The MacLaren Art Centre is the place to be in Barrie this summer, but the attraction is nothing to do with the exhibits inside.
Pokemon GO has hit Barrie, and the rage that has gamers excited around the world has crowds gathering downtown, outside the library and at the waterfront.
"This is a great spot because it is a Poke Stop," explained Kevin Denby. "There are four stops here that all intersect, so its non-stop."
Denby admits to spending dozens of hours using the app since he downloaded it about four days ago.
"I'd probably just be in the house doing something else, so this is great," he said.
About 20 gamers were gathered outside the art centre Tuesday afternoon, each glued to their phones as they catch Pokemon characters and "level up."
They share stories about where and how they play the game and talk about the hot spots in town.
Rodger Whitman says he has biked about 18 kilometres over the past few days, in search of Pokemon.
"Usually I take the bus to work, but I chose to walk so I could play," he said. "The app is a great way to bring community together and to get people outside and socializing," he said. "It's amazing.
"When I was here about an hour and a half ago, there was a totally different group of people and we are all sharing things."
He's also been to Minet's Point, and he stopped at a bike shop today to order a rack for his handlebars that will allow him to monitor his phone hands-free.
It's not just a daytime activity, either.
Matt Mitchell says he was outside the MacLaren at 2 a.m. and he wasn't alone.
"It's so much fun, you just can't stop sometimes. It doesn't matter what time it is. It's summer," he said, smiling as launched the app outside the downtown library Tuesday afternoon."
It seems the city's waterfront is also a popular place to catch 'em all in Barrie.
"It's definitely addicting," said Taylor Dean, without looking up from his phone.
The Nintendo and Niantic mobile game utilizes a phone’s GPS to help players find Pokemon. This is done through geocaching and augmented reality (AR) to place the characters in the real world.
Developer Niantic says they delayed the game's release to most of the world, so they could work on servers, which have been unstable. Players have reported being disconnected or being unable to use the app all together.
While the game has not yet been officially released in Canada, gamers from finding ways to get the game and join the fun.
"There are files on line that you can download," explained Denby. "It's not hard to find."
While a search for “Pokémon Go” won’t turn up any results in the Canadian App Store, iOS users have downloaded the app by signing out of their Canadian iTunes account and switching their location to the United States.
Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation tweeted on Tuesday, reminding people to stay alert and to put the phone down if they’re driving.
There have been reports of injuries to gamers who have crashed into walls or other objects while distracted with the app.
Because the game uses a phone’s GPS, players should also keep an eye on their data plan and battery life. The game relies on the phone’s data to connect to the server and that means it can eat up your coverage plan pretty fast if you’re not careful.
Discouraged by the lack of opportunities around home in Alliston, Denby says he decided to head to Barrie for the day. He was drawn here by the "lures" that show where the hottest spots are in the game.
"You can catch a lot of Pokemon in Barrie," he said. "There was nothing in Alliston."
The mobile game simplifies the capturing process to just throwing Pokeballs with the swipe of a finger.
Players can increase the chances of capture by pressing down on the ball and waiting until the circle is at its smallest form. If the circle is green, the Pokemon should be pretty easy to catch. If it’s yellow or red it’s a little harder.
Players can level their Pokemon and do battle at gyms. Gamers simply need a set number of candies and dust to evolve their Pokemon or power them up.
Alex Geerkens stopped outside the MacLaren on Tuesday to take advantage of the intersecting Poke Stops.
"I had my boyfriend driving me around all weekend in Lindsay," she said. "We'd be driving and I would yell 'Poke Stop', So much fun."
