Pokemon GO explained, Australian launch sees gamers everywhere

IT’S literally the biggest thing in Australia right now, but what actually is Pokemon GO and how do these cute monsters just pop up on your phones?

Pokemon GO is a smartphone app and is a joint venture between The Pokemon Company, Nintendo and app developer Niantic Labs.

As is the case with most smartphone games and smartphones in general, it requires you to spend a lot of time with your head down, so much so that there’s a warning when you boot the game up, that tells you to stay alert.

It is based on the old school Pokemon video games, but instead it focuses less on battles and more on moving around in the real world to find creatures and claim territory.

Here’s a couple of Pokefans, Toby Travalos and Daniel Smith explaining the craze.

The app uses GPS and internet services to transform the whole world into a Pokemon region map.

The interface on your phone will show a person (your Pokemon avatar/trainer) walking on a Google Maps-type layout through the phone's GPS. The maps show surrounding landmarks such as statues and train stations which represent pokestops (popular landmarks e.g. museums, libraries, parks). At pokestops you pick up items that will help you capture more Pokemon.

This is called augmented reality which basically means Pokemon GO is Google Maps with Pokemon added to it. It takes your real-life world in front of you and adds a fictional layer to it (Pokemon) by using your phone’s GPS.

Pokemon are creatures that come in variety of types, shapes, and sizes. In the app, there are more than 100 Pokemon available to capture.

They are raised and commanded by their trainers (avatars) and during their adventures, grow and become more experienced and evolve into stronger Pokemon.

You will find Pokemon by physically walking around your area. The more into the city you travel, the more Pokemon you will find. Some rare Pokemon will appear in different areas, for example, water Pokemon will appear near lakes and oceans and poisonous Pokemon will pop up near forests.

As you walk around, your avatar moves along the map in the app on your phone. When a Pokemon is close enough for you to catch, you phone will vibrate and the Pokemon will pop up on your screen.

You tap the Pokemon to capture it and then the augmented reality experience starts with the Pokemon dancing around your surroundings (literally). Once you can see the Pokemon in front of you, it’s time to throw a Poke Ball to capture it. To throw, you tap and hold your Pokeball and flick it vertically directly towards the creature. The aim is to bop the pocket monster on the head.

However, Pokemon are cheeky creatures and may not enjoy being captured, and will try to jump out of the ball. If this happens, you can throw another Pokeball to try and recapture it.

Once you’ve been playing the game for a bit, you will be able to join one of three teams - Valor (red), Mystic (blue) or Instinct (yellow) - and begin going to gyms (actual landmarks in the world where all the Pokemon battles happen).

You can claim a vacant gym for your team by leaving one of your powerful Pokemon at the gym. If the gym is controlled by an opposing team, you will need to battle the Pokemon in it to have a chance of taking it over. If your team owns a gym, you can take your Pokemon there to train.

The aim of the game is to capture new monsters, evolve them through training and battles and to take over gyms.

It also gets Pokefans outdoors, walking kilometres to find Pokemon. It’s also a great way to meet fellow Pokefans.