Pokemon Go Craze Gets Players into Duluth Parks

Special Report: Pokemon Go Part 1

A certain smartphone game has captured the interest of all ages.

Most have heard of Pokemon Go even if they don’t play the game.

Pokemon Go is game based on the card and GameBoy game by Nintendo.

The player tries to catch monsters.

What makes the game unique is it uses the GPS on a smartphone to make it as if these monsters are in the same location as the player.

The player must walk around the city to find creatures to catch.

“Wherever your global positioning is, that’s where your guy is,” said Pokemon player Jim Mattson.

“You see a Pokemon on the street and you’re like whoa that’s really cool I gotta grab it!” said Mason Froberg, owner of Dungeon’s End.

Game enthusiasts spend a lot of time following the paths of our Northland parks to catch ’em all.

“Lief Erikson Park was like the epicenter here,” said Darlene Marshall, Special Events Coordinator for the Greater Downtown Council.

Marshall tells FOX 21 folks are visiting from all over the state to play the game in Duluth, “I talked with a mom and her daughter who had come down from Hibbing just to play the game together.”

Years ago Pokemon cards were the go-to way to play the game.

“My generation, give or take five years, we were born and raised on Pokemon,” said Mattson.

Now, 21 years later, this new technology is still opening the eyes of all ages to new experiences.

Pokemon itself, while it may seem like just a game, is something that’s actually really good for a lot of people,” said Froberg.