Pokémon is also an animated television series that, since its premiere in 1997, has featured young Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum on his quest to become the world’s greatest Pokémon trainer. Today, recovering Pokémon trainer Matt Bobkin tackles the augmented reality phenomenon of Pokémon Go, which brings the game to your smartphone. Published by Nintendo, Pokémon is a video game franchise that originated in Japan in 1996, centred on the premise of capturing fictional creatures (Pokémon) and training them by battling them against other Pokémon. Using GPS, players are alerted to the real world locations of wild Pokémon to catch, items to make Pokémon stronger or easier to capture, and Gyms to battle other players. Though the AR technology is impressive, the gameplay is a lot simpler than the video games: Pokémon GO only features the original 151 Pokémon and simplified battling mechanics.

Source: National Post July 12, 2016 16:22 UTC