Advertisement
X

What Is It And How To Play It

All that is there to know about Pokémon GO

  • It is an augmented-reality (AR) ­smartphone game that is free on iOS and Android ­ devices
  • It uses the phone’s GPS, camera and gyroscope to make Pokémon characters appear in a player’s vicinity
  • The idea of the game is to make the player move around to catch all of the original 151 Pokémon monsters.
  • The type of the creature differs according to the surroundings, like water Pokémon are around lakes and rivers.
  • To catch a Pokémon, the player swipes a Pokéball on the phone in the direction of the Pokémon.
  • Almost all Pokémon have a power level. The players need to be on the lookout for candies or stardust, both of which are ­in-game currencies that help to increase the combat-power of the Pokémon.
  • There are no traditional battles which need strategy. The only battles that happen are in the PokéGym, and are decided based on the power of the Pokémon.
  • The only way to make the Pokémon ­stronger or help it evolve is by catching more of them and fighting gym leaders

***

Who Is Behind Pokemon GO

  • Pokémon is the brain child of Japanese game designer Satoshi Tajiri, who in 1990 worked to combine his childhood hobby of insect collecting and being out in ‘nature’ with his love for ­video games.
  • The first Pokémon game was launched in 1996 with the help of Nintendo and designer Ken Sugimori on Game Boy. As the games evolved, so did the anime and the card game which updated them accordingly.
  • Pokemon GO was launched by Niantic, a San Fancisco based Augmented-Reality startup, which was incubated inside Google before it was spun out last October.
  • John Hanke, chief executive of Niantic, was also the man behind the launch of Google Earth in 2005. Pokémon GO marries Tajiri’s original concepts with GPS-based locations.
  • The Pokémon TV series was launched in 1997 and the card game in 1999. There have been 19 feature films in the Pokemon franchise, the latest being Volcanion and the Exquisite Magearna.
Advertisement
  • Pokémon is in its 7th Generation which will launch in November this year, and has 729 species as of now.
Show comments
Published At:
US