People in Boston are obsessed with Pokemon Go

It's kind of insane.

Pokemon Go.

July 11, 2016

Does it seem like way more people than usual are staring into their phones? Have you seen roving packs of teenagers holding their cells up outside seemingly innocuous landmarks like a church or fire station? You’re witnessing the Pokemon Go effect, and it’s taking the nation — and the Boston area — by storm.

#PokemonGO is taking over Davis Square #Boston pic.twitter.com/NLLiP3lHyy

— Evan Shortiss (@evanshortiss) July 10, 2016

there was a pokemon go party here in boston yesterday and 300+ people were there YET I WAS NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE AND I AM SO SAD

— spooKY (@kyrinledesma) July 11, 2016

Childhood dream realized #pokemongo

A post shared by Andrew Gettings (@andyrue11) on Jul 8, 2016 at 5:21pm PDT

Update: Every single person in the Boston Common is playing #PokemonGO right now.

— Max Grinnell (@theurbanologist) July 11, 2016

Pokemon Go is a new mobile game that uses augmented reality to let players catch Pokemon — the wildly popular cartoon creatures that first appeared in video games, TV shows, and movies during the late ‘90s — in real-life locations. The app generates Pikachus, Charmanders, and Squirtles for players to catch as they walk around their neighborhood, with landmarks like churches, academic buildings, and police stations serving as meeting points known in the game as gyms where players can do battle.

The game’s popularity isn’t just anecdotal. It launched July 6, and it’s currently the most popular free app and the top grossing app in Apple’s App Store. According to a survey of Android users by SimilarWeb, Pokemon Go has been downloaded twice as many times as popular dating app Tinder, and will soon have more daily active users than Twitter. Boston in particular seems to have caught the Pokemon bug — as noted by The Boston Globe, Boston is second in a city-by-city ranking of Google searches for the term “Pokemon Go” behind only Detroit.

Whether they’re playing on the T…

Dude on the train double-fisting Pokemon pic.twitter.com/AEappKH5st

— Ming’s first beer (@jgee) July 11, 2016

@PokemonBoston where are they going? #PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/FWcMMmO7py

— Wist (@__Wist) July 9, 2016

Catching my Pokemon around Boston! #PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/7x78wUxo7c

— Joscelyn Amar (@JoscelynAmarXD) July 7, 2016

Or just having fun outside…

I ain’t wanna catch him cuz I already got one so we just took pics with him lol pic.twitter.com/07KROOlEWY

— Protect Brandon (@MickeyChristmas) July 7, 2016

Tried out #PokemonGo in Boston earlier today. More fun than I expected. https://t.co/R96FEFWIvQ pic.twitter.com/GbvaF5w2zr

— C.C. Chapman (@cc_chapman) July 7, 2016

My dream to catch water Pokemon in Boston harbor has finally come true! #PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/qnJ78NXjye

— IV (@IVstream) July 7, 2016

People are downright obsessed with Pokemon Go.

There are an absolutely absurd number of people walking around playing PokemonGo in East Cambridge

— Brian Hatfield (@brianhatfield) July 9, 2016

Currently a wedding going on at the Boston commons but the majority of people here are playing PokemonGo

— spoopy (@jsguffey) July 9, 2016

Literally everyone on the street in Allston is playing Pokemon Go

— neoliberalcapitalism (@austindotTV) July 9, 2016

The game isn’t just for the younger set, though. It’s bringing people of all ages together.

Daughter explaining #PokemonGO 2 mom & then helps her download it #Boston pic.twitter.com/krGpu85UY1

— BPSNightmare #NoOn2 (@BPSNightmare) July 11, 2016

I showed my mom pokemon go and she is HOOKED but she doesn’t have a smart phone so she’s takin me to boston tomorrow to find some I’m laughn

— Ang (@startunnels) July 11, 2016

FRPD and several neighborhood folks hunting Pokemon pic.twitter.com/CUL4orkNpg

— Fall River Police (@FallRiverPD) July 10, 2016

Some people are even learning things while playing.

I’m really learning a lot about the local Allston graffiti scene through #PokemonGO.

— Casey Nulph (@CantGetE_Nulph) July 11, 2016

just found out that there’s a Somerville museum thanks to Pokemon go. this shit is enriching my life.

— cant think of one (@pete_c_) July 9, 2016

It’s not just about catching Pokemon for yourself, either. According to a Reddit post, people have continued to set lures (an in-game item available for purchase that draws Pokemon to a certain spot) at both Brigham and Women’s and Boston Children’s Hospital.

“It’s just nice to see that the lures keep getting placed so the kids in the hospital can still play the game, Reddit user Wickedcoddah wrote. “Kids that can’t go outside still have a chance.”

In a less endearing (but still amusing) use of the game, someone reported a Pokemon sighting to the Boston 311 mobile app, usually reserved for potholes or parking violations.

It’s @BOS311 and me. I know it’s our destiny… pic.twitter.com/ebdFkGmCtu

— City of Boston (@CityOfBoston) July 11, 2016

If you’re going to play, just remember to heed the game’s frequent warning: Be alert at all times.

We remember Justin, a grown-ass man who walked in front of a dump truck in downtown Boston playing Pokemon Go, which totally rules

— Justin Graeber (@justingraeber) July 7, 2016

If you are going to be playing #PokemonGO please do so safely!! Just saw someone almost get hit by car while playing .

— Boston Girl (@boston_girl79) July 11, 2016

#PokémonGo in Boston, so I’m supposed to go behind this building just cause of the PokéStop with a lure module… pic.twitter.com/z1dOFFgCbG

— Jean-Luc Pierite (@neshoba78) July 11, 2016