Seemingly out of nowhere, people across the United States and other countries around the world could be found walking around with their faces in their smartphone screens. That’s the norm nowadays, except these smartphone users weren’t on social media. They were “capturing” imaginary creatures overlaid on the real world with the augmented reality game Pokémon Go.
Here’s a timeline of the phenomenon:
JULY 6, 2016
Pokémon Go is released by Nintendo. Let the madness begin.
JULY 8, 2016
After two days, Nintendo’s market value soars to $7.5 billion. In the United States, the game is already installed on more than 5 percent of Android devices, according to web analytics firm SimilarWeb.
JULY 11, 2016
Craziness ensues. A man catches Pokémon while his wife gives birth, a user of the app discovers a dead body, robbers exploit players through the game, players get hurt (and sore) and dogs get walked more because of the game.
JULY 13, 2016
- Business owners figure out that they can “lure” Pokémon to their locations, in turn luring customers. Companies use tactics such as social media, whiteboards, luring and even charging stations to bring in new Pokécustomers.
- The augmented reality game has “Pokéstops” that allow you to lure more Pokémon to your area. Some of those stops happen to be in a police station, museums and even churches. Just seven days after Pokémon Go is released to the public, cemeteries, police stations and museums have to figure out how to handle the influx of people — or in some cases, (like that of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.,) keep them out.
JULY 14, 2016
- A possible leak shows that McDonald’s and Nintendo could have a deal in the works that would give McDonald’s locations sponsored status.
- More craziness ensues. Players are catching Pokémon while driving and at funerals, and in one instance, the app helps a woman discover her boyfriend had been cheating on her.
JULY 15, 2016
T-Mobile announces that it would be giving users of the app unlimited data until August of next year along with a free Wendy’s frosty, a free Lyft ride up to $15 and a 50 percent discount on some accessories.