I was a little too young to appreciate Pokemon Yellow, Blue, and Red for the Gameboy when they came out. But once the Gold Version hit the shelves, I was all about Pokemon. I lived my life with my face buried in my Gameboy until I beat that game; three times. I remember being desperate to catch a Pikachu, but those little monsters were about as common as a Legendary Pokemon. I stooped so low, people. After sneaking into my older brother's room and stealing his Yellow game one night, I pulled out our trading cord and transferred his beloved Pikachu to myself. He hated me for a solid week, but I regret nothing.
Almost fifteen years later, the world has been blessed with a revolutionary invention in the form of the smart phone app Pokemon Go. Once downloaded, the game takes the user through a character creation process before setting them free into both the real and virtual world as a Pokemon trainer. That is what makes this version so special: your success in the game depends on your dedication to physically traveling from place to place using your mobile GPS and Pokemon Go's radar that tells you which Pokemon are near and what direction to walk.
When your radar tells you that you have found a Pokemon, it actually appears in front of you through the app's camera feature that even lets you take pictures before you capture it. This is a much bigger deal than any stranger to Pokemon will ever understand. And for all the haters out there who complain about just another stupid game for nerds that promotes laziness and anti-social behavior, I've got news for you...
The object of the game is to travel the world and see new places while at the same time discovering new Pokemon that are found in different areas. It encourages an adventurous attitude. Furthermore, Pokemon Go's egg feature actually requires you to walk a certain distance before hatching. I hear so many people discussing how they "accidentally" get a lot of exercise while out hunting.
And because this isn't a game played sitting alone in a dark room inside your house, it also means that there are plenty of opportunities to socialize. I smile at everyone walking down the street who I know is on the hunt, and there have been several instances where a group of friendly strangers call out to me and ask what I'm trying to catch as I pace certain areas frantically. I've not met a single unfriendly person as a result of Pokemon Go. We're all either joining forces to take over a gym for our team, coming together to catch a monster, or laughing at ourselves because we know how ridiculous we look with our heads down and glued to our cell phone screens.
On a different note, occasionally a Pokemon will come to you on their own seemingly out of nowhere. This usually happens to me at night when I'm getting ready for bed. I've had multiple coffee dates with them. We chit chat, take selfies, and mess around before I eventually capture it and add it to my team of monster friends. Though my mom rolls her eyes when she walks in and witnesses it, she also smiles because even she thinks it's awesome.
I can now say that my childhood dream of being an epic Pokemon trainer and catching them all is now completely in my grasp. What a time to be alive.
