TIME

The Pokémon fad shows the unnerving future of augmenting reality

A crowd of Pokémon Go players gathers to catch and collect digital creatures in New York City’s Union Square

ON A RECENT SUMMER EVENING, something strange happened in Prospect Park, in Brooklyn. As usual, joggers zipped along the edge of Long Meadow and dog owners did their postprandial duty. But this time they were joined by a dozen people shuffling about haphazardly, their zombie eyes fixed on glowing phone screens. This ad hoc crowd was busy catching Pokémon, the virtual creatures at the heart of the latest out-of-nowhere smartphone craze.

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