The game was released in early July for mobile phones under the name Pokémon GO instantly soared to the top of the App Store and Google Play. It drives millions of people crazy in the USA and New Zealand (the game is currently only available in these and some other countries). We decided to figure out what kind of game this is and why everyone who has ever heard of Pokemon is playing it now.

Well, another Pokemon game came out, so what? There are hundreds of such games.

This game is not quite ordinary. The fact is that it uses the technology of so-called “augmented” reality: you turn on the camera on your smartphone, and a virtual image is superimposed on the image of the real world around you, with which you can interact. This technology has already been used previously in games such as Ingress. The most important thing is that during the game you do not sit in one place - in order to succeed, you need to constantly move around. So, when playing Pokemon GO, you will combine business with pleasure.

And how to play it?

It's very simple to play. You walk around the city and use your phone to scan everything around in search of treasured Pokemon. Here's a look at this video:

When you find one of the Pokemon, a virtual ball, the so-called “Pokeball,” will appear on your screen, by throwing which you can catch the Pokemon. Once you catch a few Pokemon, you can battle other players, gain experience, evolve your monsters, and eventually catch them all.

Sounds interesting. Why is there so much buzz around this game?

Well, firstly, because this game involves not just sitting at home in front of the monitor screen, but going outside. And there are other people on the street. Some of them also play Pokemon GO. This game involves live communication with people, and not virtual chats with strangers.

Secondly, for that a short time, that has passed since the release of the game (the game was released in early July), it has managed to acquire a huge number of funny (and not so funny) cases.

Come on, what happened?

To begin with, it’s worth saying that Nintendo shares rose by more than 25% after the release of Pokemon GO, increasing the company’s capitalization by $7 billion.

Some people find a girlfriend thanks to this game. So, one of the Reddit users said that during his next walk in search of Pokemon, he met a girl who also played Pokemon GO. As a result, the two discussed their collections of pocket monsters, and the guy asked the girl out on a date. And what do you think? She agreed. Checkmate, people who believe that gamers cannot find a girlfriend.

Another guy was driving around his city on a skateboard, trying to find his Pokemon. Completely immersed in this process, he did not notice the hole in the road, and the hunt for Pokemon ended with a broken face and a broken phone.

For some, this game helps restore relationships with loved ones - one guy very rarely communicated with his parents, and one day while going out for coffee with his mother, they decided to play Pokemon GO. As a result, after walking in nature for several hours, mother and son had a great time and agreed to go on the next walk with the whole family (they even decided to take the dog).

Nothing can distract a true Pokemon trainer from what he loves - not even the birth of a child. This guy decided to hunt right in the room where his wife was lying, who was ready to give birth any minute.

Some stories are not so rosy. For example, a girl from the USA found... a corpse during her Pokemon hunt. According to her, she was looking for Pokemon in the local river area when she noticed something strange in the water. As she came closer, she realized that it was a human body. The young hunter was not at a loss and quickly called 911, after which the police took up the matter. It was recently revealed that a group of robbers were using this app to ambush unsuspecting people in dark alleys. It's good that the criminals were eventually caught. Despite the fact that the game is extremely exciting, it is always worth looking around and monitoring what is happening around you.

That's it, I can't wait to go find these cute little creatures myself. When will this appear in Russia?

Soon. The developers have not yet given official comments (when they do, we will definitely write about it), but they simply cannot ignore such a huge audience in the person of Russian Pokemon fans. So get ready - soon an army of Pokemon seekers will take to the streets, exploring every crevice and loophole of Russian cities just to get their hands on the coveted monster.

At the beginning of June this year, the famous company Nintendo, which specializes in the production of gaming devices, blew up the market mobile games, releasing a new game called Pokemon GO. After 10 days from the release of this toy, the company’s shares increased in price by one and a half times. The world is gripped by Pokemon fever. Many users who learned about this toy began to download and install this application on their smartphones, and then actively catch Pokemon. Currently, hundreds of thousands of people spend a lot of time in this game, searching for virtual animals. This is done not only by students and ordinary office employees, but even by supreme judges and volunteers who participate in military operations in Syria. In this article we will try to understand the reasons for the popularity of this application.

