Have Pokemon Go Fever?

There is something crazy happening right now, and I have to be honest when I say I didn’t get it at first. I know, though, that there are a lot of people in a frenzy over the new Pokemon Go craze. I was out and about with my boys yesterday and someone had asked them if they were playing and I kind of froze. I wasn’t sure if they knew about it yet (what was I thinking?) and thought that it would start something into motion that had the potential to get out of control. Turns out they had heard about it, the eldest anyway, and he’s more interested right now in Music.ly.

But if you are engrossed in all things Pokemon Go, we have some tips and a fun event that you’ll want in on.

Pokemon Go Pizza Party at Eklectic Pie

Eklectic Pie‘s Gilbert and Germann location in Chandler is a Poke Stop and a gym. What this means for players is that Pokemon Go players can stop by every hour to “catch ’em all!” To celebrate, the restaurant will be hosting a Pokemon Go Pizza Party on July 24th from 12pm until 4pm. Pokemon Go players can enjoy $5 pizzas with toppings of their choice. All you need to do is show the app on your phone to redeem the special.

Pokemon Go Tips and Tricks

1. This one is obvious – go get everything! Duplicates are a good thing. Every time that catch a duplicate you get the associated evolution candy. You can then transfer unwanted Pokemon to the Professor for more candy. The more candy you have the more you can evolve the specific Pokemon that you want to keep.
2. Wear comfortable shoes! You’re going to be doing a lot of walking if you’re out in the world searching.
3. Eggs are Helpful. When at a Poke Stop you can earn Balls to capture more creatures or Eggs. You can stick an Egg in an incubator in order to birth a new Pokemon. Once the Egg is inside the incubator, get walking in order to complete the process.
4. Keep your phone charges. The app is a battery killer, since your screen is lit at all times that you are searching. An external battery while you are on the go will help out.
5. Get your timing right! If you want to catch a Pokemon in the wild, hold your thumb down on a Poke ball at fling it at the Pokemon’s head. Once you get to some of the more rare Pokemon, you’ll see a colored circle appear over the Pokemon. It will go from large to small, over and over. Smaller is preferred. You’re going to want to throw the Poke ball when that circle is at its smallest. A smaller circle means higher odds of a successful capture.
6. Ready, Aim, Throw! The smaller that circle is the better your odds of capture, however the harder it is to hit! Finding the right balance of size and difficulty that works for your throwing ability is key.
7. Color Cues. Green circles mean that the Pokemon is going to be relatively easy to catch. Yellow is a little more difficult and red is going to be really difficult. Keep a few extra Poke balls on hand for the red ones.
8. Map out your game. While finding a Poke Stop near your house might be super convenient, it might not be the most efficient way to play. The Poke Stops refresh every few minutes and you get items every time you hit one. Look for the nearest place with a lot of stops, gather them all then walk back the way you came and catch more when they all reset.
9. Play together! The game is social and meant to play together, so get your Poke Friends together and get out and catch ’em all!

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© Taryn Jeffries 2016