So, I'm going to start off by admitting something. I was never a "Pokemon kid." I never played the video games. I never had the cards. I never watched the show. I, of course, as it was one of the biggest trends of my childhood, had many friends who did one, if not all three, of those things. But worse than not being a "Pokemon kid, " I was a jerk about not being a "Pokemon kid." I thought Pokemon were stupid, and I was vocal about it. Of course, I formed this opinion without giving it a chance at all. At least I can say I'm glad I've done my best to grow out of that.
So, if I have ever told you Pokemon were stupid, I apologize, because recently, I have found out that I was very wrong. You win, and I concede.
By now, we probably all know about the craze that is taking over towns and smartphones everywhere: Pokemon GO. "Now’s your chance to discover and capture the Pokémon all around you," according to the Niantic's description of the app, "so get your shoes on, step outside, and explore the world. You’ll join one of three teams and battle for the prestige and ownership of Gyms with your Pokémon at your side. Pokémon are out there, and you need to find them. As you walk around a neighborhood, your smartphone will vibrate when there’s a Pokémon nearby. Take aim and throw a Poké Ball… You’ll have to stay alert, or it might get away!"
This interactive, GPS-powered game is easily the most fun thing I have played during my time with a smartphone (that's about six or so years)! But it wasn't easy to get me started. Naturally, I dismissed it at first, under all of my old assumptions. After seeing everyone around me -- classmates, coworkers, my fiance -- downloading the app and running around chasing these little creatures, I gave in, and I haven't looked back.
Friday morning, I chose a Bulbasuar as my starter Pokemon. Then, I found a Pokemon outside of my shower. Then, I played on my entire walk to work. I never thought I would be so hooked, but I definitely had an advantage being on my college campus. I sat in work and began the vigorous research to learn everything I can about Pokemon; this is a venture which has now almost fully consumed my thoughts.
I played on my way to class and resisted the urge to play during class. Then, when leaving class, I pulled out my phone, only to be disappointed to see the now-infamous failed server page. I was losing precious catchin' time on my way back to the office.
I sat at work that afternoon with coworkers, each of us desperately trying to revive the server.
The real fun started, though, when my fiance, David, and I went on a trek across town to catch 'em all. He's been trying our whole relationship to get me to give Pokemon a chance, and until last week, my stubbornness remained strict. His excitement at me playing was incomparable.
We returned to campus, phones (poke balls?) in hand, and ran from PokeStop to PokeStop, laughing all the way. We shared insight with the many fellow trainers we passed along the way, and I realized that I had not seen our little campus so enlivened since before finals in May.
We haven't been very many places yet, so we haven't found many diverse populations of Pokemon in our small town. We've even joked about taking a Pokemon-catching road trip, and I'm not sure we weren't both hoping the other would start packing the car. I don't know how much longer I can keep catching Pidgeys, Weedles and Rattatas.
Like anyone who has never played Pokemon, the only thing I know is that this Ash guy exists, and his best friend and favorite Pokemon is Pikachu, and Pikachu is a big deal. Naturally, the highlight of my day was finding and catching this little guy (CP 106): 
I felt like a real winner at that point, and he was tough.
David and I spent a good hour on campus exploring, and my FitBit was going crazy, so I have yet to find a reason to feel guilty about playing this game. We haven't spent that much time walking around outside all summer (fireworks-related holidays aside).
When we hit level 5, we each joined red team Valor, and we have been trying to locate Gyms around town. Now, my goal is to learn all about this battling stuff and become a Pokemon Trainer Overlord. Because that's a thing, right?
While I still don't understand anything much outside of fire, grass, and water-types, I love how much this game encourages activity, and it has been a new, fun experience every real place we have gone. I have even seen friends on social media playing all over the world (Spain, Greece, China)! Of course, there are a few glitches to be worked out with such a new and high-traffic game, but so far, I'm having a blast, getting out around town, and interested in learning more about the Pokemon series. You could even say I've become a little obsessed.
So, good luck to everyone out there trying to catch 'em all, and great job to the creators of Pokemon and Pokemon GO. This one is a game-changer, and it's got me hooked and asking for more.