What game is Pokemon GO?

It’s worth saying right away that Pokemon GO is a game that was developed by Nintendo. The manufacturer has created an application that can be installed and used on smartphones and tablets running Android and iOS. A week and a half after the appearance of this game in app stores, it quickly became popular among gadget owners. Many people now do not communicate with friends in their free time, but immerse themselves in the world of this game and catch Pokemon. They discuss their adventures in this game over dinner, and in general, the main topic of conversation for the players with others is this toy, as well as the events that happened in it.

How to play Pokemon GO?

In fact, the gameplay in this toy is quite simple. All you need to do is show skill and catch Pokemon. When you have caught several animals, then you will have to spend some time training them. In this game, the manufacturer implemented the principle of augmented reality. Through the smartphone camera the player looks at the world. The program superimposes virtual objects on the landscapes that surround a person in everyday life: during the gameplay, the player will be able to see Pokemon on the map, the appearance of which is associated with criteria that are known only to the game developers themselves.
In this game there are special places that the developers called PokeStops. These are special places where the player can get balls that will help him catch Pokemon. You can also find useful items in these places.

If you have caught several Pokemon, then you will have to train them so that in the future they will win victories in battles. To do this, you will have to find special sites where you can do this process. However, you should be aware that they will become available to the player after he reaches a certain level.

If you don’t want to strain yourself and at the same time have a strong desire to play with this toy, you won’t succeed there. Lying on the couch will not achieve any results in this game. In order to progress in Pokemon GO, you need to move around a lot. If you play this game at night, then during the gameplay you will have to hunt ghost Pokemon. In the parks you can expect to meet forest animals. On the banks of a river or lake, you may come across water Pokemon.

What is the point of Pokemon GO?

The main point of this game is that the player must collect Pokemon during the gameplay, and then train his animals. In addition, this toy provides the ability to communicate with other players. Note that catching animals is quite difficult. Currently there are about 150 of them in the game. However, over time their maximum number will increase. In total, 751 monsters live in the game universe created by the application developers.

How to catch a Pokemon?

If you notice an animal during the game, then in this case you need to point the camera at it and then shoot with a special red and white ball. To do this, you need to swipe your finger across the gadget screen. If you make a mistake, the little animal will run away from you. Battles with other players are currently not available in this game. However, you have the opportunity to train Pokemon obtained in the game at special sites. But we note that this opportunity is available to players only upon reaching the fifth level.

Is the game really popular?

After the release of this toy, Nintendo strengthened its financial position. The growth in the company's capitalization was largely due to the fact that after the release of this toy on the market, the shares of the Japanese manufacturer of gaming devices rose in price by 1.5 times. Currently, hundreds of thousands of people have already downloaded this application and play it every day, spending 45 minutes on this activity. The main indicator demonstrating the popularity of this game is the sale of items that are necessary to upgrade Pokemon. From their implementation, the company earns $1.5 million every day.

What is the secret to the success of Pokemon GO?

The main reason for the success of this toy is that the developers implemented unusual mechanics in it. In order to play, you need to constantly move - move along the street and explore different places. If you are at home and just move your finger across the screen, you will not have any achievements in the game. The advantage of this toy is that it is free and this attracts users. All the items that a player needs to play the game can be found on special sites, which are called pokestops in the game. Items can also be purchased for money. The difference is that when you pay money, you don't have to look for these places for long. You can immediately get the items you need.

Another reason for the success of this toy is that Pokemon are popular characters. That is why there was such great interest in this toy. An entire generation of people grew up watching animated series that tell about the adventures of these funny little animals. In the 2000s, when the Pokemon series first appeared, there were no such games. Now people who loved those animated stories about funny animals can completely break away and enjoy a game that features their favorite characters.

Can you already go to the App Store and Google and download Pokemon GO?

We do not recommend rushing with this. You should wait until July 17th. According to the developers, by this time the application should appear in application stores. The program will be available for iPhones, as well as owners of devices that run Android. Users can download the application from unofficial sources. However, in doing so, they act at their own peril and risk.

