Meet the first Pokémon GO Champion hailing from Northern Ireland.
James Smyth from Lurgan took the top spot at the world's first Pokémon GO Championship in Liverpool in March and will be heading World Championship in London this summer.
Known as LurganRocket, the 30-year-old has been a massive fan of the video games series since he was in primary school.
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Speaking to Belfast Live, he said: "I have always been mad about Pokémon since the release of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue on the Game Boy back in 1999, the initial craze of the Pokémon Trading Card Game and the original series of the anime.
"I can still remember every kid in primary school bringing their stacks of Pokémon cards to school with them to try to organise trades at lunch.
"My primary interest in Pokémon, prior to Pokémon GO, has always been the main series games on Nintendo's handheld consoles and Nintendo Switch, but I do try to keep up with the anime and Trading Card Game."
James started playing Pokémon GO the day it was released in the UK back in July 2016.
"It was such a different way of interacting with Pokémon as compared to what I had grown up with - rather than sitting at home playing on a Game Boy or 3DS I had to get outside to catch Pokémon.
"I remember during that first summer, in the initial surge of popularity of Pokémon GO, doing laps of Lurgan Park, the town centre and walking down to Oxford Island at Lough Neagh just to see the differences in Pokémon I'd encounter.
"It was a great excuse to get out for some exercise, and very quickly went from something I'd play whilst I'm outside to the entire reason why I'd head outside," he explained.
The Pokémon Liverpool Regionals for Pokémon GO was the first-ever official tournament for Pokémon GO where sorted into two groups, with the top two players of each group advancing to play in the finals.
The game has each player pit three of their Pokémon against another player's team of three Pokémon - players were allowed to use whatever Pokémon they wished.
James continued: "In my group stage I was unfortunately matched against the player who, in my opinion, was the favourite to win the whole thing, in the winner's-side finals on Saturday. I lost 1-2 in great games, knocking me into the loser's bracket.
"My opponent is a good friend and I was incredibly chuffed for him, but the pressure was on for me.
"My goal was to make it to the grand finals, guaranteeing a top two finish, which would secure an invite to the World Championships for Pokémon GO."
James became the Champion in the Masters age division and his win saw him taking home a cash prize, Pokémon cards and his place in the World Championships.
James says that it is the social aspect of the game that keeps people coming back to play it and that he has made some incredible friends over the years through it.
"Without meaning to sound too cheesy the best spots to play Pokémon GO are wherever you can play with friends and your local community," he said.
"Having others around you who also enjoy the game, who you can have a laugh with and who you can make friends with is what really makes Pokémon GO as amazing as it is.
"I primarily play down at Titanic Quarter in Belfast, from the front of the SSE down to the Concourse buildings past HMS Caroline - within Belfast Ormeau Park is a great area to play, as well as the city centre itself, though of course you should always be aware of your surroundings when playing in the city centre."
After being such a fan of the game series since his childhood, to be named as the first-ever champion was something that was "surreal" for James.
He said: "Even when the announcer for the event called out my name as the Pokémon GO champion as we were taking photos with our medals it still didn't feel real.
"Of course I'm absolutely chuffed with myself that I was able to take home the gold, especially as I used some very underrated Pokémon in my team.
"I can't wait for the World Championships this summer. Ahead of the World Championships I'm planning on helping a few friends around the world practice and build teams for their own Play! Pokémon events."
James added: "For anyone that played Pokémon GO when the game first launched, but hasn't picked up the game for a few years now, I highly encourage giving the game a go again. The game offers a helping hand to those players to help them catch up.
"There's never been a better time to get back into it."
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