This new phenomenon of playing Pokémon GO has taken over America. Just over a week ago this app was released and has become one of the top apps beating out plenty of other big players such as Tinder, Instagram, and many more. I personally have downloaded this game too, and I can say it’s addicting. There are many pros and cons to it though that might not have been a concern until seeing the game in action. But even if there are a few issues with this game, I am sure we’ll all continue to play it and enjoy being real Pokémon trainers

Pros

It's always good to start with the positive, so here are the main good points about Pokémon GO.

1. We are all getting the exercise we need.

This is the biggest factor that a lot of participants are a fan of. Everyone nowadays has a phone or Fitbit that tracks your steps and it is truly a sad day when you don’t meet your goal. But now we have the motivation needed to get people up and moving more. It is disappointing that we didn’t walk as much when it was just our health and well-being at stake, but now when there is a Snorlax nearby people who haven’t jogged in years will sprint to catch it. I guess whatever works to get people up and moving is good though.

2. As a community, people are connecting more.

If you go to a park or mall or anywhere where there are Pokémon you’ll see people bonding over it. I know kids who are actually meeting up with excitement rather than just sitting around complaining they are bored. I’ve seen total strangers sit down next to each other and swap stories about finding Pokémon and both leave with smiles on their faces. With everything that is happening in the world today it is nice to have a connection with someone in your community over something positive.

3. This is truly the most important and pretty self-explanatory, but we get to go and catch Pokémon in real life!

Every kid who watched Pokémon growing up always dreamt of doing this and now we actually get to!

Cons

It does suck that such a perfect thing has to have flaws, but that's life I guess. So here are the few problems with the new Pokémon GO.

1. This is what probably drives people insane the most: all the glitches and crashing.

Electronics are sometimes known to fail us but not as much as this app does. It seems it’s always right when you’re about to catch something new it freezes and then has some problem. This game turned out to be pretty popular which I don’t think the app makers were prepared for, but hopefully this can be fixed in the upcoming updates.

2. Now in all reality this is the biggest problem and not even just limited to game players: safety.

People have fallen into sewers, got hit by cars, and plenty of other injuries even for the innocent bystander. When people are on the go looking at their phone they aren’t paying attention to their surroundings and hurting others both on and off the game. And attempting to play while driving is just ridiculous and asking for trouble, not to mention that's illegal in most states now. Plus the app even says to be alert and aware yet people still aren’t. It’s a pretty dangerous world we live in, and is breaking a bone or worse really worth a Pokémon? Just think about that next time you're playing.

This app is designed for everyone to have fun on and that’s definitely what I intend to do. So for everyone else out there I hope you enjoy it as well, and please stay safe! Now go and catch ‘em all!