Pokémon GO. It is the newest craze. Everyone is doing it, old and young alike. Well, maybe not everyone. It seems that I am one of those very few people not playing this revival of a late 1990s/early 2000s game. No, it is not because I hate Pokémon or anything like that. It is much simpler. There are three main reasons why I do not play this popular game.
Number one: I simply do not have the time. I work over 40 hours a week, take turns cooking dinner during the week, plus I help out with other household chores. Number two: it was not a part of my childhood. Yes, I am a millennial. I was born the year Pokémon was released. But, that does not mean that I grew up with it. A lot of other kids my age were playing the card game when I was little, but I was never interested in it. It just was not a game for me. So, in saying that, I truly do not understand how it even works. And since I do not understand it, and have no nostalgic connection with it to my childhood, I see no reason to play it. Number three: I spend too much time on my phone as it is. I am going to be honest, I am one of the “youngsters” who is constantly on my phone (and my mom can attest to that). I do not need another excuse to have my eyes glued to the screen. Plus, I do not have room on my phone anyway. It is full of pictures and books—because I am one of those nerds who reads.
Just because I am not catching and training (are these the right terms?) Pokémon, does not mean that I think I am better than those who are, or that I despise the game. In fact, I love that it has brought good with it.
In our modern world, we are constantly hearing stories of all the hateful things being done. Pokémon GO has brought people together. Strangers are helping strangers. I heard that an autistic kid who is not comfortable socializing is out and playing with complete strangers. Older generations are connecting with younger ones. There are stories of the millennials who grew up with Pokémon giving tips to the older and younger generations that are just now getting into it. All because of a game. I love it. It also is getting people up and moving! How often do we see everywhere crowded with people walking miles a day, just for fun? We don’t. Hospitals and nursing homes are also using the game to get patients who may be sick or have not gotten out of bed in a long time, to exercise. And because of one app, one game given new life, it is given new life to what it means to be active.
It is not just the welfare of humans either. Dogs are benefitting as well. How? Shelters all across the nation are renting out the dogs they have up for adoption. People can take these dogs for walks as they go hunting for Pokémon. This is getting the dogs out to exercise and socialize, and it is an advertisement for themselves. People see these dogs and fall in love with them, then they go to the shelter and now those dogs could have a potential fur-ever home.
There is one downside to this game though, and it is the same thing that makes it so accessible—it is on our phones. When people are staring down at their mobile devices, they are not always paying attention to their surroundings. There have already been reports of people being involved in accidents where they crossed the street without looking and being struck by an oncoming vehicle. And speaking of vehicles, do not play Pokémon GO and drive! You would never play Candy Crush and drive, so do not make an exception for this game. It is dangerous for you and everyone else.
This game does a lot of good, but at the same time (as with anything), people need to use common sense. So for those of you who are like me and are not following this newest craze, do you. And those of you playing Pokémon GO, do you. No one should hate on you just because you are or are not participating in this game.
