6pm: I get a phone call from a friend.
"What you up to?" she asks.
"I've just woken up, should we grab dinner?" I say.
"Sounds good, where?"
"Somewhere by the water? Maybe at the waterfront?" I reply.
"Great, see you in 20."
That's where the lies began.
Pokemon Go. If you're not playing it, you know someone who is. If you've avoided hitting that download button, chances are you've been saturated with countless photos and statuses on social media. The bottom line - New Zealand has gone poke-crazy and you will be caught up in it.
7:30pm: My phone starts ringing.
"Where are you? I've been waiting here for 30 minutes," my friend says.
"Sorry I got caught up... cleaning the house. I'm on my way. Are you at the waterfront?"
"Yes."
"Cool, see you soon," I say.
She has no idea.
Pokemon Go by Niantic is the latest app to hit your smartphone. Its debut was highly anticipated by every '90s kid who followed the series. New Zealand was the first country to fall victim, but the rest of the world has followed suit.
Basically, it's an augmented reality-based game. You become the Pokemon trainer you've always wanted to be, you literally travel the world catching Pokemon and leveling up to be the best trainer you can be.
Much like the series, certain Pokemon reside in particular areas. Real-life structures ranging from local schools, the Sky Tower and even police stations either become Poke-stops where you can collect items, or gyms where you can battle fellow players.
8pm: I finally arrive at the waterfront.
"Where should we go?" my friend asks.
"How about just down the pier? There's a place I've been wanting to try."
"What's it called?" She replies.
"Uh, not sure, can't remember, let's just walk down and see."
My master plan is in motion.
The app's available both on Android and iOS operating systems and uses your smartphone's GPS to track your movement. It connects to servers using your data and encourages users to get out and explore the world.
But once you're out there, real-life conversations come to a halt and the sounds of finger tapping and sound effects dominate social engagements.
8:30pm: We've been walking around for half an hour.
"Where is this place?" my friend asks.
"I'm not sure, I'm trying to find it now," I reply.
"Your map looks different, have they updated Google Maps?"
"Uh, yeah, they have."
Just 10 more minutes, all I need is 10 more minutes. She's catching on.
Only three days after the game's release and I can't go five minutes without hearing about it or seeing groups of people playing it on their phones.
The number of people actively involved in Pokemon Go is unlike anything I have witnessed before. Crossing intersections, you hear snippets of conversation ranging from "Look! There's a Pikachu!" to "Can we go to that Pokestop? I need some more poke balls."
9pm: We're still walking around, the frustration is building.
"Seriously Aziz, what the hell are we doing?" she says.
"Just give me a minute," I say.
"It's dark, cold, and I'm hungry, let's just go to Ponsonby."
"No, wait, I just need to catch this Pokemon, ok?"
"You need to what?!" she yells.
Whoops. The cat's out of the bag.
The reason I was late wasn't because I was cleaning the house, but rather cleaning out my poke-inventory so I could get more items.
There was never a restaurant I wanted to try at the waterfront, but rather a legendary Pokemon I knew I could only get near the water.
And ok, I didn't really want to eat at all, all I wanted to do was to catch Dratini, a Pokemon I have been obsessed with since I was a kid.
I have been playing for 48 hours and I have surrendered my life to this game.
Where I go is now solely dictated by what Pokemon I can find there. I wake up in the morning and immediately load up the game. Instead of catching an uber, I opt for a 30-minute walk in the hope of catching a rare Pokemon on the way to my destination. Obviously, I need help.
But I'm not the only one. Yes, I have gone poke-crazy, but chances are you have too. You're probably reading this while playing Pokemon Go yourself. You've most likely spent your entire lunch break roaming the streets for Pokemon rather than eating at your desk. And look, at least we're getting exercise while engaging in the madness right?
I write this as I've just embarked on my first poke-walk around the city. Yes, that's exactly how I spent my day and I wasn't the only one.
But here's a couple of warnings:
That may seem like pretty basic advice, but the growing number of people having accidents while playing Pokemon Go seems to indicate some common sense has been lost in the frenzy.
So there it is, my confession. Now my final piece of advice? If you haven't started playing, don't. It leads to madness.
Now excuse me, but I need to go train my Pikachu.
Oh, and you'll be happy to know I did catch the legendary Dratini, but I also caught an earful from my friend, who had to wait two hours before we finally got a meal - in Ponsonby.
