Pokémon storm the suburbs: Things to know about Pokémon GO
People walk slowly down a sidewalk, heads bent, staring at their cellphone screens. Chances are they're not texting, or reading breaking news.
They're trying to catch Pokémon.
Using the Pokémon GO app that has been downloaded 7.5 million times since Wednesday, thousands of people in the suburbs are roaming local downtowns, neighborhoods and landmarks searching for and capturing virtual Pokémon placed in real-world locations.
Pokémon are everywhere. Millions of posts on Twitter and Facebook show players finding the Japanese-based creatures in their homes, offices or in public.
Like in downtown Arlington Heights, where the Rattata character was hanging out along Vail Street.
Mark Burchert, 21, of Arlington Heights walked 10 miles Sunday looking for Pokémon. People using the app collect the Pokémon by walking around indoors and outdoors and watching for an animated creature to pop up on their phone screens.
Based loosely on Pokémon video and card games, Pokémon GO uses a smartphone's GPS to help players find Pokémon - fictional creatures that have various characteristics and strengths - wherever they happen to be in the real world.
Once they find Pokémon, players use their fingers to flick a virtual ball on their screens and capture the creatures.
Burchert has seen groups of as many as 40 people just walking around collecting Pokémon and “battling” other players' characters.
The battles present a “bittersweet rivalry,” he said, because most players are “super friendly” and share with fellow players where to find rare Pokémon.
“Everyone has been helping each other out,” he said.
The app is most popular among those who grew up playing the original Pokémon games but also appeals to younger people who have been navigating smartphone apps since they were toddlers.
Kayra Silva, 20, walked around downtown Arlington Heights Monday morning with three friends collecting Pokémon and hoping to battle fellow Pokémon Trainers for control of gyms - or training locations - in the app.
Her family has been a “Pokémon family” since she was young and always had the latest Pokémon movies, she said. Now, she says, she's excited to catch the Pokémon in the real world.
Still not sure what all the Pokémon GO hype is all about, or not really clear on what a Pikachu is? Here are five more things to know:
1. The appeal of the game is something many kids who grew up in the '90s might understand. The franchise originally began in Japan as a video game and grew to include playing cards. Although past its peak popularity, Pokémon card and online game tournaments still draw big crowds of loyal players.
2. One goal of the app game is to collect as many different types of Pokémon as you can. Players cannot yet trade Pokémon, but different Pokémon can be found at various times of the day in various locations. Catching enough of the same Pokémon species will help them evolve into new Pokémon.
3. The app takes real landforms into consideration, so players can find water Pokémon - ducks, turtles, crabs - in local bodies of water. Grass Pokémon can be found on land.
4. Pikachu, a yellow mouse, is the most famous of the Pokémon. Jack Milos, 13, of Mount Prospect says he saw a Pikachu at Prospect High School, but it was too difficult to catch.
5. It hasn't been all fun and games since Pokémon GO's release. A Wyoming woman was looking for a water Pokémon in a river when she stumbled upon a man's body Friday, according to The Associated Press. Four teens were arrested in O'Fallon, Missouri, after staking out spots they knew Pokémon GO players would be and robbing them, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
And police in New Jersey say they've seen reports throughout the country about children and adolescents suffering injuries because they're walking around focused only on their phones and not paying attention to what's taking place around them.