Following the release July 6 of Pokemon Go in the United States, New Zealand and Australia, Pokemon can now be found also on the streets in Turkey. The new game was an instant hit everywhere; even in countries such as Turkey, where the game is not yet officially released, tens of thousands of gamers have downloaded it on their mobile devices. Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game that utilizes the GPS and camera of an Android and iOS device; players get to see their cities like never before.
Foreign trade specialist Serkan Hizli told Al-Monitor that most players in Turkey downloaded the game after its release by changing their phones’ location to New Zealand. With the local maps downloaded on their phones, gamers go outside and travel between the real and virtual worlds. Pokemon Go gets gamers out of their homes, where they normally spend hours playing games, to search and catch Pokemon characters all around town; they play while walking, cycling or driving their cars.
