{"id":729063,"date":"2026-06-11T06:19:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T06:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/729063\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T06:19:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T06:19:19","slug":"fans-reminisce-as-kids-set-out-on-mission-to-catch-em-all-at-pokemon-go-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/729063\/","title":{"rendered":"Fans reminisce as kids set out on mission to ‘catch ’em all’ at Pok\u00e9mon GO fest"},"content":{"rendered":"

As their children roamed Grant Park in search of Pok\u00e9mon on Friday, many parents found themselves taking a trip down memory lane, recalling their own experiences with the popular franchise years ago.<\/p>\n

Among the thousands gathered in the park were siblings Steven, 7, and Stephanie Tan, 10, who were on a mission to catch some of the rare and powerful legendary Pok\u00e9mon. Watching from nearby, their father, Steve Tan, couldn\u2019t help but feel nostalgic as he remembered playing the game when he was growing up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember playing the game with my friends but I eventually grew out of it,\u201d said Tan, 42, of Bridgeport. \u201cThen my kids started playing and I picked it back up because of them. Now they\u2019re teaching me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three-day Pok\u00e9mon GO Fest<\/a> kicked off Friday in Grant Park to celebrate the game\u2019s 10-year anniversary. Though the morning started a bit rainy, some precipitation wasn\u2019t enough to stop fans determined to \u201ccatch \u2018em all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike traditional video games, Pok\u00e9mon GO requires players to explore the real world rather than control a character from a fixed location. The game overlays a virtual world onto real-life surroundings, encouraging players to walk, discover new places and interact with other fans.<\/p>\n

While Pok\u00e9mon GO has been around for a decade, the franchise itself dates back much further. Pok\u00e9mon first launched in Japan in 1996 as a pair of Game Boy video games and was soon followed by a trading card game that helped fuel its worldwide popularity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never expected this to be as popular as it still is 30 years later. It\u2019s just mind-blowing,\u201d said Jazgul, 34, who did not share her last name.<\/p>\n

Fans spent the festival exploring the park to catch Pok\u00e9mon, complete special challenges and take part in raid battles held throughout the grounds.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Shirley<\/p>\n

Shirley and Steve Tan and their children Steven, 7, and Stephanie, 10, take part in Friday\u2019s Pok\u00e9mon Go Fest in Grant Park.<\/p>\n

Tan said his family will often take walks around their neighborhood to catch Pok\u00e9mon, but the festival gave them an opportunity to interact with other fans of the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is just a nice way to spend time together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jazgul\u2019s oldest son, Aidar, brought a binder full of Pok\u00e9mon cards, hoping to find others willing to trade.<\/p>\n

Jazgul said she was a fan of the game as a young girl and was surprised when both of her kids turned into fans. She said Aidar and Jomart, 5, often watch the Pok\u00e9mon series at home and love to play the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels special that there is something we can bond over,\u201d said Jazgul of West Ridge.<\/p>\n

Jazgul said the family was celebrating the start of the summer vacation by going to the festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was growing up, there weren\u2019t any festivals like this,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Aidar, wearing a Pikachu hat, said shortly after arriving at the park he caught a Mewtwo, a psychic legendary Pok\u00e9mon. He hoped to catch as many Pok\u00e9mon as possible and maybe even leave with a few new trading cards.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Jazgul<\/p>\n

Jazgul and sons Aidar and Jomart look at their Pok\u00e9mon collection while at the Pok\u00e9mon Go Fest in Grant Park on Friday.<\/p>\n

New to the festival, though not the game, were Taylor Wesley, 35, and his son Landry Wesley. The pair drove to Chicago from Missouri on Thursday to experience the festival and catch as many Pok\u00e9mon as possible.<\/p>\n

Wesley said he grew up playing the game and a few years ago Landry found his old trading cards. Since then, they\u2019ve bonded over the game and often play together.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nostalgic for sure,\u201d Wesley said. \u201cIt\u2019s something we can connect with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Landry, 7, said he was on a mission to find Zeraora, an electric-type Mythical Pok\u00e9mon.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Taylor<\/p>\n

Taylor Wesley and his 7-year-old son, Landry, attend Pok\u00e9mon Go Fest in Chicago on Friday.<\/p>\n

Wesley said he\u2019s enjoyed watching the franchise evolve. While many fans still appreciate the sense of adventure and exploration that made Pok\u00e9mon popular in the first place, he said the franchise has had to adapt to changing technology and a new generation of players to remain relevant.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it hadn\u2019t ever evolved, I don\u2019t think you\u2019d have this much interest,\u201d Wesley said. \u201cI think how they introduce new aspects to the game keeps it really interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike the other parents, Roque Raygoza Sr. said he learned about the game from his 7-year-old son, Roque Jr. The pair drove to the festival from Oak Lawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the one teaching me,\u201d Roque Sr. said. \u201cIt\u2019s turned out to be a really nice day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Standing in the middle of the park, Roque Jr. was still in disbelief that he had caught a Shiny Mewtwo, which is occasionally available during special in-game Raid events.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody ever catches a Shiny Mewtwo. Yeah, I\u2019m shocked,\u201d said the 7-year-old.<\/p>\n

Roque Jr. said he caught so many Pok\u00e9mon that he was about ready to go home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pretty much already caught all the ones I wanted,\u201d he said while his dad laughed.<\/p>\n

The first Pok\u00e9mon GO Fest was held in Grant Park in 2017. Friday marked the start of the festival\u2019s return to the park for the first time since 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As their children roamed Grant Park in search of Pok\u00e9mon on Friday, many parents found themselves taking a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729064,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[64,63,105,238,239,240],"class_list":["post-729063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-virtual-reality","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-technology","tag-virtual-reality","tag-virtualreality","tag-vr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}