pokemon

One of the most striking things about the game is that it forces players to go outside and move around.  

You even have to walk to hatch eggs in the game. 

Some of you have been asking us - how does the game know where you are? 

Brad Swearingen teaches game design at Wake Tech. A lot of his summer camp students are Pokemon Go players, and he is, too. He says the game works by using the GPS device in your smartphone to locate you on a real world map.

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Pokestops and gyms - the virtual places in the game - are map coordinates that match landmarks or places of interest, like this plaque at Nash Square.

When a Pokemon pops up near you, the game's servers use your phone's camera to superimpose the monster on your actual surroundings - a function known as augmented reality.

9th graders Desmond Leake and Meadow Allen say that's the best part.

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Pokemon Go isn't the first augmented reality game, and it most certainly won't be the last, given its popularity. 

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As for how the game decides which monsters to put into your augmented reality, even Swearingen can't say.

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One thing to keep in mind - is DATA. 

This game uses a lot of it, and you have to be connected to its servers to play.