It’s Friday, July 15, as I sit in the living room of the house my family rented for the week. We are on vacation in a beautiful beach community, and the only time we have stepped outside is to catch Pokémon, walk to the Pokémon gym and explore the area to find more Pokéstops. In fact, as I sit here writing this article, I’ve had to stop several times as my cousins shout out the various Pokémon that appear in our house (“SQUIRTLE” as one appeared in our kitchen; “VULPIX” as it appears in our dining room).

The app was released on July 6, and it immediately took the world by storm. But what would compel me — a non-Pokémon player — to download the app? I’m not sure, considering the only Pokémon I knew before playing this game was Pikachu. I guess I wanted to see what the hype was about after stories circulated the internet like this one of a man from New Zealand who quit his job to pursue Pokémon hunting full time. Or this family who accidentally had their house turned into a Pokémon gym.

So after hearing my younger brother talk about the app nonstop for the first half of our trip, I figured it was time to give it a go. And then my older brother downloaded it. And then all nine of my cousins downloaded it. It has destroyed us and this vacation. Now, instead of going to the beach or swimming in the pool or exploring the island, we stay at home looking for Pokémon. I haven’t slept in four days. I’ll only eat at restaurants with nearby Pokéstops so I can eat and play at the same time. My mom has downloaded it and goes Pokémon hunting with my brother.

This game destroys lives. And it’s slowly destroying mine.