This is what it's like to go on a Pokémon Go bar crawl at Comic-Con

More than 50 would-be Pokémon trainers were packed into the lobby bar of San Diego's Omni Hotel. Clad in their respective team hats and anime-inspired outfits—think a yellow T-shirt and red suspenders, a blue jacket and red hat—they were about to set out with one goal in common: to catch 'em all and get a bit tipsy in the process.

On Friday night, Pokémon Go players embarked on a seven-stop bar crawl around San Diego. Armed with smartphone battery packs and enough cash to cover drinks for the night, the players set out among the Comic-Con crowds in search of Bulbasaurs and a beer buzz. It was a perfect fit for the up-all-night Gaslamp Quarter which thanks to cosplaying nightclubbers and brand takeovers is already a surreal sight during Comic-Con.

Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

Pokémon Go has seemingly taken over cities and app charts all over the world, so it's no surprise that the augmented reality game was all over Comic-Con. The app could be spotted sucking the battery life from smartphones both inside the convention center and out. And really, we can't blame anyone for playing—just look at all of the Poké Stops and lures scattered around San Diego.

For most, the night started at the Omni, just across the street from the San Diego Convention Center. It was attendees' Pallet Town, so to speak: a place to gear up for the adventure via $5 pints and stocking up on Poké Balls. People inside the upscale hotel's lobby playfully taunted each other over their team alignments—Pokémon Go allows players to choose between three different colored teams, with little explanation as to what each means. But of course, everyone there shared a common bond over all things Pokémon, which had the crowd breaking out into the TV show's theme song on multiple occasions—"I want to be, the very best..."

Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

Players didn't leave the Omni all at once, but rather in groups (often of the same in-game team). They all set off on foot, flicking Poké Balls on their way to six different bars, all within a few blocks of each other: Taste & Thirst, Tipsy Crow, Dublin Square, Whiskey Girl, Stout Public House and Atomic. Each came with the promise of drink deals like half-off cocktails and bountiful Pokémon.

Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

What initially started as a fan event snowballed into a major sponsored meet-up; gaming device company Razer and their Pokémon Go chat app, RazerGo, attached their name to the bar crawl. Participants received a pretty casual rule sheet: "Remember to be alert at all times. Stay aware of your surroundings. I get that this is hard to do as you get more intoxicated." And as for once inside the bar: "Go catch Pokémon in the bathroom. Just watch out for Muk!"