I do not play Pokémon Go, nor do I plan on playing it, because I do not have much of an interest in Pokémon. However, I am definitely not oblivious to all of the hype it has been receiving recently. From warnings about people who play while driving, to stories about people getting more exercise than usual due to the popular game, it has become one of the most talked about topics this summer. Many people make jokes about how dedicated people are to staring at their screens and finding imaginary creatures, but I have noticed that it is actually not as much of a joke as it may seem.

A few nights ago, I was out to dinner with my family when we were walking through town and noticed a huge line outside of the ice cream store. When we went up and asked if they were all there waiting, one guy explained to us that they were all there because they were playing Pokémon Go and were collecting free things in the game. When we all got curious and began to ask more questions, he told us that he had walked over 20 miles in over the course of his time playing Pokémon Go. While he told us about it, other players began chiming in with personal anecdotes and jokes about the game. Some of the players were even teasing each other about who would get to certain creatures first, and jokingly competing with one another.

For someone who had been making jokes about Pokémon Go since it started, I was surprised to see complete strangers joking around like friends based on solely the common thread of the fact that they were all Pokémon Go players. There were actually conversations that started up simply because of the game, and people that got to know one another, even for just a short period of time, just because of the game. People were having fun with each other over what had seemed like just a video game.

Even though Pokémon is not really my thing, I am now interested in one day following players around to see more about how they interact with each other during the game. It is really interesting to me how something that seems completely odd and funny can actually be used to break the ice and help people connect with one another.