If you have not paid attention yet, this is the reason why everyone else is walking with their heads buried in their phones…

Who knew that the day would come when once again, this generation of young people and adults alike would relive the fantasy of being a Pokémon master?

Created in 1995 by Satoshi Tajiri, the fantasy world of fictional creatures allows people to fulfill their dream of being a Pokémon trainer; finding, catching and training their very own Pokémon in order to prepare them to battle for sport. The concept originated as a video game for the console Game Boy and quickly evolved into card games, animated T.V. shows, toys, and even comic books. The company has been successful in sales due to its extreme popularity towards children and teens in particular. The video games alone have sold over 200 million copies, and as of 2016 the entire Pokémon franchise has brought in over $46.2 billion.
This July more than 20 years after the invention of Pokémon, this generation of youngsters will have the chance to live in the fantasy universe of Pokémon. With the aid of smart phone devices; Niantic launched PokemonGo, using them as its most influential attribute. This idea allows the youth to interact and enter their own world where anything is possible.

 Not your usual video game, with the use of a hand held console Pokémon Go is a free download for Android and IOS devices. While it still has the same objective as the original Nintendo Pokémon games of “catching ‘em all”, this game has a new feature that gives the 21 year old fantasy world a compelling innovative look. The influential new media platform with the captivating name of Pokémon Go, includes a spellbinding feature of mixing in real world elements into the game. With the same goal of trying to “catch ‘em all,” the game uses your smart phone’s GPS feature and clock in deciding which Pokémon will appear in the game using real existing locations.

You may be wondering why it is that Pokémon Go app has been released more than 20 years after the birth of the original concept and almost 10 years after the iPhone was introduced. The Pokémon concept was invented by Tajiri after being inspired by the hobby of insect collecting, which Tajiri himself enjoyed as a child. In the game, you are designated as a “Pokémon trainer,” with the objectives of catching as many Pokémon as you can find and then train them to compete against other Pokémon owned by other trainers. It was approximately two years ago when the innovative idea of Pokémon Go was devised by Satoru Iwata of Nintendo and Tsunekazu Ishihara of the Pokémon Company.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY – JULY 14 : A Pokemon Go user plays Pokemon GO game in Istanbul, Turkey on July 14, 2016. (Photo by Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

 In March of 2016 Niantic announced a Japan-Exclusive beta test would begin later that month and allow players to take part in refining the game before its official release. After being released on the 6^th of this month, Pokemon Go topped the American App Store’s “Top Grossing” and “Free” charts, having more than 15 million downloads as of the 13^th. Only days after its release, the game is having `a captivating impact on young children, teens, giving a reason for college students to roam around campus, and even get hard working adults exercising; serving as a wakeup call when they commute to work. It remains to be seen whether Pokémon Go will be just a short term craze or a longer lasting occurrence.  Nevertheless, however long its lasts, it is undeniabley brought excitement and interest to  the Pokémon franchise, smart phone devices, and entertainment all around the world.

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