are in the game and make Pokémon "appear" around them (on the phone screen) so that players can go and catch them. As they move around, different and more types of Pokémon will appear depending on where players are and what time it is. The idea is to encourage people to travel around the real world to catch Pokémon in the game.
This sort of activity is now poised to become the new normal.
For decades, tech and gaming companies have increased the person’s sense of total immersion in virtual realities. But now, the greatest digital-friendly frontier returns to reality; it’s augmented through your mobile device.
Joseph Brown, The Star-Herald
