Pokemon fans finally gain a chance to "catch them all" like Ash Ketchum. The Pokémon GO app, available for both Android and iPhone, holds the number one spot on the Apple app store. Niantic Real World Gaming Platform developed server which brings the augmented reality game to life and combines virtual reality with the real world.

The new entertainment source has become all the rage, spreading like wildfire around the nation and world. Expandedramblings.com reports that the app generates around 26 million active users in the United States alone, has been downloaded around 30 million times, makes $1.6 million dollars daily, and accumulated around $3.9 to $4.9 million dollars on the launch day, July 6. If those statistics aren't convincing enough to convey the game's immense popularity, Appinstitue provides a real-time count of Pokémon GO downloads since a user visits their page, which easily reaches over 60,000 in five short minutes.

Pokémon GO is very user friendly, and developers make the game easier for players who do not generally play video games or those who do not know much about the app through hints on its Twitter page, which has over 500,000 followers. Smartphones vibrate when users discover Pokémon around them using the Global Positioning System (GPS) on their phone. Fans can also utilize the Pokémon GO Radar map to find more Pokémon. A bar at the bottom right corner of the phone's screen displays nearby Pokemon and shows footsteps marking how close a person is to a particular Pokemon. After discovering the Pokemon, people throw a Pokéball at it to take it as their own. Rings appear above a Pokémon's head, indicating the difficulty level in catching the creature. Green circles indicate easy difficulty, orange is medium, and red is the hardest level.

The game's developers kept the original elements in mind and people can grab eighteen different Pokémon types — water, bug, dark, dragon, electric, fairy, fighting, fire, flying, ghost, grass, ground, ice, normal, poison, psychic, rock, or steel. Similar to the original games, these Pokemon can lose health. There are 151 various Pokémon available for users to secure and players have a catalog called a PokéDex displaying all of the Pokémon they collected along with the ones they still need to find. Players earn XP (experience points) from catching and evolving Pokémon or visiting a Pokéstop and level up after gaining a certain amount of points. People can choose from three different teams — Instinct (yellow), Mystic (blue), or Valor (red) — after they reach level five and visit a gym. Players can additionally trade Pokemon they catch.

The game allows individuals to personalize their own avatar and catch their starting Pokémon at the game's commencement. This customization ability resonates with both female and male fashion savvy players, who can purchase actual clothes similar to their avatar's like Adidas backpacks or Gola Wasp fashion sneakers.

The game allows people from communities all over the world to join together for the ultimate Pokemon experience. It has effectively pulled kids off the couch, dragged them away from TV screens, and lured them outdoors in order to search for rare Pokemon. Pokemon Go has allowed people to experience the beauty of nature by visiting lakes, oceans, and forests to pick up assorted Pokemon. Locations like museums serve as Pokestops as well, causing younger audiences to flock to these locations and learn more about life in the past.

Churches have even joined the craze and set up Pokestops — locations on a user's map marked as blue circles that allow them to collect supplies and items like the Pokeballs used to capture Wild Pokemon — in an attempt to draw millennials to their congregation. They also have become gyms, real-life locations where trainers can use their Pokemon and battle against other opponents in order to gain the gym for their personal team or raise their level. Players can additionally leave Pokemon at their gym to protect it from opposing teams. Some even host "Pokeparties," allowing the younger generation to join together for a common interest.

The game offers many opportunities, allowing players to level up and unlock rewards like razz berries, super potions, great balls, and hyper potions. Players can choose from four different types of Pokeballs — the standard Pokeball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, and Master Ball. Higher quality Pokeballs allow for more accurate catches.

Although Pokemon Go revolutionized the video game world and blurred borders between virtual life and reality, the app also caused some unfortunate circumstances.

People love the game so much that a hacking group called PoodleCorp took Pokemon Go servers with a Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS )attack, an attempt to flood servers with traffic from many sources and cause it to crash, making players unable to access the game. Other privacy concerns have arisen regarding the app's ability to access personal information from Google accounts, according to Forbes.

According to the Santa Monica Observer, The avatar customization feature caused leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement to charge the app with inherent racism since it allows white avatars to hunt black Pokemon characters, can cause those from less protected neighborhoods to endanger themselves walking around the streets, and possibly give law enforcement officers reasons to stop people walking around the streets if they appear suspicious.

Some players have turned to the game as a new fitness regime by walking multiple hours in a quest to discover every last creature in their neighborhood, county, or state. On the downside, people must spend a large amount of time playing in order to actually benefit physically. Apps like RunGo utilize the Pokemon frenzy and established routes with a high Pokemon density runners can follow as they gain a daily dose of exercise.

While the app does cause people to become more active, it potentially spurs addiction among frequent video game players and die-hard Pokemon fans. In addition, people who stay on their phone too long could endanger their health by developing eye-strain, losing sleep from staying up all night to play the game, or engaging in unhealthy practices like skipping meals. This addiction can distract younger people from schoolwork, responsibilities at home like chores, or cause them to isolate themselves from family and friends who do not play Pokemon Go. The game additionally can distract older players while driving, at work, or from conversing with their spouse.

Pokemon Go has helped the economy with excited fans who developed phone accessories like a custom Pokedex phone case and websites like Red Bubble selling other related merchandise. Passionate, musically-inclined fans have also written songs about the game. On the other hand, it may cause players to spend money on extra things like lures, PokeCoins, or upgrades instead of saving money for college or a car. Some users have also sold their accounts on websites like Craiglist.

Gamers eager to acquire new or rare Pokemon have engaged in unlawful activities and received tickets for trespassing on private properties, hospitalized others due to inadvertent driving, and caused robberies. However, players have also helped police, such as a woman in Wyoming who discovered a dead body while hunting for Pokemon, according to USAToday.

Overall, the app has more benefits than drawbacks and the average user spends only around 13 minutes daily on the app, according to a study CBS News performed.

All the same, users must play responsibly, playing by the rules and only venturing to safe locations in groups. Drivers should not play Pokemon on their phones and wait until they are parked on the roadside or out of the car. Fox News recently reported an instance of a driver in Baltimore, MD who crashed into a police car while playing Pokemon Go. Businesses and churches should take caution if their location is a Pokestop or Gym and voice their concerns if things get out of hand.

Parents should monitor their child's gameplay and restrict them to catching Pokemon in safe areas with groups of friends. In addition, they should confirm their child doesn't drain all their savings on in-app purchases.

Pedestrians must also ensure their own safety and look up when they walk the streets instead of gluing their faces to their phone screens. Failure to stay alert may result in unfortunate cases, such as when two men fell off a 90-foot ocean bluff in Encinitas, San Diego.

However, the number of pedestrians becoming distracted by their phones while walking is not due to Pokemon Go itself, but rather from the high-tech and smartphone trend common among the current generation. The issue has become so prevalent that many news outlets have addressed it, such as in this ABC news video. Many injuries resulting from distracted walking actually occur inside the house and total 52% of the 11,100 injuries reported in a study the National Safety Council performed. It is imperative for pedestrians to stay off their phones when crossing the streets and constantly look up to protect themselves from other distracted drivers who may veer into shoulder lanes. Pokemon players should take caution when they hunt Pokemon on busy, urban streets.

Balance is key and players should take breaks to rest their eyes after playing for long time periods and only stay on the app for a couple hours a day, making sure they finish their primary responsibilities before getting a daily dose of entertainment.

Overall, Pokemon Go is a safe, fun app to play, and the majority of problems resulting from the app arose due to individual negligence, issues commonly seen with every video game. Nonetheless, people must adopt the highest safety standards, apply common sense, and refrain from making the game their life's top priority.