Ready to travel between the real and a virtual gaming world? Great! Pokémon GO offers you an opportunity to engage other Pokémon characters in your location in real-life activities. Keep reading to know what's possible. 

Pokémon GO (Pokemon aka pocket monster) is a free smartphone app that blends virtual gaming with real life! It uses location tracking and mapping technology to create a virtual reality where you catch and train Pokémon characters in real locations.

Pokémon Trainers (avatars created by players) interact with other fictional characters known as Pokémon by catching or fighting them in the Pokemon Go world. Pokémon Trainers may train the acquired Pokémon to ascend to different game levels. 

The game's graphics are something to die for. Once you get around to playing, you are up for a thrilling and immersive gaming experience that spans real and virtual worlds, all thanks to Augmented Reality (AR) technologies.

The game is set up so that Pokémon Trainers aspire to gain more experience points to rise to the next level. The higher you progress in the game, the more powerful Pokémon you can catch and the better the in-game items you can win. 

This begs the question: how do you gain more points? This is where the fun lies. There are several ways to earn more experience points in this AR-powered game. 

First and the easiest is to capture Pokémon characters that appear on the game's Google-like map as you move about in the real world. 

Once you come within range of another player, IRL, a Pokémon character appears on your device's screen (it might even vibrate to notify you). You then throw Poké Balls to capture them and gain points. This is a beautiful experience that can you need to try for yourself.  

It helps to know that Pokémon Go is played by several millions of people worldwide. So be sure there is always a bit of adventure and some Pokémon characters to hunt around you.  

Alternatively, players can increase their experience points by hatching Pokemon eggs, evolving Pokemon, discovering Pokemons, and visiting Pokestops. 

A Pokestop is where you collect free Poké Balls and stuff like Pokémon eggs when you pass by them in real life. Examples include public art installations, landmarks, and monuments marked by floating blue cubes.

You can also gain more experience points by training and battling at Gyms.  

More than a game, another attraction of Pokémon Go is its social features. The virtual game also enables you to interact with your friends in fun ways. For example, you may swap Trainer codes with them or add them to your Friend List. You can also give them gifts you earned, join them in Raids or Gym Battles or trade Pokemon (you have to attain Trainer level 10 to do this) 

Lots of fun stuff in there, right? That's not even all. Pokémon Go is not just about battles and bonding with friends. The game also provides a learning experience. 

In Pokémon Go, you could take on research tasks (Field Research and Special Research) with the famous Professor Willow if you feel like it. You can find Field Research tasks by spinning the Photo Disc at PokéStops and Gyms while Professor Willow presents Special Research tasks himself. 

Although Pokemon Go is free, there is an option where you can use an in-game currency (Poké Coins) to purchase unique items or features like power-ups, extra items, and more.

Pokemon GO is a fun yet complex game. But with some guidance, you will get the hang of it. So here goes:

1. Set Up Your Trainer This includes creating a Pokemon Trainer (personal avatar), which you can customize. Your Trainer is your identity in the Pokemon metaverse, and it follows you around the game and is also visible to other players. 

2. Study The Game Board After choosing your Trainer, you will find yourself on a map surrounded by some Pokémon. 

To the bottom left corner of the screen are your username and avatars of you and your Pokémon. 

There is a Pokéball in the middle. This activates a menu that allows you to open your Pokédex, battle, shop, and view your Pokemon, among other things.

A binocular icon indicates your completed challenges in the bottom right corner. 

Just below that icon is a small white bar with three shadows of Pokemon. Tapping this icon will reveal the locations of close Pokémon, complete with a real-life photograph and directions on how to get there.

3. Learn How To Catch Pokémon Now that your avatar is up and you know how to navigate the screen, it's time for action. 

Press the PokeBall, and a ring will show up around it. Green rings mean that the target is easy to catch, while red ones will mean that it will be a difficult catch. The rings expand the more you press the Pokeball. However, you want to throw the Pokeball when the ring becomes smaller.

The higher you go (from level 11), the easier it is to catch Pokemon characters as you get to collect supercharged PokeBalls like Great Balls and Ultra Balls that are more effective at capturing Pokémon.

You might also opt for the more stylish Curve balls because they increase your experience points if you end up catching the Pokemon. To use a Curveball, move your finger in small circles on the screen while touching the ball and then release it.

4. Master How to Train Your Pokémon Training a captured Pokémon increases your experience points, and you can do this by using Stardust to Power Up your captured Pokemon. 

You can also train your Pokemon by using Candy to Evolve it. However, it is advisable not to Evolve an already powerful Pokemon.

5. Master How To Battle This only happens at gyms. You can do this by selecting one of your Pokémon at a friendly gym to battle your teammate. If you are at an enemy gym, you'd need a squad of six Pokémon to do battle.

When battling, it is essential not to use special moves except when necessary. You also want to dodge as much as you can while attacking. Try always to check your enemy type and use the right Pokemon for the right battles. 

It is also a great idea to team up with other team members when battling enemy gyms. If you win a gym battle, never leave a weakened Pokemon behind to defend the gym, or you risk losing the gym.

Raid battles happen when a Boss Pokémon overpowers a Gym. You'd need a Raid Pass or a Remote Raid Pass which allows you to join the raid while at the gym or remotely. You can get a free Raid Pass (you only get one at a time)when you spin the photo disc at a gym or get one for 100 PokeCoins at Pokemon Go's in-game shop. You can get a bunch of Remote Raid Passes for 250 PokeCoins.

You'd need to team up with other Trainers to defeat this breed of Pokémon. If you win, you get unique items and the chance to catch the defeated Boss Pokémon. But you only want to indulge in raids when the odds are in your favor.

You can also join the Battle League to fight other trainers for your place on the leaderboard. But you'd also need a specialized team of Pokemon.

The trick about playing Pokemon GO is to keep catching, hatching, training, and battling as many different Pokémon as possible to raise your level. The higher you get, the easier and more fun the game gets!

Conclusion

So have you played Pokemon GO before? If yes, please share your fun Pokémon Go moments in the comments. We also like to know your strategy for earning more points. If you're new to the world of Pokémon Go, you can also drop any questions you have, and they will get answered ASAP!