Within days of its release, Pokémon Go was already a cultural phenomenon. And I’m pretty psyched about that, because I often talk about Pokémon the way some men talk about sports.
Because, like a lot of my peers, I loved Pokémon when I was a kid. But I sport a flip phone rather than a smart phone, which means I’ve been watching the action unfold instead of participating.
And boy has there been action to watch.
Weeks after its release and the real world effects are undeniable — bodies found, parks repopulated, millions of downloads.
Pokémon Go is huge, but what does that mean?
Walking down the street, the benefits seemed immediately obvious to me. I’m seeing people going for walks, engaging with strangers, and filling outdoor public spaces.
It’s rekindling the sense of adventure that drew and still draws so many children to the franchise. It’s about exploration and wonder. It’s about the excitement that comes with finding something new, whether it’s an undiscovered patch of tall grass, or a new kind of creature.
How could something like that be anything but joyful?
But some of the real world effects of the game are actually terrible. Folks’ eyes are still fixed on their phones, instead of the world around them. In the first week the game caused soaring data usage, car accidents and muggings.
I saw a guy who was playing run right into a sign on Tuesday. Is that really what we want?
But some of the real world effects of the game are actually terrible ... I saw a guy who was playing run right into a sign on Tuesday.
I think it’s also true that with the serious problems facing this country it can be hard to justify wasting time on a silly little app about imaginary monsters.
But we need silly things like this to get through hard times.
Pokémon Go rewards exploration, and taking a more active part in your community. In a world that keeps getting more isolated, our smartphones have offered a tool to find common ground and just sort of pal around safely with strangers because that’s what it is. It’s a tool. A tool that can either bring us together or separate us.
If we let it be a distraction and a burden, that’s on us. And if we let it lighten up our days, that’s on us too.
Eric Dreiblattis a stand-up comedian.
