Pokémon – the card and video game in which players try to catch all sorts of make-believe creatures – has been a childhood staple for years now. 

But it's suddenly caught fire all over again, thanks to a mobile app version of the game called "Pokémon Go". 

Pokémon Go has prompted millions of people across the country to take to the streets as they try to snare the virtual Pokémon. 

Walking home on a recent evening, I came across a gathering of gamers in Somerville's Davis Square.

It’s just before before 8p.m. on a Monday night, and about 80 people are gathered at Kenney Park in Davis Square.

“This is definitely exceptional. I have never seen this many people in a park in Boston or Cambridge or Somerville,” said 23-year-old Ashley Smith of Cambridge.

Before downloading the Pokémon Go app, Smith had never been to this park. 

She, along with dozens of other Boston-area players, are out here with one purpose: to catch Pokémon. 

The crowd has picked this particular location for a reason. 

“There’s a bunch of lures set up… [it’s] something that attracts Pokémon so we’re getting lots of Pokémon showing up all the time,” she said.

Lures are are planted by players to attract Pokémon. When packs of the virtual creatures appear on players’ maps, gamers flock to the location to catch them. 

Among the chasers this Monday evening is 10-year-old Adam Gould of Somerville. A few steps away his father, Tom Gould, is keeping an eye on his son, as he walks around the park catching Pokémon. 

Tom Gould, who’s lived around Kenney Park for about 30 years, says this type of gathering is not typical.   

“It’s really unusual,” Gould said. “And the people are actually talking to each other. Even though the game is an individual game and there’s no interaction in the game with other players, they’re actually talking to each other.”

Throughout the night, players chat about their catches and share tips with one another. 

Around 9 p.m. a player takes center stage, in the middle of the park, and shares a game shortcut he’s discovered. The announcement is met with cheers from the crowd. 

Curious passersby, including a visiting couple from Martha’s Vineyard, approach players to find out what the commotion is all about. 

“I was just explaining to these folks why there were like 100 millennials gathered in this park by Davis Square,” said Bridgett Begg, a 24-year-old player. 

“I’m a flip phone guy so I don’t really understand the whole concept of it but… I like the vibe,” said 63-year-old Steve Costa. 

“I kind of understand what it is but not like WHY it is,” said 46-year-old Molly Costa, laughing. 

For players, the benefits are clear: catching Pokémon and making friends. But because players are rewarded for visiting certain landmarks, the game also encourages them to explore the communities they live in.  

“I use this [app] to take different routes to work and kind of explore the area,” said Arden Radford, a 23-year-old who’s been living in the Boston area for about two years. “I haven’t explored some parks or certain ways to go around but now I’m actually having fun and meeting people I would never talk to before and meeting people in my area.”

Some critics say the game can be distracting and pose dangers to players and others, but most players will argue this particular game is no different from and no more distracting than other apps.

But one criticism players will agree with: phone battery drainage. 

That’s why, around 10p.m. some players start heading home. But others, like 26-year-old Sarah Morris, have a back-up plan.

Morris has called her husband to bring her a portable phone battery. 
  
“This is my husband, and I greeted him with ‘There’s my battery and you’re here too!” she said. “I’m at one percent. I’m desperate.” 

Those without extra batteries or caring husbands will soon call it a night – but not for long. Many of them say, they’ll be back tomorrow.