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FOCUS | VIDEO GAMES READY,SET 'POKEMONGO' What is Pokemon? The word is derived from "Pocket monsters." The game's creator, Satoshi Tajiri, collected insects and tadpoles as a child near Tokyo. When he was a teenager, the areas where he used to collect creatures were paved over, so he created a game of collecting imaginary creatures that can be traded, cared for and used to fight in arenas. Is this new? Pokemon is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The game has had success as a handheld video game, trading cards and animated television series. Augmented reality games, in which players can use maps of their community to collect things, are not new, but the combination with Pokemon has been a huge success in just a few days. HOWDOES'POKEMONGO'WORK? What is Pikachu? There are more than 700 types of Pokémon, and Pikachu is one type. It is the game's version of Mickey Mouse. FRANCHISESNAPSHOT NUMBERSGAME In one week since the augmented reality game called 'Pokemon Go' was released, smartphone users of all ages set records downloading the app. If you don't know Pokémon from a pothole, we can catch you up quickly. Gotta catch them all! 1. Using your smartphone's GPS and camera, the app turns the phone into a creature-hunting device. Image from Pokemon Go 2. It uses an on-screen map that mirrors your environment to guide you toward Pokemon. 3. Once you capture said monster, it will catalog it into your Pokedex. (Think an index for Pokemon.) So essentially, Pokemon Go is a virtual scavenger hunt. 4. Wait, I have to go out? You don't have to leave your couch to play the game, but your chances of finding these little cybercritters increase when you venture outside. Pokemon will appear on screen accompa- nied with a vibration. 5. Bowling for Pokemon Once you find a Pokemon, you use Poke Balls to try and capture the little beastie. Flicking your screen, you launch the balls at the Pokemon in the hopes of capturing it. The best way to do it is to try to fling the Poke Ball high enough to hit Pokemon on its head. If it's a hard-to-catch beast, you might have to fling Poke Balls at it for a while. Once you capture it, it'll go into your Pokedex and you get some experience points (which are used to level up your character. Leveling up your character will allow you to find rarer Pokemon. 6. PokeStop in the name of love Eventually you will run out of Poke balls. So you'll have to go search- ing for a PokeStop, which is located on the map of the "Pokemon Go" app as a hovering blue cube. Think of these PokeStops as little convenience stores, giving the user extra Poke Balls, as well as medicine and snacks for your Pokemon. They are tied to real places of interest on the map, such as a library, fountain, police station or memorial plaques. 7. Didn't I just catch you? A er a while, the Pokemon start to become redundant. That's when the player is encouraged to recycle duplicates to get enough pieces to evolve your existing Pokemon to stronger ones. 8. Do you work out? Gyms are basically battle arenas where you come to do battle with other people's Pokemon. Just like the kid's game of king of the mountain, a Pokemon takes on all comers until it loses to a stronger one. A battle consists of rapidly tapping and swiping on the screen until one side runs out of Pokemon. Win enough battles, and you can claim the gym, earning daily prizes. By MATT MURRAY and KURT SNIBBE | Southern California News Group According to research from SuperData, "Pokemon Go" creators had made $14 million in less than a week a er the game's release in the first few countries. The game is a free download, but users can buy add-ons and power-ups. The amount of time it took "Pokemon Go" players to surpass the numbers of daily active users that Twitter has. The number of digital creatures on the game's release. The franchise has more than 700. Ash Ketchum is the main character in the Pokemon franchise. 5 Days 133 Sources: Nintendo, TechCrunch, SuperData Research, Forbes, The Associated Press, Pocket Gamer.biz 1998 2000 2005 2010 2015 0 10 20 30 40 50 $60 Estimated worldwide earnings in billions Pokeman versus top mobile apps By 2015, the Pokemon franchise had earned $57.6 billion. Of that, $927.4 million was grossed from the Pokemon movies. Stock price leap "Pokemon Go" has boosted the market value of Nintendo Co. by $9 billion in just a few days. It is the Japanese video- game maker's first mobile-gaming hit. Here's a look at how the Pokemon franchise has grown over the years. Top video game franchises Mario Pokemon Call of Duty Sonic the Hedgehog Grand The Auto Wii Series The Sims Need for Speed Tetris Final Fantasy 523 250 235 220 202 175 150 140 118.6 279 The creator: Satoshi Tajiri Born: Aug. 28, 1965 Tajiri was fascinated with arcade games as a child. At 17, he created and edited a fanzine covering the gaming business called Game Freak. Tajiri's success with the magazine led to his creation of a game development company of the same name in 1989. The idea of Pokemon as a trading game for Nintendo's Game Boy was conceived in 1990, and it took six years and a near bankruptcy of Game Freak to release the game. The game revitalized Nintendo's handheld gaming business. Pokeman Game Boy concept art Niantic, the "Pokemon Go" game developer, is planning to release an optional $35 device for the game later this year. $14 million From video games, anime, trading cards and a theme park in Nagoya, Japan. Pokemon Go Facebook Snapchat Twitter Daily time spent in minutes as of July 11 32 32 22 18 17 Inmillionsofso wareunitssold DidYouKnowRedBluffDodgeHasOver 250 New Ram Trucks - Jeeps - Dodge & Chryslers in Stock & Over 100 Pre Owned in Stock Did You Know We Will Take Almost Anything in on Trade? Recently We Took in a Trade: 1949 Classic Chevy Torpedo Back • 38 Foot Motorhome • Harley Davidson Motorcycles • Yamaha Motorcycles • Horse Trailer w/ Live in Quarters • Quads • Camp Trailers • 3 Trade Ins on One Vehicle, Horses too CALLUS!WECANDOMOSTEVERYTHINGOVERTHEPHONE 545 Adobe Rd., Red Bluff 530-366-3166 | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016 6 A