Pokémon GO Pros and Cons

I shall start with the Cons; however, I will not list a single one. Why? Because haven't you heard enough of them? It seems like every time I turn on the TV or get on the internet, there is some kind of negative comment or report about this little app. I will not add anything to the already exhaustive list.

Now to the best part: Pros! I seriously love this app, and it may surprise you as to why I do. Surprise? Yes! I know nothing about Pokemon. I don't know the characters' names. I have no clue what the object of the game is. I don't know what gyms are nor what I'm supposed to do when I come to one. What the heck is a Poke Stop and how does it work? How do you throw the balls? I'm literally clueless.

So why like it? I love that I see this app bringing a multitude of generations together. The boys and I have been helped and/or helped people from 90 to 5 years old. I see families standing close and talking to each other. I sometimes pretend I don't know what's going on so that I can see the the heads of the people I love most come into a tight circle, hovering over a phone, and teaching me how to play! I love that! I love when people stop the hectic, the serious, the mundane and learn how to play again. I love when we are out somewhere and we get to have conversations with people we would've never had a chance to talk to. I love seeing old and young, poor and rich, goth and prep, jock and nerd crossing their barriers to have a conversation with one another. Who would've thunk it! It is a beautiful thing to see people of all races, classes, and ages shedding the confines of their social expectations and engaging with one another. Pokemon Go has created this phenomenon. It has created a space where class, race, sex, and age does not matter. It has closed a gap in our communities and cities.

So there you have it! I play because I love the conversations it has created. I love the places we have gone in our city that we have never been to before. I love the new friends we have made. I mostly love that I get to fully engage with my kids, completely unplugged from adulting, and play with my kids again. I missed getting to play with them, I missed the innocence of it, I missed it being a joy to take them places. Lol! Can you tell I have teens in my home!?! Thanks Pokemon Go for teaching me how to play with my kids again and for creating a place where we can connect with the people in our communities. Well done!