Pokemon GO, an app created at the beginning of Summer 2016, becoming one of the summer’s most popular apps, takes over the world, literally. Being used more than Twitter, this free app for Apple and Android devices gets everyone outside. Pokemon GO is a game that combines the pokemon world to the real world. Almost every student at Rachel Carson played the app over their summer break. There are many things you can do in the app, so let’s find out!

Pokemon Go was created by a company called Niantic to enhance the usual Pokemon gameplay, which also has its headquarters in San Francisco, California. After lots of programming and testing, it was released to the United States. When the app is on, walk around in the real world to try to find pokemon, like Pikachu and Pidgey. When a pokemon appears, tap it and try to catch it with the limited number of pokeballs you have. Pokestops are structures in the game that appear in real locations around the world where you can collect items like pokeballs. Once you get in range, just tap the icon and spin it. Then tap the items that appear to get it. You may also occasionally find eggs in there. Just put the egg in one of your incubators and walk around a set distance to hatch a pokemon.

When you reach level 5 (you can get experience points by catching and hatching pokemon), you will be able to join one of the three teams in the game: Team Valor, Team Mystic, or Team Instinct. Once you join a team, you can put pokemon in your teams gyms around the world at real locations or battle other teams gyms to try to take over it.

Many students play this game outside of Rachel Carson, and the seventh grade Legacy team was polled on whether they played or not and what team they joined. After studying the poll results, it showed that out of the 91 students polled, 41 said they played or used to play while 47 said that they didn’t even have the app. Out of the 41 students, 12 chose Valor, 21 chose Mystic, 5 chose Instinct, and 2 hadn’t joined a team yet.

Four students were interviewed on certain questions, like what team they joined and upcoming updates they hope for. “I joined Team Instinct because all my friends joined Instinct” stated Sachin Yelne. Julian DaSilva also told us “I joined Team Valor because I don’t like Team Mystic.” Most of the students interviewed played once or three times a week. Dajah Jones played everyday of the week! Those same students were asked about what upcoming updates they hoped for. Cameron Wu wants battles with other players without using gyms and wants more pokemon. Sachin hopes for more pokemon, like Cameron, while Julian wants trading in the game.

Pokemon has made a comeback this year with its new app, and many people were playing the app last summer. It took over social media with people posting pictures of pokemon in different places around America, even by military officers. Pokemon Go was the number one app during the summer, and the creators are most likely going to continue updating the game in hopes of gaining back its summer popularity.