What is Pokémon GO – a quick guide for Health Clubs

Here’s your one-minute guide to Pokémon GO…

Pokémon GO uses a mobile phone’s GPS to locate the trainer’s position on a local area map, showing Pokémon activity, PokéStops, and PokéGyms. When you find a Pokémon, you can view it in augmented reality, so the creature appears against the real-world background, whereby you can take a screen shot to share with friends.

Collecting Pokémon

There are 2 ways to collect Pokémon; you either walk around with the mobile app open, and when a Pokémon appears, you throw a PokéBall to catch it. Alternatively, you can incubate eggs by walking or running a certain distance, and the egg hatches into a Pokémon when you reach your goal.
Once you have caught a number of Pokémon, you can transfer, evolve and level them up. The ultimate aim of the game is to collect all 151 original Pokémon in the Pokédex.

PokéStops

Are real world locations such as monuments or buildings, where trainers can collect items such eggs, PokéBalls, potions and lures. These will be regularly visited by players to equip themselves for the game.

PokéGyms

Are real world ‘places of interest’, such as community centres, train stations, health clubs, etc. where players battle with their Pokémon for ‘king of the hill’ matches. Not all health clubs/gyms are PokéGyms!

Teams

Players earn experience points for various activities. Once a player reaches level 5, they can join a team (Red/Valour, Blue/Mystic or Yellow/Instinct) and battle with or against other players in PokéGyms. So as well as levelling up as a player, you can level up PokéGyms by controlling and battling with your team-mates.

And that's the basics. Click here for all our articles on how you can leverage Pokémon GO to help your health club business, or read on for a little more, and a video from the source...

Got another minute? Here’s the back-story

Pokémon was originally a video game, published by Nintendo in the mid-nineties. The concept is that players (or trainers) catch and train fictional creatures called Pokémon to battle each other for sport. Since the original video game, the franchise added trading cards, TV shows and movies, comics and toys. It is (/was?) the second-most lucrative video game based media franchise in the world, behind only Nintendo’s Mario.

In July 2016 Pokémon GO was released as a free to download app on iOS and Android devices. It had been the most downloaded app on both App Stores, and the average daily usage in July exceeded Snapchat, Tinder, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Through in app purchases, it generated more than USD200 million in its first month, beating every existing record by a wide margin. 

Here's the UK Pokémon GO - Get Up and Go! video short (2 mins)