You keep hearing about this new craze, Poke and Go, or Hokey Pokey Game-thing, and it’s driving you NUTS trying to figure it out. Relax! Here is the easy way to start and Pokemon Go:

Download The Free App

If you have an iOS or Android smartphone and if you’re willing to go outside, that’s all you’ll need to play Pokemon Go. It also helps to have some experience with Pokemon TV shows, videos, and movies, which have been popular for around 20 years… but do not worry about that.

Basically, here’s what you need to know. You are a world explorer, and your goal is to collect some wild animals or Pokemon. If you see one, you need to throw a Poke Ball at them, so that they get trapped inside. Pokemon come in all sizes, and have different weaknesses and strengths. When you first start, you get to choose from 3 basic types of Pokemon – Squirtles, Bulbasaurs, and Charmanders. You’re now ready to go out and capture more Pokemon.

Animation within Reality

Here’s where Pokemon differs vastly from reality. Instead of these captured critters becoming terrified or angry, once you capture it, it bonds to you. You can now capture around 750 different creatures, including ferocious Pidgey, a wack pigeon, and Mewtwo, an alien-looking psychic creature. Once you have a bunch of Pokemon, you have to train them, so they’ll become stronger and be able to utilize new abilities. This is mostly accomplished through battles. You’ll need to power up collecting “candy” and “stardust.”

Now, flash forward to the real world outside your home. You’re still a Pokemon trainer, but now, thanks to GPS, you get to go outside to explore and find Pokemon. The exciting thing is that these Pokemon are EVERYWHERE, inside public buildings, parks, highways – even a police station. The more you collect, the sooner you’ll get to level 5, and be able to go to a virtual gym, where you can choose a team to join and fight along with that team to ultimately claim gyms. Lucky people who live in a city like Washington DC can have a field day walking around and finding Pokemon, who lurk in all public areas, including cemeteries. Those of you who live out in the boonies, however, will be sorely tempted to hop in your car and go Pokemon hunting.

Be Careful, For Real!

Sounds awesome, right? Remember though, if you decide to travel to capture some new Pokemon, you must be able to drive DEFENSIVELY. A defensive driver will be able to anticipate possible problems, including bad weather or other motorists who aren’t paying attention (Hey! They’re quite possibly playing Pokemon Go too!) No matter how much into the game you are, your ultimate goal in driving is to avoid the risk of collision!

We get it. You’re driving and you’re playing Pokemon Go because, well, you’re young, and you can multitask in a way that older generations can’t. Well, it turns out that that whole “I can play games while behind the wheel because I was raised playing auto video games” idea, is wrong. Distraction is a real thing, it’s a dangerous thing in cars, and while you might catch a Pokémon crossing the street, you can still do a lot of damage to your car, to yourself, and potentially others.

So the first rule of thumb here is DON’T DRIVE and play Pokemon Go. Take it from someone with NY defensive driving experience. It’s much safer, and a lot more fun, to be a passenger and play! Ubers are being utilized to chase Pokemons, and there’s some hilarious videos out there showing Russians driving around in PokeTaxis! Be creative while playing Pokemon Go, but be safe as well. The life you save could be your own!