The world is suddenly split along generational lines once again. Today’s controversy? Pokemon Go, the new game that has cars pulling over to the side of the road to restock Pokeballs and kids wandering the sidewalks with faces glued to their screens, searching for that elusive Charmander.
I went to the nearby park on Sunday evening with my kids to catch a few, and we noticed that the park was full of people, a few who were there for family or sporting events, but most who were just walking around with their cell phones out, catching ’em all, just like we were. Someone had set a few lures, so there were some rare types spawning in the area.
Aside from my own willingness to catch a few Pokemon, mostly to curry favor with my kids, I am a fan of the new game because it has done what nothing else has been able to do for years: get my kids outside. Prior to the game’s launch, the average wake up time for non-parents in our household was somewhere between 1pm and 3pm. The Monday after the game launched, my 18-year old got up at 5am to go hunting. That’s what old people who golf do here because it gets too hot this time of year for a 9am tee time. My son is the Pokequivalent of a retired golfer.
Before the game, my kids’ lazy days were filled with Netflix binges and watching YouTube clips endlessly. My daughter’s doctor said she had the lungs of a 90 year old woman.[1] Now, while it’s not quite as good as getting a job, they are getting out of bed earlier and walking long enough to hatch their eggs. And it’s gotten me out walking, too, which is difficult this time of year because I prefer to wait until the temperature dips below 100 degrees–usually around 9:30 or 10:00 at night. I’m spending time with my kids because they will come walk with me to the nearby Poke-stops, and we get to talk along the way. Catching Pokemon has replaced our other summertime pastime of catching scorpions.
Some folks have decried the presence of Pokemon in “sacred spaces” like temple grounds or churches. Others have seen this as an opportunity to increase interest in our places of worship, even among non-members. And of course, the excellent OP by Cynthia gives families a way to incorporate their kids’ commitment to Pokemon Go with FHE lessons, so the game can even have a religious component, as well as bringing families together.
One benefit is that thanks to the game, we’ve discovered statues and fountains and other features that none of us have ever noticed before, all near our home.
How about you?
- Are you playing the game? If you are playing, what level are you and what’s the rarest Pokemon you’ve caught? Are you frustrated by the game’s bugs?
- Do you love it, hate it or tolerate it from afar?
[poll id=”577″]
Discuss.
[1] She did say that, but she suspected the test was off.
Wheat & Tares 
I think that it’s really been tremendous to see what Pokemon Go has done in the week since it’s been out — I know definitely see a lot more people at the major locations in my city, and most of them are walking with the tell-tale cell phone in front of them. There also seems to be a sense of camaraderie; people will call out to notify that there’s a rare pokemon to be found at this stop or that. I can’t really think of anything that could inspire people to talk to complete strangers so frequently like this.
I am at level 16. I can’t really say I have too many rare pokemon, but I am proud of the 1085 combat point Venusaur I caught downtown.
I have a high-functioning autistic son and two girls who were all obsessed with Pokemon characters and backstories long before Pokemon Go came out. As a general rule they are not allowed to play on my phone or my husband’s phone. They don’t have phones of their own. All this to explain why I am putting off installing this app as long as humanly possible.
We deal with strangers walking by our house often since we live by a popular trailhead. Have to admit I’ve seen more people walking dogs and staring at phones who don’t match the stereotypical hiker or runner physique.
I guess you need to have one curmudgeon post. I like the sign.
I am not so much against the game as I just don’t see any fun in it, nor do I have time spare in my life.
I will concede that it is getting some couch potatoes up and about a bit and a few sentences exchanged between strangers, but I have doubts if it will lead to any lasting decrease in the ever expanding waistline of America nor progress any real issues such the deepening racial divide.
I look at it similar to gambling or slot machines. I get zero fulfillment from either. I am fine with others spending their LEISURE time/money on it, but not at the expense of time/money they need on living life.
Now if I can just find my walker, I could put in my dentures and go catch me some pokemon down in the lobby of the old folks home!
Andrew: I’m only Level 7, but last night, walking past the nearby park (and pausing momentarily to catch a Mankey that kept escaping), some guys down in the park yelled up to me “Team Yellow?” Yes, yes, I am.
It has gotten my nerds out of the house. Achievement unlocked!
You know how Pokemon Go got blamed for the two guys who fell off the bluffs in Cali? I know the first responder on that call, and he said those two guys were stoned out of their minds. They may have been playing Pokemon Go, but it was more likely a pot-head’s pathetic excuse to the cops.
I think Pokemon Go is part of Michelle Obama’s sinister plot to wipe out fat children. 🙂
EBK: If so, she’s a genius!
My issue is we’ve had people trying to catch them at the hospital I work at. Seriously people, a hospital is for those who are ill and their loved ones. Not a @#!#@ game.
(Management sent out an email stating they were asking to be removed from the game, and had also contacted the American Hospital Association about it).
Fascinating!
Thought you would be interested in a Chabad’s (a Jewish blog) version, too.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3384422/jewish/The-Kabbalah-of-Pokmon-GO.htm
One of the major Healthcare networks in my state have also requested all their facilities to be dropped from the game. It was causing major security concerns at the children’s hospital from what I heard.
Someone will trespass on private property and be shot or arrested or both.
Put me solidly in the curmudgeon camp. The masses will always take the path of least resistance. That there are ancillary benefits does not, generally, redeem an otherwise vacuous activity, a trend, etc. ie, video games increase hand-eye coordination, supporting Trump expresses my frustration/anger/fear–at what detriment?
I’m not playing it, my husband does a little. I think it’s an amusing phenomenon and we’ll see how long it lasts. My kids are little and we’re trying to decrease screen time so I’ve asked my husband not to introduce them to it. Admittedly I can get a little holier than thou when it comes to video games.
But then yesterday at my 5 year old daughter’s lemonade stand my husband put out a lure and a couple people ended up coming by and bought some lemonade while playing and we chatted a bit. I yearn for more sense of community in my neighborhood so this was a real positive.
There is definitely a sense of community emerging around the game, although the game-playing can be quite anti-social for non-players. We have been playing it in a nearby park while on a quick vacation (somebody set a triple lure and there are 5 poke-stops in proximity), and we’ve certainly met lots of people we wouldn’t otherwise have met, but our entire conversation is solely about Pokemon.
This past week a metro Denver municipality asked that its city office grounds be taken off the Pokemon map. Police headquarters are located there, and as many as 40 Pokemon players have been prowling the grounds at 2 and 3 o’clock in the morning. With so many law enforcement officers having been murdered recently, it’s understandable that policemen get a bit edgy when citizens roam near their offices in the middle of the night.