Pokémon Go has totally taken over the world in the last week and a half or so, reigniting the Pokémon phenomenon on a level not seen since the late 1990s. As someone who in many ways grew up with this series – the first games having launched state-side when I was eight years old – this really feels like “the next step” for the franchise in many ways.

If you’re one of the few left who haven’t yet installed the mobile game, Pokémon Go is a title that uses augmented reality and GPS location services to create a unique experience. After creating your in-game avatar, you’re told by your in-game instructor, Professor Willow, to get going – actually leave your house and go searching for Pokémon in the real world. You use Poke balls to catch them, just like in the main games. Once you reach Level 5 as a trainer, you can join one of the three teams – Valor, Mystic, or Instinct – and start fighting to take over gyms. And that’s really about it so far: catching Pokémon and fighting for gyms.

It doesn’t seem like much, and it’s still far from a perfect experience, especially with the server outages that have plagued the game since its launch. But it is incredibly fun. Even if you didn’t grow up playing the games, it seems as though there’s something inherently gratifying about catching new Pokémon and leveling up, as well as taking gyms for your chosen team.

But I think the game’s wild popularity comes from its appeal to my generation. The games first came out when I was elementary school, and I can recall playing though a wide variety of pretend Pokémon adventures during recess (since the school wasn’t about to let us bring our Game Boys to school). As a kid I had so desperately wished that I could one day “be the very best, like no one ever was” and really become a Pokémon Master. And this game is definitely filling that sense of wish fulfillment.

I’ve had an overwhelmingly positive experience playing this game so far. Besides the fact that it’s gotten me to walk 20 miles within the last week – whereas I am normally a lump in my house during my downtime – I’ve already met some really genuinely cool new people in my neighborhood and sparked new friendships just because we’re both playing the game. I’ve discovered businesses in my neighborhood that I didn’t pay much attention to before, because they’re marked as important locations in-game. I’ve walked a park near my house that I hadn’t been to before and managed to take in some of that rare serene tranquility not often found in urban locations like Baltimore.

It might seem totally absurd to an outsider to the Pokémon fandom, to look at the hordes of people wandering around, looking at their phones, and then out of nowhere becoming excited over a “catch.” But I think this game is a net good, if for no other reason than the proven health benefits (mental and physical) of getting up and walking outdoors. And for the kids like myself who grew up with the series, it’s that much better. I hope that the developer, Niantic, is able to get more server stability and fix some of the glitches and bugs that have plagued the game, as well as add in trading and battling functionality; fortunately, they’ve publicly already said they’re working on this sort of thing.

Overall, Pokémon Go isn’t perfect, but it’s stupid fun. And even if you’re not playing it, you probably know a ton of people who are. To quote one of the anime’s themes – “We all live in a Pokemon World.”

-Carrie Wood