Pokemon Go Warwick: Gotta catch ‘em all
IF YOU know your Charmander from your Caterpie, chances are you're all over Pokemon Go.
The new App is reviving 90s favourite cartoon Pokemon, and according to local players Mikaela and Todd Rose, the Southern Downs has the perfect grounds to catch 'em all.
Mrs Rose runs the Facebook page PokemonGo Warwick and said the App has seen a flock of gamers leave their houses at all hours of the day to play.
"We have a friend that on the first night it came out just said, 'I'm going, bye,' and left the house," Mrs Rose said.
"He was out looking for Pokemon."
In simple terms, Pokemon Go uses a phone's GPS and clock to detect where and when you are in the game and then make Pokemon "appear" so you can go and catch them.
Mrs Rose said it has been a great excuse to leave the house and meet other players on the hunt for Pokemon in Warwick.
"There are people who come out late to catch Pokemon," Mrs Rose said.
"We came out here at 10 at night, and made friends in the park.
"It's weird; you don't do that normally, and if you see someone in the park, you stay away.
"But Pokemon Go is bringing people out at all hours to meet up and play."
Pokemon Go is the Nintendo franchise's biggest entry into the mobile space, becoming so popular it's on the verge of overtaking Twitter in terms of daily active users.
Mrs Rose's Facebook page already has a following of more than 80 people swapping Pokespots and tips.
"There are all different landmarks around town that are known as Pokespots," Mr Rose explained.
"The courthouse is one, and so are the (Leslie Park) gates."
"There will be a whole bunch of people that go out and find them, and they will sit in their cars or drive around to find the spots."
The idea of the App is to encourage players to travel around in the real world to catch Pokemon using their devices.
Mrs Rose said the social aspect of the game had been surprisingly helpful for her mental and physical health.
"When you're playing, you won't run in to a whole lot of Pokemon just sitting in your house," Mr Rose said.
"You have to get out of the house, and walk around.
"We have friends who would rarely leave the house and exercise, but did an 8km walk the other day for the game.
"You can even see joggers who are holding their phones, looking for Pokemon."
Mrs Rose hosted a Pokemon Go event earlier this week that saw over 30 players come together.
"People who probably don't normally get together, were sitting in the park," Mrs Rose said.
"Everyone had their phones out, and one man even looked to be in his 40s."
Mr Rose provided a hot tip for any budding Pokemon Go players looking to stock up on Pokemon.
"Down at the Condamine River there are Pokestops that overlap, so there are three times as many Pokemon down there," Mr Rose revealed.
Don't be a Snorlax - get out there and give it a go!