Kaytlin McAfee, 15, right, plays "Pokemon Go" with her cousin Brandon Young, left, and their friend Leann Saylor at Dalton Green on Thursday.

DALTON, Ga. — Nineteen-year-old Benjamin Minor admits he’s never been that active in the Dalton community.

That was until the July 6 release of “Pokemon Go,” a location-based augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic as part of the Pokemon franchise.

“I never thought this was the friendliest town, but now I go out and everyone is talking to each other because we share this interest,” said Minor. He said people that don’t know each other at all are now part of a little Pokemon community.

“It’s an air of adventure, and the game is an air of adventure, too,” he said.

Minor is part of one of many groups that have been gathering at Civitan Park in Dalton and elsewhere to look for Pokemon, which are characters from the game.

Harley Dukes, 23, also frequents the park. Dukes and his friends spend several hours walking around what are called PokeStops to try and capture Pokemon characters by using the cameras on their phones. Dalton has many such places, according to Dukes. The top three are Civitan Park, Dalton State College and downtown Dalton.

“There are things called lures, you put them on at PokeStops and that attracts Pokemon,” he said. “That’s why every day at the park there are so many people here, it’s just one of the more popular areas in Dalton.”

He said the excitement of “Pokemon Go” takes him back to his childhood days.

“You’re getting to actually be the Pokemon trainer, you’re going out to the virtual world that’s intertwined with our physical world and you get to catch Pokemon,” he said. “You get to live your childhood dream.”

Harley Jones, 21, said she likes filling up her Pokedex — a digital encyclopedia — with Pokemon characters.

“That’s the whole goal of the game, to fill up the Pokedex with all 150 Pokemon,” she said.

So far she has 49 and Dukes has 81.

“When you fill it up, more will be released (by Niantic). That’s the challenge to ‘Pokemon Go,” she said.

“There are legendary Pokemon in that 150 so it’s going to be pretty much impossible to catch them all for a while,” Dukes said.

Mason Hester, 22, said his goal is to catch them all. He’s caught 58 so far.

“I’ve been a Pokemon fan since 1998 when the original release of red, blue and yellow (Pokemon) came out and I have not stopped playing since,” he said.

Hester likes walking around battling for places to catch Pokemon.

“The concept is find a Pokemon in the area, click on it and swipe a PokeBall to catch it,” he said.

Caitlin Westerfield, 22, of Rocky Face, said the game is taking off “all over the world.”

“We’re the generation of kids who didn’t go outside until ‘Pokemon Go,’” she said.

Westerfield said she spent six hours earlier this week at Coolidge Park in Chattanooga catching Pokemon.

“My generation was a closed one, we stayed inside a lot. To see this is great, it’s making a difference,” she said.

Jonathan Moorer, 25, of Dalton, said he likes the camaraderie that “Pokemon Go” brings.

“I see a lot of people I haven’t seen in years and I’ve met a lot I didn’t know,” he said.

Moorer said the game is “cool” and participants get a lot of exercise.

“It’s getting people out walking around, that wouldn’t usually happen. It’s just really cool and exciting to find a new Pokemon,” he said.

Haley Smith, 21, of Tunnel Hill, said everyone looks out for each other.

“It doesn’t matter that we are on different teams,” she said. There are three teams: Mystic, Valor and Instinct.

“When you reach a certain level you choose a team and then it’s a friendly competition,” Minor said. “The teams battle to control a ‘gym’ and it’s just like a friendly competition of who can control it.”

Dukes currently “controls” the park.

“You get certain benefits from it like free gyms, coins, and it allows you to buy things virtually,” he said. “You can put real money into the games but why would you do that when you can take over the gyms and collect free coins?”

Bruce Frazier, a public relations specialist for the Dalton Police Department, said department personnel have noticed the increase in traffic of people hunting Pokemon.

“We haven’t had any accidents or mishaps with people hunting Pokemon in Dalton, but we’ve heard about it happening in other places,” he said.

He advises players to use “common sense” and to not search while driving.

“Playing any game with your cellphone while driving is against Georgia law and it’s dangerous,” he said.

Frazier advises parents to escort their young children.

“Don’t wander into the streets, and make sure you’re not so engrossed in your phone that you’re not aware of your surroundings. It’s a good idea to go with groups if you’re going exploring looking for Pokemon,” he said.

Tammy Austin, 42, of Dalton, says she enjoys searching for Pokemon with her son Jase, 17.

“He’s been a fan since he was 5,” she said, adding they have already ordered and paid for a Pokemon game that doesn’t release until November.

“Pokemon is a good way to get out of the house. I see a lot of kids and adults doing it,” she said.

Ciera Christian, 25, of Chatsworth, said she likes “Pokemon Go” because it does get her out of the house.

“Some people don’t even realize they are getting exercise,” she said.

Her favorite places to go are the Murray County Courthouse and recreation center.

“So far I’ve only caught 20,” she said.

Morgan Beavers, 16, has caught 18, mainly around her Chatsworth home or around town.

“It’s a lot of fun, and it uses your actual surroundings when catching a Pokemon,” she said.