One of the best parts about Pokémon Go, according to people who have spent some time exploring their neighborhoods for the game, is meeting a bunch of other Pokémon diehards and becoming friends.
In Pokémon Go, various locations act as gyms and PokéStops where players can collect badges and collect items they might not be able to get otherwise. As players seek out these different locations, people have started to meet up with other keen Pokémon trainers, and the result has led to some budding new friendships.
"Literally went on a two hour adventure last night," one Pokémon player told Polygon. "Met people in the real world all playing the game. It was a magical-experience."
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They're not the only ones, either. Reddit user Bableg posted a photo of about 20 people all sitting and standing in a park playing Pokémon Go. They said that while the original lure of the game was to bring more Pokémon content to fans, the best part about it was being able to meet likeminded individuals and play the game together. It was a sentiment echoed by another Reddit user, LostCause_TV, who said that they experiences a similar encounter.
"I met a bunch of yellow team players, we exchanged numbers and we're all gonna get together tomorrow to go around a few towns capping gyms and collecting Pokemon," Reddit user LostCause_TV said. "As a very shy, introverted person it's amazing that this game can bring together people."
Making the game more social is something developers have thought about, too. Jonathan Zarra created a chat for Pokémon Go that uses the game's built in GPS system to find players in neighboring areas. Players can then contact each other about different Pokémon they've caught, locations worth checking out, or plan to meet up and catch some together.
The chat system looks like a regular iMessage conversation, and players can also create profiles of themselves to include recent Pokémon statistics or other personal information. The app is available to download for free on iOS devices.
Pokémon Go is also available to download on iOS and Android devices.