Pokemon Go fans discovering Saskatchewan in quest to catch 'em all

If you are seeing more people than usual walking around downtown, or in the park, or in your backyard, fixated on their cellphones and seemingly oblivious to life around them, you've likely spotted a Pokemon trainer.

They are playing Pokemon Go, a free-to-play, location-based, downloadable app released this month for iOS and Android devices. It became available in Canada on Sunday.

Chances arethe people playing this game are in their early 20s. Pokemania exploded in the late '90s with a handheld game, TV show, movies, and trading cards.

They were obsessed with Pokemon then, and clearly many of them didn't out grow their childhood obsession.

One such Pokemaniac is 23-year-old Jessica Nenson of Regina. A cook in real life, anda level 11 Pokemon trainer every other waking minute.

However, Pokemaniacs like Nensondefend their obsession byclaiming Pokemon Go is good for you.

"I have lived in this city my entire life and I am finding new things I've never seen before or not really noticed. You kind of get to experience a little bit more of your town than you would normally and also it has really gotten my butt off the couch" Nenson said, laughing.

After the official release in Canada, Nenson saidshe did five laps around Wascana Lakewhich works out to roughly a 25 kilometre hikehunting for Pokemon.

The goal of the game is to capture, train, and battle with virtual creatures called Pokemon using your cellphone's camera and GPS. Warning, this app is a battery and data pig.

Pokemon are usually found at historical sights, monuments, and parks.

Pokemon Go is also region specific. You would find different Pokemon in Regina, where it's Pidgeys and Rattatas. If you are looking for Geodudes or Aerodactyls, you may need to go to Vancouver.

"I think the popularity is not only because it's exercise and it's nice outside. There's very activities that you can do that don't involve drinking or partying. This is just a nice, calm activity that you get to engage with people that you wouldn't normally."

Like Joran Temple, who was lurking nearby on his Pokemon quest. Temple, who gets paid to be a butcher, also claims his passionfor the game is that it encourages him to get outside. Not to mention his love for Pokemon, which began when he was about fiveyears old.

"It's been a dream to have my own little Pokemon adventure and finally at 23 years old, I can." said Temple, who admitted Pokemon Go has also been frustratedwith numerous server crashes at the headquarters of Niantic, the game's developer.

It is also potentially dangerous, Jessica Nenson confirms, if you don't stop to check your surroundings every now and then.

"I will admit, there was a couple times where I almost walked into somebody or crossed the road when I shouldn't. But I recognize that if I were the one to get hit, if I were to get injured,it was my own idiocy not the other way around not the game's."