Pokémon Go

Damn, this game is taking over the world! Pokémon Go is a revolutionary augmented reality gaming app that gives you the opportunity to become real life Pokémon masters by going out into the world and discovering what's out there. If you devote enough time to catching enough Pokémon, you can evolve them and eventually get them to a certain strength level that you desire.

After playing this game, here are a few things you should know if you're starting out:

1. You Can Pick Pikachu As Your Starter Pokémon At the beginning of the game when you are given the option of the usual Charmander, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, don't choose any of them. As in, physically run away from them. The game will jump them over to try and follow you, but by the fourth time you do this, it gets the message you don’t want any of them, and surprise! There’s Pikachu. Your starter isn't terribly important unless you have sentimental value, but this is a fun little easter egg that you'll enjoy. Besides, you can catch a whole bunch of them out in the wild.

2. There's A Strategy To Catching Higher Level Pokémon In order to maximize your chances of catching a Pokémon and avoid wasting your Pokéballs, look at the size and color. The color of the circles indicates how strong they are — green is weak, yellow is medium and red is strong. Waiting for the circles to shrink will increase your chance at stronger Pokemon staying within a Pokéball.

3. Go To Pokéstops With Active Lure Modules To Attract Wild Pokémon. These can be spotted by flowing, falling pink/green leaves and last for 30 minutes. It will cost 100 coins to use of your own at your nearest Pokéstop, but you can also mooch off of others who set up an existing module for yourself.

4. Take Advantage Of Special Attacks In Gym Battles. When battling in a gym, charge up your Pokémon and unleash a special attack by holding down on your screen. It's all about timing and reaction in battles, so as soon as that meter fills up, hold it down and let go before your Pokémon faints.

5. Gather Special Items At Pokéstops For Another Way To Catch Pokémon. In order for the eggs to hatch, you need to hit a number of steps in your pedometer, so be sure to walk — or even skateboard or rollerblade — as the app won’t count if you’re driving.

6. Capture Everything It might seem obvious with “catch ‘em all” as the tagline for the game, but catching duplicates of Pokémon is good. Each time you catch a duplicate, you still get the associated evolution candy, and you can transfer unwanted Pokémon to the professor for more candy. The more candy and stardust you have, the more Pokémon you can evolve.