THE world has gone Pokemon crazy, and Swindon is no exception. Its buildings and public spaces seem to have been invaded by the digital monsters and their diligent hunters. Just what exactly is going on?

In Pokemon Go, players can enter what are known as Pokestops and ‘gyms’ in which items can be collected and Pokemon trained.

These Pokestops are located in the real world, usually at landmarks and popular places of interest.

Needless to say, Swindon has its fair share of gyms and Pokestops and the town’s gamers have been taking full advantage.

The gyms, in which players can train their Pokemon to fight others, are located at: Community Centre Christ Church in Old Town; Swindon railway station; Florence Street Mission Hall, Gorse Hill; the Delta Tennis Centre, Welton Road; Swindon Arts Centre, Devizes Road; and Gorse Hill Baptist Church.

There are four Pokestops located on Grange Drive in Stratton, but it’s likely more will pop up soon.

A Pokemon Go Swindon group has been set up on Facebook and describes itself as “a place for like-minded people to talk about Pokemon Go, update each other on the best places to go in Swindon and the surrounding areas and create a sense of community amongst ourselves and have some fun.”

At the time of writing it has more than 1,000 members.

Mark McFadden, 22, of North Swindon, said: “I’ve had the game for a few days now and I’m pretty addicted.

“I always thought it was pretty silly, but it’s just really addictive. I can’t stop playing it.”

Emily Sale, 18, of South Swindon, said: “Me and my friends have been having competitions and playing against each other and it’s really fun.

“It’s great because you’re just walking along and you suddenly bump into a Pokemon.”

 

IF, like me, you have spent the past week in a constant state of confusion, being asked on the health of your Bulbasaur, or if you would kindly swap your Pikachu for an adorable little Jigglypuff, then have no fear, writes THOMAS HAWORTH.

All is about to become crystal clear.

Quite simply, Pokemon Go is a virtual reality game that turns the world around you into a digital map filled with animated, animal-like monsters known as Pokemon.

The idea is to catch as many of these creatures as you can by exploring your surroundings and collecting various items along the way. It’s all done on a mobile phone screen; the real world stays very much as it is.

You start by choosing an avatar, or ‘character’, if you prefer, whom you play as. Your avatar appears on the screen at your current location and moves when you move – just like the satnav in your car.

So, you’re casually strolling down the street, phone in hand, your avatar tracing your every step, when suddenly a Pokemon appears on your screen. With just the flick of a thumb the skilled Poke catcher hurls a Poke Ball and captures the poor unsuspecting creature.

The aim of the game is to catch and evolve all 151 Pokemon.

The more you catch the more XP (experience points) you earn and the further you can progress through the game’s various skill levels.

Upon reaching level five you can train your Pokemon at ‘gyms’ situated at significant landmarks, training them up to fight other Pokemon.

Their names, quite frankly, are bizarre. There’s Machop and Meowstic, Trubbish and Turtwig. Not to mention Lickitung and Lilligant (I swear I’m not making these up).

It is free to play, can be downloaded on to iPhones and Androids and uses sophisticated GPS technology to track the location of the player and the surrounding Pokemon.

It was developed by American software developers Niantic Inc. and is currently only available in five countries – the US, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and the UK. Its release has had to be staggered because the servers began to crumble under the sheer weight of users.

Say what you like about Pokemon Go, at least it gets people out in the fresh air. It is perhaps the perfect game for summertime.

The game is not without its dangers though...

It was reported last week that two men in their early 20s fell 90 feet down a cliff in Encinitas, California, while playing the game.

On July 13 firemen were called to help the stranded pair who had to be hoisted up before being taken to a San Diego hospital. They were said to have sustained injuries, though it’s not clear how bad they were.

A Midlands hospital has had to ban players from its A&E department after gamers discovered it was thronged with Pokemon. Royal Stoke University Hospital has been inundated with people turning up to train their monsters. The hospital has even threatened to contact the game’s developers to ask them to remove their location from the game.

One of the most shocking incidents to date occurred in Massachusetts when a 26-year-old caused a serious traffic accident after stopping in the middle of the highway to catch a Pikachu. Lamar Hickson admitted to police that he was playing the game while driving, and said: “If you wanna catch them all you gotta risk it all so I put my car in park and started tossing these balls.”

Miraculously no one was injured and the incident spawned the hashtag #dontpokemongoanddrive on social media.

Gloucestershire Police received a 999 call last week in which a woman claimed that someone had stolen one of her animated monsters.

The clearly distressed woman said: “‘Someone has stolen my Pokemon,” to which the operator replied: “Right, so why is that a 999 call?”

The woman said: “Because that’s really bad.” before the operator cut her off saying: “You do realise you’re stopping someone with a life and death emergency about a Pokemon?”

App creator Niantic said: "We take player safety seriously and want everybody to have a fantastic time exploring while safely playing Pokemon Go.

"We encourage all people to be aware of their surroundings and to play with friends or family, especially when you're exploring unfamiliar places.

"Please remember to be safe and alert at all times, don't drive and play, abide by local laws, and respect the locations you visit and people you meet during your exploration."