Growing up, my parents were strict in regards to the media I was allowed to encounter. "Scooby Doo" was forbidden until I reached the age of seven. My parents were even less tolerant of "Pokémon," and the violence and animal cruelty it promoted. Nevertheless, I have found myself captivated by the phenomenon that has been sweeping phones everywhere in the form of "Pokémon GO." Here are 11 real life lessons I've learned on my quest to catch 'em all.

1. Look both ways when walking on a dock (or a road, or through a large crowd of people).

The icon that opens with the app is easily one of the best parts of the game. Nevertheless, considering the number of people who have ended up in the hospital as a result of "Pokémon GO," and on phones in general, it is important to remember the warning.

2. Move it.

One of the best parts of the game is that it encourages you to get outside, walk around and explore your neighborhood. You never know when you might encounter a rare Pokémon or discover something cool in the real world.

3. If at first you don't succeed, try again.

It's hard to catch Pokémon. Lots of times you'll have to throw more than one PokéBall to catch the more illusive creatures. Perhaps even more often, you'll have to keep logging in when the servers go down. The important thing is to stay with it.

4. Be patient.

Yes, it's a new game and the servers go down A LOT. Stick with it and give the app developers time to work out all of the issues. You can be the very best as soon as they fix all of the bugs.

5. Stay young at heart.

There's no time like the present to feel like a kid again.

6. Timing is everything.

Much like in real life, your success in the game relies on how you use your time. You need to judge when to wait and when to toss that PokéBall.

7. Pay attention to your surroundings.

This is good advice both on the game and in reality, since people playing the game have stumbled upon a number of interesting things – most notably a dead body

Within the app, the bar on the right of the home screen tracks nearby Pokémon, alerting you of their distance by the number of footprints behind them. Keep an eye on the bar to track the Pokémon near you.

8. Save, save, save.

There's nothing like the frustration of running out of PokéBalls after an Eevee appears. Make sure you have plenty of PokéBalls saved up, just in case.

9. Always bring a phone charger.

"Pokémon GO" has a way of sucking all of your battery life. A lot of frustration can be avoided if you come prepared with a phone charger.

10. Know your limits.

When trying to catch a wild Pokémon, you know that you're in trouble the minute that yellow ring appears. Know your limits and acknowledge the you may not be able to catch a Pocket Monster with such a high C.P. until you have a little more experience with the game.

11. It's never too late to embrace a trend.

Confession time: I spent the past hour researching evolution patterns for the various Pokémon. As a child I remember feeling left out when my friends would talk about "Pokémon." Now that I'm a senior in college I can finally get into the world of "Pokémon" to see what all of the fuss has been about.