It should be noted that the Google Play store already has applications similar to the popular game, which are actually fake. For example, one of these Pokemon GO Ultimate toys. To date, 50 thousand users who were inattentive have downloaded the fake. As a result, after downloading they received no interesting game about Pokemon, and a screen locker, which later transformed into a porn clicker - a program through which traffic to adult sites is generated.

Who is Pokemon anyway?

People who haven't watched Pokemon cartoons will, of course, wonder who Pokemon are. These little animals are pocket monsters that are endowed with unusual abilities. The Japanese company Nintendo invented them in 1997. Later, she released a series of games, and after that she even launched an entire series. Note that filming continues to this day. It was thanks to the animated film that the existence of such funny little animals became known in our country in the early 2000s.

If we talk about these little animals, they live in a universe that was invented by the developers of the game in the alternative reality genre. That is, it differs from the real world in that it is home to hundreds of Pokemon that you can catch and then train. People who do this call themselves coaches. They train their Pokemon during the game, and then put them into battle against other Pokemon. The main task they face in this game is collecting all the Pokemon that live in the universe. Their other goal is to become a better coach.

People walk around the city without taking their eyes off their smartphone, clearly want to see something on the screen and form groups. What is this: mass psychosis or a newfangled feature? Most likely, we will talk about the latter, because this Pokemon Go application is a real social phenomenon that blew up the whole world in a matter of days. And we know where you can already download Pokemon Go!

Pokemon Go popularity indicators

Pokemon Go is the brainchild of Nintendo and has a release date of July 6th. To clearly see how warmly the public reacted to the opportunity to play this application, suffice it to say that within 4.5 hours of its appearance in the App Store, Pokemon Go was already in its top. The shares of the founding company instantly soared by one and a half times and now continue their inexorable upward growth.

In terms of daily activity, Pokémon have successfully surpassed Twitter and become leaders in search queries on Google. Such indicators simply make your competitors’ heads spin and their eyes twitch nervously. Why such fuss? Yes, it’s just the good old Pokemon that came back, only now they’ve been adapted to a new reality! We believe that in the near future the question will not even occur to anyone. It's obvious!

This is what it looks like:

What is the point of Pokemon Go?

Every owner of a smartphone with iOS or Android can play this newfangled miracle. The Pokemon Go game is a prime example of augmented reality technologies. When you launch the game on your phone, you will see the locations surrounding you with Pokemon running around. The player's task is to find and catch Pokemon. After this, you can play to improve his capabilities and train him for subsequent battles.

The uniqueness of Pokemon Go lies in the effect of the reality of what is happening. You can wander familiar streets and stumble upon a fantastic creature, for the sake of a rare specimen you will go to play in an unfamiliar area, you will cooperate with other gamers and play for a common victory. It is noteworthy that you and the players who are near you will see the same Pokemon, but only one will be able to catch it.

You can clearly see and feel all the charm of the game by watching the Pokemon Go trailer:

The released version of the game is less enchanting and you won’t be able to play it with the full effect of presence. But the impression of reality of what is happening will still be created. Make sure of this by watching the Pokemon Go review in Russian:

Can I play the game right now?

The main difficulty is that Pokemon Go can only be downloaded by residents of New Zealand, Australia, the USA, and from July 13 also Germany. Initially, it was planned to distribute the game to all major areas at once, but this did not happen due to failures in the system, which was not ready for such an influx of people. Therefore, only residents of the specified countries can officially download and play the Pokemon Go game. But the rest don't have long to wait. After all, the incredible success of the application prompts the company to solve the problem in record time and open new areas for its distribution. This gives us hope that the Pokemon Go game will have a release date in Russia and Ukraine by the end of this week.

There is no point in waiting for the official version and denying yourself the pleasure of catching Pokemon if It is possible to download the application and play it right now.

Download Pokemon Go game for Android easiest way. To do this you need:

— open access in the settings to install applications of unknown origin;
— download the game itself, taking advantage of link;
— install the game and play for your health.

