Here's the reason people are so obsessed with 'Pokemon GO' according to science
Nintendo and Niantic's game has users searching for virtual Pokémon in their real-life environments. Or, in more technical terms, the combination of physical and virtual worlds into one is called augmented reality.
With augmented reality, there's no need to wear awkward gadgets like Google Glass required, or like the Oculus Rift headset. You aren't diving into a virtual reality. You remain in the present, though it's enhanced by the gameplay and computer visuals.
And that's exactly why people are going crazy.
Pacific Standard cited a 2013 study by a team of American psychologists and computer scientists in the journal "Computers & Education" that explains the power of augmented reality.
"[Augmented reality] does not separate the user from his reality but instead uses it and realistically transforms it," the study says. "This effect can cause a high degree of surprise and curiosity in users."
Some children who use the technology even think it's actually magic.
It may actually be more alluring than the virtual reality of Oculus and the like you've heard so much about in the past year. Nintendo and the team behind Pokémon just found the perfect way to make the form addictive.