Just a few weeks ago, anyone and everyone suddenly had gone into a frenzie. Ever since its release on July 5, adults and children both have been virtually attached to the hit app, Pokemon GO.

“I think it’s a genius idea,” said senior Dan Borrelli. “I found a Snorlax outside of my house. Who would have thought I’d ever seriously say that?” 

A popular function of the app is the turning of memorials or minuscule landmarks and monuments into “Pokestops.” These stops provide goodies for each player that comes within range of one. As a place loaded with monuments, Historic Main Street St. Charles has become a major hotspot players near and far.

“My favorite thing about it is being able to actually go to new places to hunt them,” said sophomore Savannah Chilese . “My favorite one is my Bulbasaur.”

One of the most inhabited parts of Main Street for Pokemon hunting is “The Quad.” Four businesses – Little Hills Winery, Mother In Law House Restaurant, The Tintypery Old Time Photos and Ooh La La Children’s Boutique – are all keepers of their own Pokestops. The stops together forming a perfect square causes the most avid hunters to gather in a single location. With the “Lures” – devices used at Pokestops to lure Pokemon to that location – planted almost at all times on all four stops, The Quad has become the most common hunting grounds for the Main Street players. Some even bring along lawn chairs to sit for hours atop their cars while waiting for the hunted to hunt them.

“I think it’s more popular with the younger adult crowd because a lot of them spent their youth playing the original GameBoy version of the game,” said senior Tyler Masters. “Pokemon GO brings the nostalgia of the original games while simultaneously providing an engaging and social experience.”

Main Street is not only full of teens playing the internationally known game. Among the youth with eyes glued to their phones, adults and parents are joining in on the fun, too. Even past Main Street, it’s become highly common to see anyone at any age swiping their fingers on the phone screen held out in front of them, smiling while catching the nearby Eevee with the child accompanying them with the same smile, too.