For owners of smartphones with iOS You can download Pokemon Go only by changing your phone registration. We proceed as follows:

— go to your “Settings”, select “General” and “iTunes Store and AppStore” and log out of your account;
— through “Settings”, “General”, select “Language and region”, where we change our location to New Zealand, For example;
— go to the “App Store”, look for “Pokemon Go” and download it;
— fill out the form to create a new “Apple ID”. There you need to enter the address - it can be anything, like other data, Google will help you;
— confirm the new account and proceed to the download itself;
— when the installation of the game on your smartphone is completed, you can play after returning your registration to the phone.

Now you know how to play the game, which is rightly called a social phenomenon of our time. Have you already downloaded Pokemon Go? Start playing already, otherwise all the Pokemon will be taken away! Give your ratings, write comments, follow the news with the My Tips portal!

That she detained four suspects who, under the pretext of finding a Pokemon, lured victims to a secluded place and robbed them.

What is going on?

Yoshizaku Tsuno/AFP, Getty Images

After several years of relative quiet, Pokémon are making a comeback. The Nintendo-owned franchise that exploded in the late 1990s is taking America by storm again, this time through what has become the franchise's biggest title on mobile platforms. It is not yet available in Russia, but we have compiled instructions for those of you who are eager to play. (How to install Pokemon GO if you live in Russia).

This game is so popular that it has almost surpassed Twitter on Android in the number of daily active users, Tinder in the number of downloads on Android devices, and porn in the number of Google searches. At the same time, Nintendo shares at stock exchange skyrocketed, adding nearly $11 billion to the company's value.

In a nutshell, Pokémon Go uses your phone's GPS and clock to determine what time and place you are in the game, and then randomly places Pokémon around you (on your phone screen) for you to chase and catch. The idea is for you to travel around the world more, trying to catch more and more new Pokemon in the game.

Tweet: sethary @seth_cordaro

When you get stopped by the police but you have to catch them all #Pokémongo

Where does this popularity come from?

Part of the game's popularity is that it's free, so it's easy to download and start playing. But something else is more important. Pokémon Go brings to life the dream that every Pokémon fan has dreamed of since the first game: what if Pokémon really existed and lived in our world?

But to understand why people are so attracted to this idea, we first need to go back to the late 1990s and the original Pokémon games.

How Pokémon games work

The Pokémon series takes place in a world inhabited by exotic, powerful creatures. They can look like rats, snakes, dragons, dinosaurs, birds, eggs, trees and even swords. Humans called "trainers" travel this world to tame these creatures and, in an ethically controversial manner, use them for duels.

Pokémon Go is an attempt to bring to life what Pokémon fans have always dreamed of

On this moment The game doesn't have a multiplayer component, meaning you can't engage in battles or trade with your friends - two features that are very important in console games. (There are even serious tournaments with cash prizes.)

Judging by the game's first trailer, multiplayer mode may be coming in the future, although this feature has been announced from the very beginning.

The lack of normal multiplayer and familiar battles upset some fans of the franchise.

Another major issue is battery usage. Having a game on all the time can quickly drain your phone's battery - to the point where there are guides on how to play and save battery power. In fact, this is one of the technological rough edges that will have to be corrected over time in augmented reality games.

Ash and Pikachu meet Scraggy, the best of the Pokémon.

In addition to making childhood dreams come true, for many, Pokémon Go was the introduction to a new type of game that blends the real world with the virtual world - a mixture called "augmented reality."

This is not virtual reality, where you put on glasses or a helmet and are completely immersed in the virtual world. Augmented reality games use technology to augment the world around you, like putting the Pokémon Abra in your toilet.

Why would anyone want this? Well, everyday life can get boring. Why not add some Pokemon to it?

Predecessors to Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go is perhaps the most advanced augmented reality game to date. But it wasn't the first, and it certainly won't be the last: developers are increasingly embracing the concept as games like Ingress, Life Is Crime, and yes, Pokémon Go come out.

Google even parodied the idea of ​​Pokémon Go for April Fool's Day Prank in 2014 (though this could have been a secret reveal, given that Niantic, the company behind Pokémon Go, launched on Google):

Ingress, meanwhile, showed a potential problem with augmented reality games. In Ingress, users can take over each other's "portals", which requires them to travel to different locations in the real world. So players can literally crash into each other in the real world in an attempt to capture the portal.

Problem: When people compete, they can become aggressive. And already There is messages about how people had conflicts in real life because of the game.

