Nowadays it seems like you can't go anywhere without seeing people staring down at their phones. Typically they would be scrolling through social media or sending a text message, but now there seems to be a new reason and it's truly a blast from the past. Pokémon GO has seem to taken over everyone phone's since it's release in early July. People of all ages are playing since for a lot of us, we grew up playing on our Gameboys and Nintendo DS. With any app, there are the super fans and critics, but I truly think that although the game does need some improvements, it's release has been a blessing in disguise.
I download the game just a day after it was released just to see what all the hype was about and after I caught my first Pokémon, I was hooked. My boyfriend and I would go walking all around town trying to hatch our eggs and capture other Pokémon since you gotaa catch em all! Slowly we started to see more and more people play it and soon our little walk spot turned into hundreds of other people's too. You couldn't even walk five steps without seeing groups of other people playing and it was almost like a gaming community. You would make friends with people of the same team as you and then go to take over gyms from other team. Also you would no doubt know when a rare Pokémon would be nearby because there would be so much commotion and people yelling "There's a Dragonite over there!".
Not only have I experience the impact of Pokémon Go first hand, but I've also read about some of the positive feedback businesses are having. Some children hospitals are getting kids out of their beds and out socializing with other through the game and allowing them to have fun instead of focusing on all the troubles in their life. It's also helping people with depression, getting them out of the house and in the fresh air and sunshine. Some animal shelters are having "dog rentals" where for a small fee, you can rent a dog to take on a walk with you while to go hunting for Pokémon. They just ask for you to post a pic with them to help them find their forever home. In addition, some local restaurants and bars are offering different specials like if you capture a Pokémon at their establishment or are on a certain team, you get a discount on a meal.
Pokémon Go has brought a new face to gaming. Instead of just sitting at a computer or TV screen all day, this game makes you get up and go for a walk or run in the park since you have to be active in order to hatch eggs or discover new Pokémon. Even if this game is just going to be a craze trend for a month or two, the lasting affects it could be have are priceless.
