3 reasons why Pokémon Go is AWESOME

Pokemon Go has finally come to Canada! After a week and a half of it being the biggest craze to hit the USA in 2016, Canadians finally have a turn. This video shows how much of a hit it has been in NYC (from my favorite vlogger).

What is it?

Pokemon Go is an alternate-reality (AR) game where you walk around a cartoon-version of your GPS map looking for Pokemon (the map matches the street you are on!). When a Pokemon appears, your phone’s camera turns on, and the Pokemon shows up in your real-life surroundings. You throw a poke ball at it on the screen, (hopefully) catch it, and you win! You caught the Pokemon! The more Pokemon you catch, the higher your score/level. I am only a level 3, but once you get to level 5 you get to play at gyms (public places where people congregate to practice) and you get to pick what team you want to be on (each team has different strengths and weaknesses). There are also poke stops where people gather to buy items (and maybe trade? or find more pokemon? I am not sure… I have not researched this, this is my own experience so far).

Why is it awesome?

I saw some comments on Facebook saying that Pokemon Go is a horrible thing — kids are already addicted to their phones and now they will be even more. Well, I have news for you: technology isn’t going anywhere. Whatever the game, kids are on their phones for entertainment. I think there are lots of reasons why Pokemon Go is actually far superior than the other tech things that take our time and attention:

1) It gets people OUTSIDE
The last several years I’ve been hard-pressed to see kids playing outdoors. They were too busy in their basements playing X-Box or Minecraft. But yesterday Jordan and I went for a walk (to catch Pokemon, obviously) and we saw dozens of kids outside, on bikes, in the sun and fresh air!!! It’s like it’s 1995 again, except there are phones. But whatever. Phones outside > video games inside. I myself have been struggling with motivation to go for regular walks outside. But now I want to go for a walk almost every day so I can get some more Pokemon :) I heard of a Youtuber who walked 100km in NYC in a single day searching for Pokemon! Now if only the app had a fitness-tracker built in…

2) It builds COMMUNITY
I talked to at least 6 people on our walk last night. That never happens. A few kids asked us what team we are on (answer: none because we’re too new yet. sad face). Several people asked if we were playing Pokemon. The poke stops and gyms we passed had a dozen or more people at each one, chatting, hanging out, getting to know one another. I bet they would not be meeting those people if it wasn’t for Pokemon Go. I am all for neighbours hanging out and having fun!

3) It is harmless FUN
There are so many horribly violent video games out there. Kids have so much to deal with these days with bullying and peer pressure etc. And don’t even get me started on the massive number of depressing and frightening news events we’ve seen over the past few weeks. Throwing digital balls at digital animals to catch them, while walking outdoors and meeting new people, is the best thing for a child’s mental health in this day and age. It is not violent, political, or racist. It’s just fun!

If I were a parent, I’d get my kid on that Pokemon Go train. It will probably result in a healthier, more social, happy child. Or better yet, download it yourself and play with them :) What a gift to the summer of 2016!