“Catch ‘Em All” while you eat.
That’s the goal of a new Yelp filter that helps Pokémon GO players, known as trainers, find restaurants and shops near PokeStops so they can grab a tasty bite to eat and chase the virtual creatures at the same time.
Pokémon GO , an augmented reality game for your cell phone, has taken the world by storm and now Yelp has designed a search filter that will display restaurants near PokeStops , according to Yelp’s official blog.
“We know you’re going to Diglett.”
PokeStops are virtual locations in the Pokémon GO game that give trainers free in-game objects like potions and Pokeballs that help players catch the virtual creatures.
Yelp’s new search option works just like their other filters; simply search for a type of business, like a bar or restaurant, and browse through the filter options to find PokeStop. Yelp users will then see PokeStops near their favorite businesses so they can run errands and Catch ‘Em All at the same time.
The feature has only been available for 24 hours, but already Yelpers have helped identify thousands of PokeStops in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, and they’re still searching for more. To help other trainers find nearby PokeStops, users simply need to check-in to a location and answer a few questions.
The new Yelp feature is available on iOS and Android.
Pokémon GO has only been available since last week, but already the augmented reality game is turning into a social phenomenon. Instead of sitting on the couch, Pokémon GO forces its players, or trainers, to venture out into the real world to capture the coveted virtual creatures.
The game has been credited with increasing exercise rates and encouraging social interaction, but some people have taken their commitment to Catching ‘Em All to a whole new level.
Tom Currie, a 24-year-old New Zealand man, quit his day job so he could hunt Pokémon characters full-time. A week after handing in his resignation, Currie has fielded offers from numerous New Zealand bus companies offering to transport him around the island for free.
If you play Pokemon Go, but don’t tweet about it. Are you really playing Pokemon Go?
— Sharp ? (@Sharpp) July 16, 2016
Not everything with the game has been sunshine and rainbows, however; some trainers have caused quite a few problems; usually by not heeding the game’s advice to pay attention to their surroundings.
Two San Diego men walked off a cliff this week while hunting for the elusive Pokémon characters while three Pennsylvania trainers found themselves trapped in a cemetery after closing time. At least two people have ran off the road while playing and driving at the same time and a group of newly licensed teenage drivers have been cited for playing the game while on the road.
In New York, hundreds of people caused a stampede when several trainers found rare and elusive Pokemon in Central Park.
Pokémon GO has become so popular that millions of would-be players signed in this weekend and overloaded the game’s servers. Users across Europe and the U.S. began complaining around 2 p.m. Eastern Time that they couldn’t log in to play their favorite game.
A hacking group with the name PoodleCorp has taken responsibility for crashing the game’s servers using a denial of service (DDOS) attack upsetting millions of trainers around the world who planned to hunt Pokémon this weekend , according to the Independent.
“Just was a lil test, we will do something on a larger scale soon.”
Pokémon GO players took to social media en mass to condemn the hacking group as a bunch of killjoys who don’t want other people to have fun.
How dedicated are you to Catching ‘Em All?
[Photo by Robert Cianflone /Getty Images]