At this point everyone has heard about the new mobile game, Pokemon Go, but have you ever stopped to think about all of the benefits the game will have on the world? Many people have immediately dismissed and chastised the game for being 'pointless' and 'stupid' on account that the players have to go outside and travel in order to catch virtual Pokemon that aren't existent in the real world. Today we are going to throw up some comparisons as well as some statistics and truly see whether the game is a blessing or a curse upon the general community.

For starters, let's compare Pokemon Go to another mobile game that was at it's peak recently, Candy Crush Saga. As of November 2013, Candy Crush was downloaded 500 Million Times across Facebook and iOS platforms, making it the most downloaded title of 2013, and these stats were recorded almost 3 years ago, this number has to have at least multiplied by 1.5. Taking into account the uninstalls and abandoned Facebook accounts, we'll say that there are at the very least, 10 Million active users of Candy Crush (which is a lowball, but I'd rather underestimate than overestimate). Thanks to these 10 Million active users sitting around crushing candy, this game saw unparalleled success and was praised for it's engagement and entertainment value. These praises were given to a game that literally had the player swipe their finger across the screen and sit on the couch, which is not very engaging in my opinion.

Switching gears to Pokemon Go, the player must go out and be active to catch Pokemon as well as hatch their Pokemon eggs. However somehow, this is viewed as a pointless endeavor and that Candy Crush is so much better for people to play. Crushing candy with your finger isn't a waste of time, but going out and exploring the world in pursuit of something that you have wanted to do as a kid is definitely a waste of time. As of right now, Pokemon Go has around 7.5 Million downloads to it's name, which is almost the entire population of the state of Virginia. Can you imagine, an entire state's population going out and being active because they want to go out and be active? For any reason, this amount of people getting off of the couch and getting in shape should be a great thing right? It would be, however, there is a massive amount of negative publicity surrounding the game already such as people falling off of cliffs, causing car accidents, and getting robbed while playing the game. It is because of these incidents that some people are calling for the recall of the game calling it a "danger to public safety".

For everyone 5 people that play Pokemon Go safely and remain vigilant of their surroundings, there will be 1 person who puts themselves and others in danger, just like anything. Driving, for example, is something that some people do dangerously too. On average 3,278 people die per day from car accidents, so should we attempt to recall cars because they are a "threat to public safety?"

The game even provides a disclaimer on the beginning loading screen for players to be aware of their surroundings and look up from the game every once in a while to make sure everything around them is alright. Players who have done this safely have even found domestic violence cases in progress, deceased bodies, and other people whom they have never met in the common goal of catching their favorite fictional creatures. Some people have already found their soulmates playing the game, and to me that is a very magical thing. So the critics of Pokemon Go can play their Candy Crush all day and have their sense of satisfaction, but I am going to take my body (which is getting thinner and more in shape because of the game), meet some of my new friends , and go play some Pokemon Go.