Right now, more people in the world are playing Pokemon Go – the mobile phone reboot of the classic Nineties computer game – than swiping left or right on Tinder. A very modern phenomenon, its heady mix of the latest technology and nostalgia has already added £7bn to Nintendo’s market value, despite only being on sale for a matter of days. Even for the most discerning of gents then, this is a game you simply can’t avoid.
So how does it work? Well, the original Game Boy title saw players travel around a game world catching, trading and battling ‘Pocket Monsters’, but this new update ties in with Google Maps, meaning users physically move around the real world searching for monsters to add to their collection. What’s more, using ‘Augmented Reality’ tech, players can actually see them trotting around their actual surroundings.
To save any difficult conversations with younger members of your office, Gentleman’s Journal presents our own guide to the most gentlemanly of critters to catch.
Charizard
A member of a number of London’s private members’ clubs and a frequent visitor to the Palace for summer picnics, Charizard would doubtlessly buy all his suits from Savile Row if it weren’t for his flaming tail and wings making him a tailor’s nightmare. Rarely seen in public, this fire-based Pokemon looks regal and can handle himself in physical battles as well as boardroom squabbles.
Onix
This tall, dashing monster’s square jaw and traditional sense of style makes him an obvious leading man. Made of rock, he’ll repel fire-based attacks from characters such as Charizard easily, but struggles with water (an unfortunate incident when he was spotted falling off his yacht in Monaco was snapped by waiting paparazzi). The success of the game has seen him linked with pop star Taylor Swift, and the pair were recently spotted holding hands outside a Pokemon Gym.
This tempestuous bird is known for getting into a flap in the kitchen, but his Soho-based restaurant, PXMN, has already acquired a Michelin star and the adoration of London’s showbiz set. His Venetian dishes were described by The Sunday Times’ AA Gill as ‘groundbreaking’ and he is said to have served an apprenticeship working for Michel Roux Jr.
Pikachu
Heralded by just about everyone as the ‘new Gigi Hadid’, Pikachu caused a sensation modelling Burberry’s SS16 range. A sparky character, she’s been known to electrocute those she doesn’t like, and often fares well battling water-based Pokemon. She’s known to be friends with Cara Delevingne, though a brief relationship with Liam Hemsworth on the set of Independence Day has led to a high-profile squabble with pop star Miley Cyrus.
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Further reading
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