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

The dream of the Nineties is alive in St. John's, thanks to the sudden appearance of famous Pokemon all over the city.

Pokemon veterans and newbies alike have been scouring the city looking for Jigglypuffs and Pidgeys on 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 on and 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), Walter Mackey 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's in that elusive quest to catch 'em all.

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

… a Pidgeotto at the playground in Bannerman Park...

… a warm-blooded Pidgey in the freezer aisle at Sobeys on Merrymeeting Road... 

… and even a 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 also bringing people together by getting them out of their homes. 

To properly catch Pokemon, app users must get off their couch and 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 exercise because you're hunting, you're looking for that prize Pokémon."

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

If a user places a lure at a location, more Pokemon will pop up there, and on Tuesday at the National War Memorial on Duckworth Street the people followed.

Mackey said one man even comfortably set up shop there with 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 and rainy day to be outside.

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

At Bannerman Park, Mackey said he also 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 away and 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 town from 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 and busy 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-transactions to 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 game in hand. 

Gotta catch 'em all, indeed.