Beginners Guide to Pokemon Go App on iphone and Android

Today I jumped on a business call and within the first two minutes the conversation had already gone to Pokemon Go. And it wasn’t because we are all professional adults in marketing and following the latest trends. It was because we are all crazy excited about the game!! At 45 years old I have kids that are in their early twenties. They were so into Pokemon that my son had memorized all 151 Pokemon before he knew the states and capitals. We collected the cards and traded them at geek stores in the mall. We had posters on the walls and of course, had every video game that came out. My older son introduced Pokemon to my younger son and now at 13 years old, he too has his own stash of cards and knows just about every Pokemon ever created. Now, I find myself driving and walking around town searching for Pokemon with my son in real life! And it is so FUN! One of my colleagues from the client call today told a GREAT story about the competitive nature of Pokemon Go. Some young neighborhood kids came to her brother’s door and asked if they could have permission to go into his back yard to catch the latest Pokemon. Her brother immediately shut the door, ran into the backyard and caught the character himself! Isn’t that hysterical? This is serious business. So, if you have not begun the craze, I am going to give you a few beginners tips and tricks so that you can jump into the fun and excitement too!

Beginners Guide to Pokemon Go App on iphone and Android

1. You have to download the app which is totally free! This will give you the game to play which uses GPS to create a map on your phone that as you get closer the the Pokemon characters hidden in the “real” world, shows where pokemon are so that you can catch ’em all! And just like in the previous games, you can hatch them, evolve them to higher levels, battle at Gyms and more.

2. You are a Poketrainer, an avatar walking the map that simulates your real walking speed, direction and measurable distance. You have to get out there and walk, run, bike and drive (have someone else do the driving for safety) to locate as many characters and items as you can. You have to walk certain distances to evolve your Pokemon, but riding around can allow you to pick up objects that you need (so you can play as long as you are out and about!).

TIP: You want to catch duplicate Pokemon so you can trade them in for stardust and candy needed to evolve your characters.

3. Get out and go into popular areas with landmarks, monuments, buildings, fountains and even parks or your own backyard to collect Pokemon. Pokemon in the game tend to be near their natural environment (water Pokemon being near a pond or fountain, for example). The circle around your avatar shows your range in which you can catch the Pokemon. You will see a small grey box on the right side of your avatar that will show you the Pokemon available in your area. You will also see that there are footprints under the characters that let you know how close or far away the Pokemon are hiding. (One print being closer and three meaning further away).

4. Once you come upon a Pokemon you have to catch it by holding your finger down on the Pokeball on the bottom of the screen. This will pull up a set of rings that are coded with green orange and red to indicate the difficulty of being able to catch the character. Keep your finger on the screen and try to wait until the outside ring is a small as possible around the character to increase your changes of capture. At just the right moment you will flick your finger or thumb to throw the Pokeball at the Pokemon and hopefully catch it!

5. Be careful of where you are going. Pay attention at all times for your own safety and the safety of others. Stay in well lit and populated areas. Take your eyes off of your phone often to watch your step, assess your surroundings, make certain you are not trespassing or going into areas that might compromise your safety in any way. Traveling in groups is more competitive but is a good idea to stay safe from stranger danger.
Check out the Pokemon GO UK Site here!