The phenomenon that is Pokémon Go has all but taken over the Internet. In less than a week, it garnered more activity daily than Twitter. You read that right. There are more people actively playing Pokémon Go than are using Twitter. Keep in mind that there are some countries where it hasn't been released yet. After the initial hype dies down, it's very likely that the number of people playing will decrease, but that remains to be seen.

Now, to continue reading, you need to understand that I'm about as geeky as they come. Things of this nature are near and dear to my heart, and I'm actually part of a ministry called Geeks Under Grace that is dedicated to bridging the gap between Christian and Geek culture.

If you don't even know what I'm talking about, Pokémon Go is a mobile app developed by Niantic based on Nintendo's popular Pokémon series. Pokémon made its debut in the 90s. It’s a game in which the player takes on the role of a young Pokémon trainer in order to catch, train, and battle fantasy creatures called, you guessed it, Pokémon. The overall goal was to complete a Pokédex, a device used to log the different species of Pokémon and store their information, all the while becoming the best trainer there ever was.

In my opinion, where Pokémon Go shines is that it's not just a game. You literally cannot effectively play this game from the confines and comfort of your own home. You have to go outside, you have to walk around to track down and catch these fantasy critters to progress as a trainer. Not only that, but I have heard many stories about people meeting new friends on these adventures. It's singlehandedly fighting laziness, childhood obesity, and is bringing people together. It truly is a phenomenon and is encouraging, for at least this geek, to see people putting aside their differences and focusing on the one thing they have in common, Pokémon.

In the game there are "PokéStops." In short, these are places that a trainer goes to restock on items. The items that one receives are random, but the most common items are Poké Balls, which are used to catch Pokémon. These PokéStops are generally landmarks, buildings, or businesses. In fact, most churches are PokéStops. Pokémon Go is not only motivating people to go outside and get some exercise, it's driving people to the church property. This is a great opportunity, if you ask me. There are some ideas on how churches can put this to good use in a recent article by one of my fellow writers at Geeks Under Grace.

Pokémon GO is a lot of fun and presents some great opportunities for touchpoints between the church and Pokémon players. I, for one, am enjoying the game and look forward to seeing what new adventures await me and my fellow trainers, both young and old.