Players, Bulbasaurs cross paths on the Sonoma Plaza for Pokemon Go

Kyra Hinton, 20, loved Pokemon growing up. She collected the playing cards and watched the TV show and movies. The Pokemon theme was the first song she ever sang, according to her parents. It’s been years since she’s thought about the odd anime creatures, but from the moment she downloaded Pokemon Go last week, walked outside and found an adorable mint green Bulbasaur sitting on her front lawn, she’s been hooked.

Unlike the Pokemon games kids grew up playing on handheld consoles, Pokemon Go is played entirely outside the home, on a mobile phone. Players are “trainers” who roam around catching 151 little animalian creatures (“pocket monsters”) that can be collected, traded and pitted in battle against each other. The trainer’s goal is to “catch ’em all,” and become a Pokémon master by defeating other trainers.

What makes the new Pokemon Go game special, and unique, is that thanks to sophisticated geolocation advances, players see Pokemon characters laid on top of the landscape they are really standing in. Players capture creatures and treasure for in-game use in real world places.

Because the game is played on foot and most Pokemon hide in historical monuments, notable attractions and in parks, Sonoma Plaza quickly became ground zero for Sonoma County Pokemon playing.

Players from 10 to 30 have been spotted all over town since the day the game was released July 6, but Hinton also said she has run into plenty of moms staring at their phones and saying to their young kids, “There’s a Pokemon over there, let’s go get it!”

Diandra Diamond, 19, was out hunting a Pokemon “ponyta” on the Plaza one night this week and found it right outside Murphy’s Irish Pub. When she yelled, “The ponyta is right here!,” a few guys raced out of the bar to catch it, too.

So what do you need to know about the phenomena that is Pokemon Go?

1. It didn’t exist 10 days ago. The free game was launched on July 6 and at press time it has had 20 million downloads. It’s the biggest mobile game in U.S. history. It’s already bigger than Tinder, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, and it hasn’t even been released yet in most of the world.

2. Google, of course, has a piece of the action. The game was developed by Google spinoff Niantic. Nintendo owns 32 percent of both Niantic and Pokémon’s license owner.

3. The marketing guys were genius. Choosing to release Go when school is out, young people have time on their hands and the weather is good - brilliant.

4. The game has broad appeal. “I turned 29 today and I absolutely love the game,” said Yolanda Buckley. “It’s a blast. Needing to go to certain locations around town to find a specific Pokemon is a thrill in itself.”

5. Gamers are getting up off their sofas in droves. As Gizmodo’s recent headline put it: ‘Sore Legs Become Pandemic As Pokémon Go Players Accidentally Get Exercise.’ Pokemon eggs only hatch if you walk with them for 2, 5 or 10 km, and in order to catch a variety, you need to hit a lot of different locations. Local mom Courteney Duffy Morgan said, “My 9-year-old son and I took a three-mile walk today and he found Pokemon along the way. Normally he would never be interested in taking a walk with me so this is a big plus in my book.” Another mom said, with some glee, “I don’t think my son is ever going to complain about having to run errands with me again.”

6. Somebody is certain to get hurt. While there are some exaggerated stories online, wandering into oncoming traffic or getting lost are very possible. The Go website specifically vetoes playing while biking, driving or riding a hoverboard.

7. You can easily tell who is playing. Look for people standing in a pathway staring at their phones and flicking upward with their fingers.

8. Wait, so how do you catch one? When you’re in position to catch a Pokémon, the screen switches to a first-person view with the Pokémon in front of you. You will see your real world location and use your touch screen to throw Poké Balls to try to catch the Pokémon.

9. The game is somewhat educational. Nintendo uses a national historical market database to place most of its Pokemon. Local mom Corey Stroud Morgan said, “My 10-year-old is playing and loves it. I let him have about an hour a day. We were on vacation in McCloud and it took us to a bunch of historical sites and gave us the history of each one.” Players also end up memorizing the attributes of 151 species, and Go players must read and interpret maps.

10. It’s a data suck. While the Plaza has wifi thanks to the Sonoma Valley Rotary, to be successful, you’ll need to travel further afield and the game uses gobs of data. Transmitting location via GPS is a data-heavy endeavor and the game’s constant camera use is a battery drain.

11. Local businesses can get it on the action. While the game is free, lures are in-app purchases that can be set down in any actual geographic location to attract Pokemon. Some savvy business owners are setting lures to attract playing customers.

12. The game has social benefits. An online group quickly cropped up where players of all ages in Sonoma Valley exchange numbers, meet up and talk about the game. “It has been so much fun to have this to do over summer break,” said Hinton. “It’s very social and there’s a great camaraderie among strangers over this fun, crazy game.”

Michael Molina, 19, co-founded the popular Pokemon Go Facebook page that’s the hub of discussion of local play. “It’s a friendly group of people who enjoy the game. It’s a fresh way to connect with people and have fun together. We’re exploring places in town that none of us have ever been - I’ve actually learned a lot about Sonoma.”