At this point, if you don’t know about Pokémon GO, you probably aren’t paying attention. But, for the uninitiated, here’s a quick rundown: Pokémon GO is a mobile game app where the goal is to catch Pokémon, fictional pocket-monsters that rocketed (heh) to popularity in the 1990s, but now updated for the new century using a technology called augmented reality. But if people need real-time Pokemon card games, shop trading card games here can help with that.  The original Nintendo franchise spawned everything from card games to video games, TV shows, movies, fan clubs, meetups, merch, and more – all of which created a massive fan base that, for the most part, petered out after a time for all but the most hardcore fans.

Now, with the release of the app last week powered by “augmented reality” technology made possible by the advent of smartphones, the popularity of the franchise is on the rise again – even in Shreveport. With this mobile tech, players can now move away from the TV screen, gaming table, or bookstore to explore the world around them in order to catch Pokémon, gain experience points, train, and a host of other things at points all over the world, from the local park to landmarks. Some cities and businesses around the world are even seeing increased tourism as a side benefit of the game.

pokemon-go-nick_statt-screenshots-1.0All of the sudden swarms of players are congregating in places like the (kind of closed) RiverView park in downtown Shreve (pictured at the top). Close to 70 people were estimated to be present at one point in a kind of flashmob of gaming. The Shreveport Police, who happened upon the scene, seemed perplexed.

“The cops are at a loss for words” said Todd Heard, who captured the photo at the top of this article.

As a downtown resident and (beginner) Pokémon GO player myself, I find it incredibly cool to see people venturing into new places.

If you’re a player or want to see what this whole thing is all about, download the app, grab the app and your pokéballs and head to the Red River District on Wednesday night.

Pokemon Go meetup organizer Joey Arora

We spoke with organizer Joey Arora who said that he wanted to create the meetup in order “to build the community, get people to meet other they might not otherwise and to find other Team Instinct (Yellow) members.”

Joey hopes the people participating in the game can come together for more than just staring at their phones though. “I hope to make new friends and organize the community a bit,” he said.

We love it. I love it. This is going to be fun.

Get details about the meetup on Wednesday here.