It's definitely safe to say that many people (mostly on the younger side) have spent much of the Summer of 2016 playing the ever so popular mobile gaming app, "Pokemon Go." Throughout almost the entire month of July, I have just assumed that people looking at their phones while walking outside are playing the game that has been a huge success, and I have often been right.

I, on the other hand, have never played "Pokemon Go," nor do I plan to.

Don't get me wrong, I think "Pokemon Go" is a wonderful idea. But I have opted to stay away from the game due to the safety concerns. While "Pokemon Go" has been really beneficial, it has also triggered some causes for injuries across the globe. While playing the game, a player could be so delved into their mobile device that they will stop paying attention to their surroundings and then they will walk into something or someone or even get hit by a car. Some people will even be searching for Pokemon while driving, and we all know how this can go. I am simply too afraid that I will become too obsessed with the game that I may hurt myself.

However, the release of "Pokemon Go" motivated me to do something I never thought I would do.

10 years ago, I loved the "Pokemon" video games -- I could never put down "Pokemon Ruby Version" for the Game Boy Advance. I will admit, though, that I was not very good at it. I was one of those kids that would only use their starter Pokemon throughout the entire game; I would catch Pokemon, but I would not bother to raise them as I relied too much on my Mudkip, Torchic, or Treeko (I played the game with each starter at least once). As a result, it would take forever to beat the Elite Four and the Champion in order to beat the game. As time passed, I would get better and better at the game, and I would eventually pick up "Pokemon Diamond Version" and "Pokemon Platinum Version" (both for Nintendo DS) over the next few years.

I eventually stopped playing the games. Honestly, I think it was simply because I was getting older. As a tween and early teenager, I was guilty of believing that "Pokemon" was only for younger audiences, and I thought I would be stereotyped if I was still bringing my Nintendo DS on the go to play the games. The next generation of "Pokemon" games came out for the new Nintendo 3DS in 2013 and 2014, which included "Pokemon Omega Ruby" and "Pokemon Alpha Sapphire," the remakes of the games that I first played as a young boy. At that point, I knew I could care less.

Fast forward to July 2016, when "Pokemon Go" became trendy. While I watched a lot of my friends enjoying the game, I stopped and thought. So many people were playing this mobile app -- even people that I never thought would ever be into "Pokemon." I began to realize how much I missed playing the handheld video games with joy. I missed catching Pokemon and adding to my ever so expandable collection. I missed battling the Gym Leaders with the strength of my Pokemon team. I missed battling the Elite Four and the Champion over and over again for the fun of it.

A few days after almost everyone I know started their quest to "catch 'em all," I had some extra money and decided to go to Gamestop to buy a Nintendo 3DS and "Pokemon Alpha Sapphire" for the system.

I do not regret this decision. It might just be my best decision of the Summer. I love "Pokemon Alpha Sapphire." When I picked it up, I played it for a solid four hours straight; I could not put it down, and quite frankly, I can never put it down when I'm playing. I find that it is so nostalgic, with it being a completely revamped and improved version of the video game I once had a love for as a boy. Plus, now that I am almost 20 years old, I am a bit more strategic, and so I am now better at training and battling with Pokemon than I was when I was younger. These things have helped to make my "Pokemon" playing experience fun again, even at my age.

"Pokemon Go" has served the purpose of giving people another reason to go outside, explore the world, and be more active. But for me, the mobile app of wonders has served the purpose of motivating me to get back into playing the handheld video games. Over the course of about a week and a half, I have logged in about 15 hours of playing time, earned three gym badges, and caught about 30 Pokemon. I've got a long way to go, so don't expect me to stop any time soon. I am now tempted to buy "Pokemon X" or "Pokemon Y," and even "Pokemon Sun" and "Pokemon Moon" when those games come out in November.

Thank you, "Pokemon Go."