<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's been nearly a decade since Pokémon GO burst onto our phones and some Australians are just as obsessed with the game today as they were 10 years ago.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ryan O'Hara, 31, from Wollongong is one of them.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He's been an avid player from day one and has spent thousands on Pokémon GO, and he wouldn't change a thing.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/vb-turns-to-new-mid-strength-beer-as-australia-alcohol-habits-change/116eb7c4-71b7-4762-a861-58a263c80396" target="_blank"><strong><span>VB pins hopes on mid-strength as Aussies drop classic beers</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It is not an exaggeration to say that Pokémon GO changed the course of my life," he told nine.com.au.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Released on July 6, 2016, the augmented reality mobile game allowed players to catch Pokémon on their phones while exploring the real world.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It caused chaos at first.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/pokemon-go-10-year-anniversary-australians-still-playing/22b3ef54-152c-4157-809c-a4ba66099e6b" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>Have you got a story? Contact</span></strong></em><span> </span><strong><em><span>reporter Maddison Leach at</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="mailto:mleach@nine.com.au" target="_blank" title="mleach@nine.com.au"><strong><em><span>mleach@nine.com.au</span></em></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australians flooded the streets, converging on parks and playgrounds where Pokéstops (location-based landmarks that give players items and experience) could be found.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hordes of players could be found standing in the dark well into the night, heads bent over bright screens as they battled and caught Pokémon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>O'Hara has fond memories of those early days.</span></div></div><div class="player__video-container"><img alt="" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/TscWneYFS1bMg0VpEooZfpQ9Lq0=/750x0/https%3A%2F%2Fvms-network-images-prod.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com%2F2016%2F07%2F19830%2F160714_TCN_POKEMON.jpg"/></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I remember having a police car U-turn to come back past a group of us standing at a raid together," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We thought we were getting in trouble until they asked us if we were doing a raid and if they could join."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>During a raid players team up to battle and catch strong Pokémon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sussan-ley-resigns-former-liberal-leader-leaves-parliament-federal-politics-news-australia/941c1ee1-4f61-4c4b-9827-62746f0dd213" target="_blank"><strong><span>Sussan Ley formally resigns from politics after 25 years</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After the initial craze died down many Australians lost interest; not O'Hara.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the last 10 years he's walked more than 23,500km while playing – equivalent to walking from Sydney to Perth and back three times – and caught nearly 200,000 Pokémon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He's attended countless in-person meetups, become an admin for the Illawarra region, and travelled interstate for competitive Pokémon GO tournaments.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He even met his wife of three years through the game.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The sense of community and connection is what has kept O'Hara playing all these years.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I've gone from a 22-year-old single male when the game was released to a now 31-year-old father and husband," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"And I've played the game in between all the life changes and challenges."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>O'Hara said the game has also made plenty of improvements over the years, adding new features and hosting more special events.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But the in-game microtransactions can be a drawback.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/cost-of-living-blocking-kids-from-sport-parramatta-eels-program-helping-with-footy-boots/93ec8e9c-8301-4cb0-b07f-91b64bf56bbd" target="_blank"><strong><span>Gift helping kids stay on the field as cost of living cruels junior sport</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I have gone through periods where I was spending money weekly on the in game features," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"But I do have long gaps where I will spend little to no money in the game."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At the peak of his playing, O'Hara estimates he was spending a few hundred dollars a month on Pokémon GO.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But he was also earning money as a Pokémon GO streamer and through competitive tournaments, which offset the cost a bit.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's not the worst way to spend his money either.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I went from spending my disposable income going to the pub, to spending significantly less on Pokémon GO and getting outside and more active," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While some players like O'Hara have been consistently catching Pokémon for the last decade, others rediscovered their love for the game more recently.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There was a spike in active players during the COVID-19 lockdowns.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/hillary-clinton-deposition-jeffrey-epstein-investigation/82edb9b0-fa41-4f7c-8073-7aa5e8a43f44" target="_blank"><strong><span>Former US president Bill Clinton had no knowledge of Epstein crimes, says Hillary Clinton</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mitch, 29, from Sydney got back into Pokémon GO a few years later.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Like many Aussies he started playing in 2016 and even used to sneak his phone into his work uniform to track his in-game steps during a shift.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He lost interest when the initial craze died down but got back into the game in 2022 as way to pass the time while walking his dogs.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Since then, he's become a Pokémon GO fiend.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mitch has caught more than 6500 Pokémon, walked nearly 250km while playing (almost the distance from Sydney to Canberra) and has convinced several friends to play as well.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They have all become obsessed," Mitch told nine.com.au.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Now I spend a lot of time strategically planning out raid days, showing them which Pokémon are worth keeping and how to quick catch."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This Wednesday Mitch worked from home just so he could take part in virtual Pokémon raids during his lunch break.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was joined by friends who also worked from home or rostered off for the occasion.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mitch doesn't tell many strangers about his passion for Pokémon GO but said the game is a great alternative to spending hours on social media.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's helped me stay in touch with friends who have moved overseas and makes downtime more exciting than just endlessly scrolling."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" 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