Canada celebrates Pokémon GO launch in true trainer style

Trinity Square, a Toronto public space bordered by an office building, a hotel and the Eaton Centre, was a Monday afternoon cornucopia of Pokémon GO.

A few dozen people of various ages were hard at work catching Pokémon, who were attracted to the area by the lures players had placed.

A group of work friends spent their lunch break in the square, which they called a “Pokéwalk.” They marveled at the high-level gym leaders in the downtown core, who new users have difficulty beating. Other trainers sat by outdoor outlets, keeping their cellphones plugged in while they continued to play the battery-sucking game.

“My phone is hot,” said Eric, a 28-year-old visiting Toronto. “You can feel it [giving off heat].”

Eric asked not be identified because of work, worried playing the augmented reality game would make him look younger than he already is. He lives in Canada but downloaded the game while visiting the U.S. when it was first released earlier this month. He’s found a lot of the same Pokémon in big cities: the ones that look like bats, rats and birds. And Drowzees.

“Everyone’s got these garbage Pokémon,” he said.

Whether you watched the late 90s animated series or not, you’ve since heard of the pocket monsters.

Since its premiere in Australia, New Zealand and the United States, Niantic-developed Pokémon GO has changed how we interact with the real world through the virtual one we hold in our cellphones.

Instead of waiting for the mysterious Canadian release date, diehard fans found ways around the geographical obstacle. Then, without warning, the free app dropped into Canadian app stores on Sunday afternoon, prompting a server crash from its onslaught of new users.

A polarizing fad since its initial release, the augmented reality game and its first adopters have both the best and worst publicity. The game play requires exercise, which has reportedly helped with depression and social anxiety and fostered new friendships. On the negative side, there have been car and cliff accidents, as well as robbers using the app to mug players. Pokémon GO was also criticized for being inaccessible to many players with disabilities.

During its first full day in Canada, one Newfoundland business owner embraced the game wholeheartedly, while an Ontario boy’s memorial became a PokéStop, upsetting his family.

[One of the Toronto gyms and its leader at the time. SCREEN SHOT/Pokémon Go app]

Expectedly, Toronto has been a hub of Pokémon trainer activity. On first glance, a pedestrian will appear to be innocently tapping away on their phone, but the unmistakable finger swipe used to toss Pokéballs will always give them away. So will stopping suddenly to catch a critter, or congregating with friends at Pokéstops and Pokémon gyms, selected street art, buildings and landmarks where users can try to oust the reigning leader to claim the location for themselves and their chosen team.

Whether they are playing the game unashamedly or self-consciously, most users seem thrilled to run into another person playing, sharing tips and stories of their adventures so far. Popular spots like Trinity Square are particularly friendly and communal in ways you don’t normally find in the big city.

Inside the Eaton Centre, you can immediately spot players: sitting, standing, searching. Guest Services has noticed, but said it hasn’t had problems with the “peaceful bunch” of trainers.

After only (officially) existing in Canada for a day, Pokémon GO already had easily discoverable high traffic spots in the city. Gamers constantly mentioned the Harbourfront, but most Monday night foot traffic was flowing towards the CN Tower. The highly-anticipated Canadian Release Party was happening there and 3,600 people had clicked attending on Facebook.

[The first wave of Pokémon GO attendees at the CN Tower on Monday. YAHOO/Carolyn Turgeon]

Players were easily spotted on the way to the launch: a woman showing a man how to play, overhearing “Pokémon GO” in a passing conversation, a mom standing in a circle with her three boys, all of them playing on their phones.

By 8 p.m., trainers flooded the CN Tower grounds, bordered by Ripley’s Aquarium and the Rogers Centre. They fought over the tower’s gym, dropped lures to attract Pokémon, shared tips, screamed their team names (Valor, Mystic or Instinct) and hung out with a giant Pikachu mascot.

The number of teens, 20-somethings, parents, children and everyone in between continued to rise as the sun started to set and the hundreds of voices blended together.

“My buddy says there’s a Rhyhorn around here.”

“I dunno, do I pop another Incense?”

“Team Mystic? More like mistake!”

Everyone’s phones were buzzing constantly, indicating that there were Pokémon all over the area. Francis Perez, a 21-year-old from Vaughan, Ont., said he plays at home as well as when he goes to work in downtown Toronto.

“You wouldn’t imagine all these people coming together to play Pokémon,” Perez said, looking out over the crowd.

Eric said he expects Niantic to keep making better games, which users will eventually have to pay for. Pokémon GO Plus is a step in that direction, he said.

It’s a wearable device retailing for $30, which simply sits around your wrist, buzzes when a Pokémon is nearby so users don’t have to use their phones as much.

Perez and numerous other players seem ready and eager to pay for more Pokémon. Though GO doesn’t let you pay to be a higher level player, users do have the opportunity to buy Pokémon lures and other tools.

“This one is to get you hooked and then they’ll start charging you,” said Eric, adding that these consumers have been buying Pokémon games (and the necessary consoles) all their lives.

For now, it’s a hard first day to say goodbye to.

“It’s time for us to go,” a father told his family as they walked away from the Pokémon party. “Dad has to work in the morning.”