Pokémon Go is here and is uniting players globally in a contest to be the very best. Players have to move about in the real world and go the distance to catch better and stronger Pokémon. Upon reaching level five player pick a team (Mystic, Valor or Instinct) and fight to gain control of Pokémon Gyms for their team.

This all seems rather simple, but the game is fairly new and players are finding new things every day. The following will be some of those findings. Heed them well and you will be a Pokémon Master in no time.

1. When starting the game, players are given three choices in starter Pokémon: Charmander, Squirtle or Bulbasaur. If you would prefer a Pikachu, like Ash had in the Pokémon anime, then simply walk away from your three choice about four times and a Pikachu will appear.
2. Pokéstops are vital. Pokeballs and eggs can be obtained by going to your nearest Pokéstop and spinning the icon; Pokéstops recharge every five minutes, so you may wish to stay there a while if you can.
3. Turn off the augmented reality feature. It is amazing to see Pokémon in the real world through use of the camera, but it is far easier to catch Pokémon with this mode turned off. The option to disable augmented reality can be found in the top right corner.
4. Transfer weaker Pokémon to the Professor. This frees up space to catch more Pokémon, while giving you more candy for that Pokémon, allowing you to power up or evolve stronger versions of the same Pokémon.
5. Walk or ride a bike to catch eggs. Riding in a car may seem like an excellent way to hatch eggs, but the fast speed won’t register and it will take you way longer. Just do it the hard way.
6. By now everyone knows that Eevee has three different evolutions (for now at least), and evolving is seemingly random; but players have just discovered that naming your Eevee “Sparky” will land you a Jolteon, “Rainer” will get you a Vaporeon and “Pyro” will give you a Flareon.
7. Retrieving thrown Pokéballs: you can tap on any thrown Pokéball to get it back. Doing so minimizes wasted Pokéballs.
8. Evolve Pokémon as often as possible. You will get tons of XP by evolving; all you need to do is catch and transfer the starting version of the Pokémon you are trying to evolve. This will gain you Stardust and Candy, which are needed to power up and evolve Pokémon.
9. Be social. Get in on the game with friends, organize Pokémon parties or just go solo and meet new people. This game is now the biggest mobile game of all time; chances are that someone near you is playing the game too.
10. Be safe. Nothing is worth your life– not even a Dragonite or a Gengar. When playing always be aware of your surroundings and obey the rules of the road. Do not play while driving. If you have to ask yourself whether or not you can do something, you probably cannot.

Good luck on your quest to be the very best! Keep the tips above in mind and have fun with it. The subreddit r/pokemongo is an amazing source of information on all things Pokémon Go. Those playing in the Severna Park area will notice that there are Pokéstops in many areas, such as the public library, the community center, numerous churches and all along the B&A trail.