Pokémon Go is massive data-gathering, augmented reality hit

It’s the 90s all over again. Pokémon fever is sweeping the globe thanks to a new augmented-reality version of the monster-collecting game, which sees players hunt through real-world locations for digital critters.

Pokémon Go officially launched on iPhone and Android last week in the US, Australia and New Zealand, but people worldwide have been unofficially downloading the app and heading out to build their collection.

To play, you walk around the real-world, following a Google Maps-like interface, until signs of a nearby Pokémon appear on screen. When you hold up your smartphone camera, the Pokémon is overlaid on the screen using augmented-reality, allowing you to capture it.

Playing in the real world is a bit different to the carefree days of Pokémon on the GameBoy. Already police have received reports of armed robbers laying in wait at known Pokémon locations, and one player discovered a dead body while hunting for monsters near a river.

The game is made by Niantic, a former Google subsidiary, and is based on a similar game called Ingress that sees players competing to hold territory by visiting it in the real world – players capture “exotic matter” rather than Pokémon. The game has its origins in a 2014 April Fool’s prank, which saw Pokémon popping up in regular Google Maps.

When still part of Google, Ingress was seen as a data gold mine, helping the firm improve its location services by gathering data as players visited landmarks. It’s not clear if Niantic has plans to use Pokémon Go data for similar purposes, but popular locations in Ingress also appear as key zones in Pokémon Go.