Gotta catch 'em all! Pokemon Go craze takes St. John's

The dream of the Ninetiesis alivein St. John's, thanks to the sudden appearance of famous Pokemon all over the city.

Pokemonveteransand newbies alike have been scouring the city looking for Jigglypuffs and Pidgeyson the new Pokemon Go game available for iPhone and Android smartphones.

• The Pokemon Go phenomenon, explained by a millennial

You might not see them with your bare eyes, but download the app and turn your camera onand you'll quickly see that Pokemon are all around us.

Pokemon Go takes over St. John's

8 years ago

Duration 1:23

Pokemon master Walter Mackey takes the CBC's Jeremy Eaton to the streets of St. John's to catch Pokemon.

The app uses geolocation and augmented reality technology to place Pokemon all over the city and ever since the app launched in the United States last week (it's still not officially available in Canada you'll need a crafty workaround to get it on your phone),WalterMackey has been a living testament to the mantra laid out in the theme song for the Pokemon TV show.

He's been travelling to landmarks across St. John'sin that elusive quest to catch 'emall.

Along the way he's caught a Jigglypuff outside of Cabot Tower on Signal Hill ...

aPidgeotto at the playground in Bannerman Park...

awarm-bloodedPidgey in the freezer aisle at Sobeyson Merrymeeting Road...

and evena Drowzee at CBC's office in St. John's.

Bringing people together

According to Mackey, the app is more than just a fun diversion. It's alsobringing people together by getting them out of their homes.

To properly catch Pokemon, app users must get off their couchand walk around town.

"I think that's part of the reason why I'm enjoying this so much,because even though it's a horrible day, I'm still out, I'm still doing it," he said.

"It doesn't even feel like you're walking, you're getting exercisebecause you're hunting, you'relooking for that prize Pokmon."

As Mackey's continued his hunt for Pokemon throughout town,he said he'sencountered large groups of peoplecongregating at spots called lures.

If a user places a lure at a location, more Pokemonwill pop up there, and on Tuesdayat the NationalWar Memorial on Duckworth Street the people followed.

Mackey said one man even comfortablyset up shop therewith a chair and a battery pack while he waited for Pokemon to roll in.

It didn't seem to matter to any of the people that it was an unseasonably cold andrainy day to beoutside.

With the Pokemon nearby, all they needed was a raincoat and their phone to have fun.

At Bannerman Park,Mackey said healso saw a group of people get out of their car and go hunting for Pokemon.

"A bunch of dudes got out of their vehicle and then looked at their phone right awayand then started sort of going through zigzags throughout the park," he said.

"I guess if you're an onlooker at this you'd be like, 'What are these people even doing right now? Why does everyone look so weird?'But they're just playing Pokemon!"

Not officially available in Canada yet

While the app isn't officially available in the iOS app store or Google Play store in Canada, that hasn't seemed to stop gamers in townfrom using workarounds to get their Pokemon fix.

In St. John's, several Facebook groups have been created to help players share the best spots to find Pokemon.

In many cities, police officers are also warning users to be careful as they use their phone on the roads andbusy downtown streets.

One road sign abroad even advised drivers to be careful before they "Pokemon and drive."

The app is free to play but users can complete micro-transactionsto help them advance and collect Pokemon through the app faster.

As for Mackey? If you need him, there's a good chance you'll find him walking around town with an iPhone and the gameinhand.

Gotta catch 'em all, indeed.