You may have heard that a new mobile phone game is sweeping the nation! It is Pokemon GO, and the gameplay consists of walking around your actual town, exploring the outdoors and trapping 3D monsters that pop up onto your phone screen.

I had heard that this was the most popular game ever, but when I saw crowds of people swarming to the parks and attractions in Sacramento, I knew I had to learn more about this phenomenon.

This is a photo from Old Sacramento on Monday, July 18th. This is a boardwalk along the Sacramento River.

All of these people are playing Pokemon GO on their phones, and they were here to collect new Pokemon and to challenge one another at a nearby battleground (a Pokemon gym).

More players arriving at a Pokestop.

It was getting dark as I prepared to interview players at Capitol Park in downtown Sacramento.

There was a full moon, but the park was unlit. I captured a few photos by leaving the shutter open on my camera. There were people everywhere.

The first person I talked to was Thomas, who had been playing Pokemon GO since the game was released on July 6th, 2016. He was at level 22. He was at the park because a cluster of Pokestops in the park made it prime real estate for capturing Pokemon. He was with his friend Brian, age 23, who was in search of a Charmeleon. His best Pokemon was a 1111 CP Blastoise.

The next group I talked to were Issac, Mike and Cloud. They had been playing for about two weeks.

Issac had a 1536 CP Arcanine, Mike had a CP 640 Flareon and Cloud had a Vapeon that was CP 996. They had been to Carmichael Park the previous night, and hunting in Folsom before that.

Cloud was hunting for whatever he could find, but he had his hopes set on capturing a Dratini.

Next I talked with Luis, Stephanie and Armando, levels 21, 11 and 14. Luis had played every day since the game was released and had an Arcanine with a CP of 2325.

They had played in Folsom and in El Dorado Hills the day before (about 20 miles from Sacramento) and they lived in Antelope (15 miles from Sacramento)!

I asked if they thought the game had legs, staying power beyond a few weeks of fun, and they thought it could use PVP battling outside of gym battles. Luis suggested that the battles could be waged with Pokemon coins or stardust.

Michael was there with his friend Cameron, age 18. Michael was one of the few people there who was not playing the game.

Cameron was level 19 and was excited to reach level 20 because "Everything gets better at 20". Cameron was skeptical about the rumors that surrounded Pokemon Go, such as the rumor that fire Pokemon are found near gas stations, and ghost Pokemon are found in graveyards. His strongest Pokemon was a CP 1499 Arcanine.

Next I met Michelle, a level 16 player. She was thrilled to see so many people outside and active on a Tuesday night. She'd lived in Sacramento for 10 years and had never before this night been to Capitol Park! She had a cp 1006 Flareon. her friend Kim clued me in that there were 500 people at this park on Saturday. She was level 16 with a CP 1376 Arcanine. She had defeated a gym at Sac State University, and was eager to beat the gym here as well.

Joseph was level 19, with a cp 1392 Arcanine. He had been playing since the first day (July 6th). He was capturing a Geodude while I talked with him.

Kim and Michelle let me know I should check out Sutter Hospital in midtown, as the park and hospital were circled by nurses playing Pokemon GO outside on their breaks.

Shawn and Mark were also at the park, smoking and playing Pokemon GO. They agreed with me that this was the place to be.

Shawn was level 14 with a 701 Vapereon, and Mark was level 15 with an 1142 Vapereon. They were both team Instinct,which Mark described as "The Sweden of the game." Shawn wanted a Charzard, and admitted that the game had been tempting him since he was a child, as he has started watching the show when he was age 3.

Players everywhere, organizing their game and collecting new Pokemon.

Ike was level 22. His best was a 1700 CP Vapeon. He wasn't sure that the hysteria around the game could be sustained, but guessed that new characters could extend the life of it. He hadn't spent any real money on the game yet.

He shared his strategy of overtaking a gym at 3am to get coins. He was on team Mystic.

Gabriel and Fatima were sitting down together in the darkened park. He was a level 13 player with a 378 Ratata. He hadn't played the previous day at all. Nor had he spent any money.

He confessed he would probably eventually spend money on the game to buy lures as balls were abundant. He was astounded at the crowds and the success of the game.

Fatima was level 6. She had just started playing and hadn't spent any money on the game. She wasn't sure the game had legs, but was sure she would keep playing after "the hype dies down". She was in it for the long haul.

Sandy and Daniel were the coolest dudes in the park. Sandy was level 13 with a 998 Arcanine. He hadn't spent any money on the game, but he might. Daniel was a level 17 player with a 1422 Arcanine. He told me about the strategy of beating a gym with a group of four friends, coordinating the attack with them.

21 year old Kimmy was at the park with her mom Lynn. She was level 13 with a high-powered Vaporeon as her favorite.

"There are a million people here!"

She hadn't spent any money on the game and didn't anticipate that she would.

I apologize to Chase, Marty, Luis and Alicia for the blurry photos I got of them. Chase was level 17 and played "Everywhere, from Rocklin to Elk Grove". He hadn't spent any money on the game yet, but anticipated that he probably would soon. Marty was level 19 with a 1093 Pokemon as his best. He had spent $10 on pokeballs when he found himself empty handed in the middle of a monster hunt.

Luis was level 12, with a 633 Electrabuzz. He hadn't gone out last night to play. He anticipated that the game would lose steam quickly, and was "kinda sad" that the current level of hype couldn't last. He was happy that he game would be up and running for a while. He had beaten one gym, defeating his brother to take the crown.

Alicia was level 16 and had come from the park at Sutter's Fort in midtown. She had a cp 1300 Arcanine and hadn't spend any money on the game yet. When I asked her if she planned to spend any real money on it, she replied "I'd like to say no...".

Ethan and Tymeri were playing Pokemon together in the park. They had come from Old Sacramento, where similar large crowds had formed to play Pokemon Go. He was level 16 with an Arcanine cp 1355 and she was level 9 with a Magma cp 359. Neither had spent any money on the game yet, but admitted that they would probably do so in the future.

Bella was playing in the park with her step-mom and little sister. She was level 10 with a Flareon as her top monster.

Devin was level 16 with a 1056 Arcanine. Jeff was also level 16 with a strong Arcanine. Devin had 79 different Pokemon and was on the hunt for a Magmar. He was on team Instinct, while Jeff had won about ten gyms on team Valor.

Devin had spent $5 yesterday when he played at Rush park.

Orland had started fairly recently, but was quickly levelling up with all of the stops and Pokemon at Capitol Park. His top character was a 373 cp Pinser. He was on the blue team.

Fernando was level 8, on the red team. Their mentor seemed to be Mario, who was level 15. Mario had a Arcanine at 1089, which he had achieved without spending any money. He thought the game had legs, and was sure it would keep going for a while.

I also met Cameron and Cody, I believe a father/son team. They had played from Folsom to Greenhaven and encouraged me to revisit Old Sacramento, which was apparently a Mecca for Pokemon Go. Cameron was clear: He had never seen that many people in Old Sac, and he had been there for Festivals.

It was a fun night! I met lots of fun people who were caught up in a game, maybe caught up in a movement. It was beautiful to see!