'Gotta see 'em all': Ontario woman creates Pokémon GO-like game to get people outdoors

"Gotta see 'em all!"

That's the catchphrase nature enthusiast Natalie Rudkins is giving the new game she designed, which combines aspects of Pokémon GO — a popular augmented reality game — with good, old-fashioned wildlife watching.

She says the 2016 Pokémon game, which involves using a mobile device to locate, capture and train virtual creatures, inspired her to create a similar venture geared toward nature.

"I hope it teaches people about some of the things that are around them in their daily lives," says Rudkins.

Participants use a 'Naturedex' (a play on 'Pokédex' from the virtual game) of 151 species of wildlife, birds, insects, flowers, trees, invasives and fish that Rudkins says can be found throughout Toronto.

Each species is assigned a rating of between one and three based on how difficult they are to find. Rudkins hopes someone will "see 'em all" before the end of the year.

'My kids will love this': Reddit embraces challenge

She says she spent a long time designing the 151-species 'Naturedex,' — the same number of Pokémon in the first generation of Pokémon GO — but accelerated work on it in recent weeks to get it out to the public for spring.

The game is already generating buzz online.

"This is terrific, thank you! My kids will love this," writes one Reddit user, saying the family has done nature bingo walks, but the "gotta catch em all!" is a fresh and fun angle.

"This will provide a lot of entertainment for many and make spring even more enjoyable," writes another, while one Reddit user has offered to donate to a charity of Rudkins' choosing as thanks for the game.

Others are chiming in with app suggestions such as "Seek" – which scans and collects snapshots of wildlife – to help make the game easier.

Another local nature enthusiast thinks it's a great idea.

"I love to see things like what [Rudkins] is doing," says Murray Shields, the founder of Toronto Nature Lovers, a group of outdoor enthusiasts who seek out birds and wildlife.

"When people are going to the park to pick up these Pokémon things … well, birding is the same thing — except it's real."

Murray says he founded Toronto Nature Lovers after his life was changed when he saw a bald eagle along the shoreline of Lake Ontario in Scarborough 10 years ago.

Since then, the group has grown to thousands of people growing their birding "life lists" — a list of all the species that a person has seen in their lifetime.

Murray thinks members of his group would do particularly well at Rudkins' new game.

"It's lifelong learning. It never ends. There's always something new in nature."

So far, nobody has told Rudkins they've seen 'em all.

"I did a count recently and I saw 120 of them last year," says Rudkins.

Apps can help with challenge, says game's creator

She says the late spring has made it a bit harder to spot some things on the list, such as the trillium, Ontario's official flower.

But there are ways to help hone the search, she says.

On Reddit, Rudkins has suggested participants download Seek.

During a nature walk through the Meadowvale Conservation Area, Rudkins showed CBC Toronto an app called Merlin, which records and identifies birds based on their calls.

She says she would be thrilled if by the end of the year, someone had seen the list in its entirety.

"It's something that, if people put in effort, they'll be able to see all of them."

An image of the full Naturedex can be seen below: