What Is Pokémon Go and Why Is Everyone Talking About It?

First, my friend caught a Charmander at a supermarket.

Then the flood started: Digletts on a steering wheel.

Rhyhorn at the bar.

Magikarp on a frying pan.

Theyre all Pokemon to catch, part of a new game calledPokemon Go.

Youve probably heard of itbut whatisit, and why is everyone obsessed with it?

Pokemonis the portmanteau of pocket monsters, and an insanely popular franchise with a just as insanely long history.

Then you put them in battle against other players.

I collected the trading cards and obsessed over the (still running) TV series.

Fortunately,youdont need any previous Pokemon experience to enjoyPokemon Go.

How Do You PlayPokemon Go?

Pokemon Gois a free-to-play mobile app that you’re free to download foriOSorAndroid.

(Between $0.99 for 100 PokeCoins and up to $99.99 for 14,500.)

These days you cant read the news without seeing headlines aboutPokemon Go.

Even my friends and Is group chats regularly light up with talk of which gyms and PokeStops are nearby.

Everyone lovesPokemon Go, despite how playing it can be a drain on battery andcellular data.

But to answer your question: nostalgia.

And everyone else was talking about it, so a pinch of peer pressure.

Andrew likes the idea of catching Pokemon in real life.

Its the closest thing we have to a real life Pokemon experience.

A lot of people are playing for the nostalgia, but Pokemon was always a cool idea.

Ive definitely gotten more cardio the past two days than I have the last three months combined.

This isnt the only game like this, of course.

Part of the beauty ofPokemon Gois how easy it is to play.

You just need an iPhone or Android phone, and have a strong Wi-Fi connection or cellular data available.

Otherwise, there are ways toreduce and conserve as much of your data as possibleforPokemon Go.

Additionally,Pokemon Gocan reallysuck your phone battery.

While the game has its own battery saver mode, you should take otherbattery-saving measures into your own hands.

For one thing, you’ve got the option to lower the brightness of your phones screen.

If you have bluetooth turned on, turn that off.