Have you ever dreamed about living in an actual world of Pokemon; a world where you would be your own Pokemon master, traveling the world in a search to capture every last elusive one? Well, that world is here. Sort of. Google has been experimenting with “augmented reality” for some time now and, for April Fools Day tomorrow, will partner with Google Maps to do their best at bringing this childhood dream to life. I don’t know about you, but this is an amazing idea. I can only imagine where it will be in 5-10 years, probably less, with the fast rate of advancements in virtual reality technology. Read the official statement, below.

Google has created a video advertising an augmented reality Pokémon game loosely tied into Google Maps. In Google’s vision, players would hold their smartphones out in front of them and see Nintendo’s cartoon creatures appear on screen before them, often ready to do battle.

Of course, augmented reality isn’t quite that sophisticated yet — and anyway, waving your cellphone around while rock climbing and walking past traffic seems more than a little dangerous. But Google does give us an opportunity to start catching Pokémon on Google Maps: if you zoom into certain areas around the world on Google Maps’ iOS and Android apps today, you’ll actually see some of Nintendo’s famous creatures appear. There’s apparently 150 in all (though notably, not exclusively the original 150), and you can even start filling up a Pokédex while collecting them.

To catch ‘em all, grab your Poké Ball and the newest version of Google Maps for iPhone or Android. Then tap the search bar, “press start,” and begin your quest.

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Matt Whitlock – @mattwhitlockPM