It’s been a while since an online game has swept across the globe like Pokémon Go. In less than a week the app has overtaken the dating app Tinder and is well on its way to have more users than social networking site Twitter.
Augmented reality
The app is based on Pokémon, a video game and anime series created in 1996. Pokémon adventurers travel the world looking for so-called “pocket-monsters”, also known as Pokémon, who then battle each other. Pokémon Go creates an augmented reality similar to the original series where users wander around their neighbourhood searching for pocket-monsters to “capture”. The monsters (with names such as Pikachu and Bulbasaur), pop-up on your phone as if they were there in real life.