There have already been several incidents with Pokémon Go as well. Even if we forget for a moment about the four suspects who allegedly placed beacons on Pokéstops to attract victims and rob them, there are several cases of injuries due to the game, and police are advising players not to go where they shouldn't be. Most players will likely stay sane and not get into trouble, but there is still some risk in combining the real world and a video game.

Recently social media and the Internet as a whole blew up a new game from Niantic. This terribly interesting virus is called Pokemon Go. Very little time has passed since the official release of the application on smartphones (June 7, 2016), and residents of Australia, New Zealand and the USA were the first to catch Pokemon. A few days later, European countries joined the already multi-million army of players. In Russia, the game was released on July 17.

The developers' plans are amazing! In the future, they want to make the game available in 200 countries around the world, which will undoubtedly lead to the Pokemonization of the entire planet.

Who is Pokemon Go and how to play?

Pokemon Go is an augmented virtual reality game. Here you need to search and find Pokemon. The main highlight of the application is a journey through a real map of your locality. You can catch Pokemon on the street, in the forest, at the market and in the store. They can hide anywhere, which adds extra excitement to the game.

The developers made sure that Pokemon Go was as close as possible to the cartoon that was released back in 1997 at the same time as the cult one.

The game involves a real journey around the city, including training your pets, battles in arenas, etc. Thus, trainers (as Pokemon owners are called) will not have to be bored, locked in their rooms, but go to fresh air, collecting bonuses, coins, candies, eggs and much more.

How to catch Pokemon and why is it needed?

Catching animals is one of the main tasks in the game, which will allow you to gain experience points and get a really strong pet. Catching them is easier than or. But to do this, you first need to wander the streets, taking the name of the pokeballs with you.

Pokemon can be found in a variety of places. Moreover, their types depend on the area where they are located. For example, in the forest there are all sorts of worms, plants, and butterflies. In the city you can find various birds, ghosts and rats.

The distance to the Pokemon is determined by special trail icons in the main interface. One track is approximately 40 meters. As soon as a monster appears on the map near you, feel free to click on it!

This starts combat mode. Additionally, it is recommended to disable AR mode, as it is less convenient and consumes more battery power. You will definitely need it again.

Having discovered an animal in front of you, you need to hold down the Pokeball icon on the phone screen. At the same time, 2 circles will appear on the animal itself: a white, stationary one and a colored, dynamic one. There are 2 parameters here that determine a number of characteristics:

• The larger the circle, the greater the chance of hitting a Pokemon and becoming its owner.
• The color of the circle determines the difficulty of catching. So, a green tint means that it will be quite easy to take possession of a pet. Yellow indicates medium difficulty. But red guarantees many problems in catching.

You can launch a Pokeball at a Pokemon by throwing it in its direction. The more accurate it is, the higher the likelihood of success and, accordingly, receiving a bonus in the form of XP. At the same time, you need to be prepared that when catching a Pokemon with a red circle, you will need to release a dozen Pokeballs, and they are not endless.

Collecting Pokeballs

Collecting pokeballs, like coins with eggs, can be done in 2 ways: buy or find. The first method is the simplest and does not require much knowledge or effort. But the second one is worth working on.

The first step is to find the blue dot on the map (PokeStop) and head there. As you get closer, you will see a cube starting to gradually rotate. When a sign appears in place of the figure, you need to untwist it. As a result, you can get several eggs, pokeballs, experience points, etc.

Blue dots can be located anywhere, be it a regular shopping center. For residents of small settlements searching may be difficult due to the small number of PokéStops. At the same time, there may be no training halls in small towns at all, which will become a big problem for the players.

Player level and inventory in Pokemon Go

When you have already taken possession of a fresh Pokemon, you can start leveling it up. The main indicator of an animal's strength is combat power - the average indicator of all capabilities, from hit points to age.

Additionally, each Pokemon has maximum level possible pumping, corresponding to the level of the player himself. When increasing your level, it is recommended to upgrade your army of the most powerful characters. At the same time, you shouldn’t be disdainful of “trash” characters, since in the future you can turn them in to the professor and get candies with which you can upgrade your strongest pets.