The phenomenon that is Pokémon Go, a gaming app with animated creatures, was released in the US on July 6. It has since been released in over 30 countries around the world including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom.What Residents ThinkCommon Concerns

Millions of iOS and Android users have downloaded the free app and started their quest to become a Pokémon Master.

The Pokémon Company originally got its start as an anime cartoon in the '90s, and due to its popularity went on to release numerous movies, trading cards, toys, and video games.

Game developers Niantic took five years to create the augmented reality game, Pokémon Go, which infuses the world of Pokémon with user's everyday surroundings.

It tracks the GPS location on the player's device to render an actual map of the world around them. From there, users can actively travel around their towns and interact with other gamers face-to-face.

Similar to Pokémon's video game predecessors, the Pokémon Go app's mission is to "Catch 'em all."

After customizing an avatar, the player starts the game by picking one of three starter Pokémon: Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur.

The iconic character Pikachu, can be unlocked as a fourth option if players walk away multiple times from their initial three choices. Eventually, a Pikachu will join the group and can be captured.

There are more than 100 Pokémon, from the original Red and Blue games, that players can go on to discover and catch along their search.

Location and time of day adds variety to the types of Pokémon available; certain species of Pokémon come out at night and water element Pokémon will generally appear near water.

To catch these creatures, the player must take the initiative to walk around and find where they are hiding. The game is not designed for users to be sedentary, instead it encourages exploration.

Once a Pokémon comes into view on the device's screen, it can be engaged by players throwing Poké Balls at it. The more Pokémon caught, the more experience points are gained, and the more characters are added to the Pokédex, which is like a Pokémon encyclopedia.

With more experience points, gamers level up. To battle other local users at "Gyms," the player must reach level 5 and join a team of red, blue, or yellow. Gyms are typically set up at public memorials and monuments in town.

There are also designated landmarks called PokéStops. Much like Gyms, the person has to physically be at the location in order to access the PokéStop, which is seen as a blue icon.

When clicked on, the game pulls up the name and picture of the place. It reveals free items, such as more Poké Balls, by spinning the photo icon. The PokéStop icon will turn purple after it is used, and the player cannot get more free items until it refreshes.

If users do not have access to a PokéStop, or just want to accelerate the process of moving up in the game, there is also the option of using real money to purchase items in the app.

Those willing to sacrifice some coin to help aid them in their pursuits can choose from helpful items such as packs of Poké Balls, Egg Incubators to help Pokémon hatch, Lure Modules to coax Pokémon to a specific spot for half an hour, or incense that coax wild Pokémon out.

Newtown residents Roland Stephen, 22, and Harrison Schreiner, 22, downloaded the Pokémon Go app the day it was released.

Having grown up watching the Pokémon television show, collecting the trading cards, and playing the older games they were interested in seeing what the augmented reality game would be like.

"I saw everyone posting about it," Mr Stephen said. "I liked Pokémon growing up, so I decided to try it.

"At first I didn't like it, because I just wasn't used to it. Usually when I play a game, I just want to sit there and play, but it grew on me. It's actually pretty fun."

On a rainy Monday afternoon at Dickinson Park, the two friends searched for Pokémon under the pavilion. Within minutes of logging onto the app, Mr Schreiner had caught a fighting type Pokémon called Mankey to add to his collection.

To date, Mr Schreiner had reached level 10 and acquired 53 different types of Pokémon, while Mr Stephen had gotten up to level 11 and captured 44 Pokémon. If they catch a duplicate Pokémon to a species they already have, they transfer it for more experience points.

Still, even the most experienced Pokémon Masters are not immune to the game's server crashing.

"I drove all the way to the mall to play, and it wouldn't let me log in," said Mr Stephen.

"I couldn't log in for about a day," chimed in Mr Schreiner. "It's also frustrating when you run out of Poké Balls and there are really cool Pokémon around you."

Despite those problems, what makes the game worth it for them is the chase of collecting more Pokémon.

"Catching Pokémon is really exciting," Mr Schreiner explained, "especially when a new one comes up."

The two friends have traveled all over Newtown looking to "Catch 'em all." Some popular locations they have visited in addition to Dickinson Park, which Mr Stephen explained has three PokéStops and a Gym, include the Edmond Town Hall, Town Players Little Theatre, Orchard Hill Nature Center, and Fairfield Hills.

"My roommate and I went up to Fairfield Hills, because there are PokéStops there. We walked the trails for two and a half hours," said Mr Stephen.

He even walked around an extra hour in 90-degree weather just to hatch his Pokémon egg, which opens up after traveling a specified amount of kilometers.

According to the game, which calculates player's steps when the app is opened, he has walked a total of 23.5 kilometers (14.6 miles).

The game not only promotes a healthy alternative to the typical sedentary game by keeping players active, but it also is a useful tool to get users to interact with one another in person.

"It's kind of funny because everybody is playing it," said Mr Stephen. "At the mall or at Fairfield Hills, so many people have come up to me and vice versa, talking about the game. It is interesting that everyone can relate and that it makes people social."

There are problems that have developed pertaining to the game.

Initially, there was a privacy scare for those who signed up using a Google account. In doing so, Gmail users inadvertently compromised their security by granting the app access to see and modify information in their Google account.

Upon being made aware of the issue, the app quickly created an update to the game that stops the access. However, it only activates after users select the update option, log out of the app, and then sign back in.

Another persistent problem that Pokémon Go gamers are facing, as Mr Schreiner and Mr Stephen have experienced, is frequent server crashes caused by overuse of the app.

Users have been frustrated with the inconsistency with the server, since many go out of their way to travel to specific locations to catch Pokémon.

When the server goes down in the middle of catching a Pokémon, players have to restart the game and risk losing the Pokémon that was in the area.

The biggest concern that has developed because of the game, though, is safety. At the start of Pokémon Go, the app warns users "Remember to be alert at all times. Stay aware of your surroundings."

With gamers intensely focused on staring at their phone, and absentmindedly walking to wherever the app leads them, there is a concern for patrons' well-being around high traffic areas.

It is important for drivers to pay attention, and for Pokémon Go users to play responsibly on their quest to become a Pokémon Master and "Catch 'em all."